Micky looked around first before he slowly entered the room.

            “Ellie,” he gently uttered as he approached her.

            As expected, she was already sitting in a corner of the room, quietly rocking herself back and forth while her lips kept on moving as if she was talking.

            Micky’s heart ached with pity. Somehow he couldn’t stand seeing such a beautiful girl in a horrible state.

            “Ellie,” he uttered again as he knelt down in front of her. He then gently arranged a portion of her hair that was covering her face.

            Suddenly she stopped moving. Micky quickly became concerned. He suddenly became afraid that she was going to act violently.

            But she just continued to stare at him. Then slowly tears started to fall from her eyes.

            Micky felt like his heart was being crushed. He could easily feel and see the pain in Ellie’s eyes.

            “Please… don’t cry,” he said as he gently wiped away her tears. He then carefully drew her into his arms. He felt like he wanted to hold her and comfort her so badly. How he wanted to make her stop crying. Somehow he couldn’t stand seeing her in pain, and being so lost.

            “Ssshh…It’s all right. I’m here. I promise I will take care of you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Just let go and try to forget about the past,” he said softly as he gently her head.

            Ellie suddenly stopped crying out loud. Then she slowly closed her eyes and just silently wept. Only sadness and pain filled both her heart and mind.

            Micky tightened his embrace. He had never felt so protective of anyone in his life. But at that exact moment, it was like he wanted to take care of Ellie forever. Somehow he felt like she was a child that needed his care and protection.

            Suddenly….

            “Jaejoong…” Ellie uttered softly.

            Micky’s whole body stiffened after hearing what Ellie said. A sharp pain quickly shot through his heart with just a single word. He knew he had no right to feel hurt. He was just doing everything as a favor for Jaejoong in the first place.

            But he couldn’t stop himself. He already felt a strong attraction for Ellie the very first time he saw her. And now that she was in his arms, his own feelings were growing stronger. Even though it wasn’t right he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that he wanted Ellie for himself.

            He closed his eyes and just drowned himself in his thoughts. He wanted to forget about Jaejoong even for just a few minutes. He wanted to erase the guilt he was feeling. And he wanted to make believe that Ellie only belonged to him and him alone…

            Ellie was so close to him now and the thought was enough to make him forget his conscience.

***************************

            Jaejoong slowly lowered his eyes as he quietly closed the door. He wanted to see what was happening inside Ellie’s room. But what he saw totally turned his heart cold. He was still holding on the door knob tightly that his knuckles were already turning white.

            He tried to pretend that he wasn’t hurt. But deep inside he was already dying. He leaned his head on the door of Ellie’s room. Then he just tightly closed his eyes. He wanted to forget what he saw. He knew it was for the best.

            “Jaejoong,” U-Know uttered with concern. He wanted to go to his side and console him, but Xiah stopped him. Sadly, he just stared and tried to control his own sadness that was filling his soul.

            Days passed….

            The DBSK boys tried to continue to act normal whenever they were around other people. But once their daily schedules were over, they would immediately go to Ellie’s apartment to help out.

            Micky was already so used to taking care of Ellie that it was like his day wasn’t complete if he didn’t get the chance to be around her.

            As soon as he arrived, he would immediately feed her some of the things that he bought for her. Then he would read different stories for her using his laptop. He would show her pictures and try to tell her about everything that happened to him on that particular day.

            While he was busy taking care of her, Jaejoong just silently stood by … watching with a broken heart.

*******************

            The DBSK boys had already left when Krizzia decided to talk to Samar.

            “Samar, don’t you think that it’s time that we stop this?” she asked.

            “What do you mean?” Samar asked as if confused.

            Krizzia sighed. “Can’t you see? So many people are already getting hurt. Even though I don’t like Jaejoong, I still can’t stop myself from feeling sorry for him, whenever I see him staring at Ellie and Micky… it’s like I feel so sad that they had to end in such a cruel fate. I know he loves her so much. But … Oh! I don’t know what to think anymore. And another thing, I think Micky’s really starting to fall for Ellie. The way he looks at her and the way he acts around her is just too obvious. I think if we continue this set-up, all three of them will end up in pain.”

            Samar nodded. “Yes, I already know about Micky’s situation. Even his friends are already noticing the special attention he’s giving Ellie. But what do you suggest we do? If we stop now… then we won’t have anything else to hold on to. As of now, Micky is the only hope that Ellie has. He’s really grown close to her I know… But that is what we expected right from the beginning. We asked Micky to get close to Ellie and make her forget… and make her love again.”

            Krizzia shook her head in dismay. “Yes, I know. But … I am really getting worried. Ellie’s parents are already calling everyday to ask about her. How long do you think we can continue fooling them? And what if … in the end, Ellie still doesn’t recover and Micky just ends up falling for her, then he gets heart broken. And aside from that, don’t forget about Jaejoong. He’s been taking care of all of Ellie’s needs. He’s been cleaning the entire apartment and Ellie’s room everyday, cooking meals for all of us, washing her clothes, buying things for her…He’s already done so much for her. Right now, I really pity him. I know with the busy schedule that they have, he’s already very tired whenever he comes here… but he still tries to do everything without complaining. I’ve tried to stop him many times… But do you know what he always says to me? He says that what he is doing now is just a small thing. And he would gladly do it even if it was a hundred times harder… as long as it was all for her. He said he was willing to do everything for her even if it took a lifetime. I really feel bad for the guy. Now I know he’s not that bad after all. I guess destiny was just too cruel with them.”

            “Let’s just give it a few more days. If she still doesn’t recover by then… we don’t have any choice but to finally tell her parents about everything,” Samar decided.

            Krizzia nodded in agreement. “A few more days then… I just hope that she shows some kind of improvement by that time. But what we really need now is for her to start talking again. Frankly, I know only a miracle can do that. With the state she’s in right now, it will surely take her a couple of months before she starts talking again,’ she said with a heavy sigh. “I am really going crazy. Everything is just too much to take.”

            “Crazy? Yes, I know what you mean,” Samar uttered sadly.

            At the same time in Ellie’s room….

            Ellie quickly opened her eyes. The whole place was dark and quiet.

            Then different faces started to appear out of nowhere. Ellie was immediately horrified. She then started to hear someone laughing continuously. The sound was frightening and quite maddening. She tried to cover her ears but everything just kept on going on and on.

            Ellie screamed over and over again. She needed to get away…

            Samar and Krizzia hurriedly entered the room.

            “Ellie, what’s wrong?” Krizzia asked worriedly.

            But Ellie was already out of control. She quickly jumped out her bed and went straight to the door. Samar tried to grab her but she just pushed her away violently.

            Samar fell down and accidentally hit her head on a chair.

            “Samar,” Krizzia shouted.

            Ellie looked back at Samar who was lying unconscious on the floor. Somehow reality was starting to become clear for her. But she started to hear voices all of a sudden. Again she screamed and quickly ran out of the apartment.

            She needed to get away… She needed to escape.

**************************

            “Hello,” Jaejoong answered his phone.

            “Jae…. This is Krizzia…. Ellie…. Ellie’s gone. She became violent again and managed to get out of the apartment. Please help us… Please find her,” she uttered with a trembling voice.

            Minutes later….

            Jaejoong and Micky hurriedly went inside their cars. Hearts racing…. They knew they needed to find Ellie before it was too late…