How did it come to this?

 

I look at myself in the mirror, my tear stricken face looking back at me. My eyes are bloodshot and puffy. I wipe away the tears and, in the process, smearing blood on my cheek.

 

I feel my throat tighten once again as I look down on my bloodstained hands.

 

“This is a dream. It’s all a dream,” I keep mumbling to myself.

 

Tears begin to cloud my vision once again. I bite hard on my lip to contain a sob.

 

“God, please this has to be a dream. Just a bad dream.”

 

My body trembles all over.

 

I fall to my knees.

 

“Please.”

 

I spotted her across the street.

 

I smile a little bit mischievously.

 

She doesn’t know I’m here. Not yet.

 

I grab for my phone in my bag and start calling her through X app. Can’t let her know I’m in the same country.

 

“Hello?” she answers.

 

“Hi.”

 

“What time is it there? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

 

Instead of answering, I asked instead. “Where are you right now?”

 

“Now? I’m out walking at the moment. I'm running an errand. Well 'was' running an errand. I'm on my way to get some food actually.”

 

“Watch where you’re walking!”

 

I shout over the phone as I see a dog walk in front of her. She immediately looks down and side steps just in time. I see her quickly apologizing to the owner.

 

“Thanks for that. Wait how did you- are you here?!”

 

I quickly hide behind a parked car as I see her whipping her head around, searching for me.

 

“What? Of course not,” I said trying to sound nonchalant.

 

“Then how did you know? I was about to run into a dog.”

 

“Intuition? You did just tell me you were walking. Just wanted you to be aware of your surroundings.”

 

“You’re sure you’re not here?” she says again as she still keeps looking around.

 

I bit my lips to suppress a laugh.

 

“Of course. I’d tell you if I was,” I lied.

 

“Promise?”

 

I gave a soft laugh.

 

“Promise.”

 

I feel bad for lying. But, I bet it will be worth it when I surprise her.

 

I saw her start walking again.

 

“Okay. I just really miss you,” she sighed. “I can’t wait to see you soon.”

 

I smiled at that.

 

“See you soon.”

 

My sister comes through the door and finds me sitting on the comfort room floors.

 

She doesn’t say anything. She looks at me for a moment before turning the faucet open. A few seconds later, she crouches down to my level and begins wiping my face with her wet handkerchief.

 

 

 

“It’s going to be okay,” she tells me.

 

We kept on talking over the phone as she continued to look around. I kept following her, walking the sidewalk across from her and staying out of sight.

 

I noticed we were nearing a crossing.

 

It’s time I thought.

 

We hear shouts outside.

 

My sister and I share a look. She helps me up from the floor and then walk outside to see what the commotion was all about.

 

I immediately felt my blood boil the moment I saw him.

 

“How much do you miss me?”

 

“So much.”

 

“Oh? How much are we talking here?”

 

“So much I feel like crying sometimes.”

 

“You’re exaggerating,” I tell her.

 

“What? Are you telling me you don’t miss me as much?”

 

“Of course I do.”

 

“Ugh. I really can’t wait to see you.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“I swear, I’m all about ready to grab the first flight to where you are if you’re not home soon.”

 

I stopped in my footsteps and faced across the street.

 

“Good thing I saved you the trouble. And money.”

 

“What?”

 

“Turn to your right,” I told her.

 

She quickly turns and sees me.

 

I smirk as I wave at her.

 

“You!”

 

I laughed as she gawked at me from across the street.

 

My feet quickly move as I run towards him. I was about to tackle him but I felt several hands stop me.

 

“LET ME GO!”

 

“Calm down!” one of them yells at me.

 

I glare at them.

 

“How do you expect me to calm down?!”

 

“Just calm down. The authorities are coming soon,” my sister tells me.

 

“I don’t care! I want to hurt him. I want to hurt him so bad he’ll regret he was ever born!” I scream.

 

At this point, everyone in the room is looking our way. I see the hospital staff coming our way.

 

“Please calm down, miss. There are other patients-” one of the staff tells me but I cut them off.

 

“I will the moment I get to beat him!”

 

“You liar! I freaking knew it!”

 

My grin only grew wider as I saw her being huffing and glaring at me.

 

“True. Well at least you get to see me sooner than you think,” I said.

 

“Just wait ‘til I get my hands on you,” she grumbled.

 

“And do what exactly?”

 

“Oh just wait and see you little liar.”

 

They continue to restrain me.

 

He looks up at me and I glare back with disdain.

 

“I-I’m sorry,” he says.

 

This did nothing to appease my anger. It only grew as I saw him looking all guilty in front of me.

 

“I don’t need your apology. You should be apologizing to her!”

 

“I-I know...I’m so sorry,” he apologized again. “I-I’m going to give myself up to the police. I called them myself.”

 

He starts groveling in front of me.

 

I just keep getting angrier.

 

He has the audacity to show himself in front of me after what he’s done?

 

I clench my still bloodstained hands.

 

“Why did you do it?”

 

Not long after, the traffic lights changed.

 

My eyes widened as I saw her running towards me.

 

“I-I was...I was angry. I saw pictures of you together,” he begins. “I was following her. I just wanted to talk because I wanted to confirm things. And when I saw her running towards you I just...I just-.”

 

“You were angry so you hit her with your car!?” I scream.

 

It happened so fast.

 

I found myself standing there looking at the spot where she was just moments ago.

 

The screams around me pulled me out of my daze. I finally turned my head to the direction of the screaming.

 

I had never ran so fast in my life.

 

I almost fainted.

 

“I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry! Please I- please forgive me I didn’t mean to- I” he begs at my feet.

 

I did not feel an ounce of guilt when I kicked him as hard as I could.

 

I screamed.

 

I fell to my knees beside her.

 

There was so much blood.

 

As much as I wanted to help I didn’t know how to. I could make it worse if I did. I felt so helpless seeing her lying on the pavement, blood gushing out of her head. I could see her right arm and leg were visibly broken and positioned unnaturally.

 

“He-ey,” she managed.

 

“Don’t! Don’t say anything,” I exclaimed. “Help will come soon. Just hold on.”

 

She raised her left hand.

 

“Don’t move!” I yelled.

 

Still, she moved to wipe away the tears I didn’t notice streaming down my face.

 

“D-Don’t...c-cry…”

 

I couldn’t help placing my hand over hers, keeping it in place on my face.

 

“Stop talking. Focus on staying awake until they get here,” I said.

 

She managed to smile at me somehow.

 

“I...don’t th-think...can. I...sorry.”

 

“No!”

 

Just as I was about to kick him again, the police came marching towards us. They immediately walk up to him with handcuffs ready.

 

“You are under arrest on alleged charges of vehicular manslaughter. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future.”

 

He willingly gave himself up.

 

As they drag him away, he keeps looking back at me and shouting apologies.

 

I didn't care.

 

The apologies didn’t help the pain.

 

“Please. Stay with me!”

 

“S-see you...soon.”

 

“Soo!”