Since his argument with his father a few hours ago, Nico Zhapierre—the man in a black shirt sitting in a restaurant chair—had chosen to ignore the incoming calls on his phone, which had been vibrating nonstop. He didn't even care about the calls from the hospital or from some other doctors.
His heart was still unsettled. Anger, frustration, disappointment, and heartache continued to haunt him. Especially as he looked at the woman now sitting across from him, enjoying her dinner with a broad smile, happy to be with him tonight.
'Dear God … why does all of this have to happen? Kelly has been the woman by my side all this time, going through the ups and downs of life for more than five years. In every prayer Ioffered, I asked for the best for my future with Kelly. But why is this God's answer? Why must there be this crazy arranged marriage?' Nico's inner monologue.
Another long sigh escaped from Nico's mouth. The man, stirring the food before him, lost his appetite as Jhon's words kept echoing in his mind. On top of that, a text from his father, accompanied by an attached letter requesting the revocation of his medical practice license, suddenly appeared on his screen, making his head throb with pain.
Sensing something was off from his sigh, Kelly stopped eating, placed her steak knife and fork on the plate, reached for his hand, and held it.
Nico, lost in thought, was startled and looked at Kelly, holding his breath.
"Dear!" he blurted out without realizing it.
Seeing her boyfriend's increasingly odd behavior, Kelly's curiosity grew. She knew something was on Nico's mind, though she had no idea what it was.
"I noticed you haven't been focused and seem lost in thought since earlier. What's going on, dear? Is there a problem at the hospital? Or … did a patient die post-surgery?" Kelly guessed.
Nico shook his head. "Nothing, really, dear," he replied. He truly wasn't ready to explain everything to Kelly, especially about the insane arrangement. Nico feared that if his girlfriend found out about his father's plan, it would only hurt the woman he loved dearly.
In the end, Nico was left with no choice but to lie to cover up what was happening. He didn't want to ruin the relationship he had built with Kelly all this time. He didn't want to destroy all the plans for the future they had mapped out together. And Nico definitely didn't want to lose the woman he loved so much, just to marry some unknown woman chosen by his father.
But if he defied Jhon's decision, what would become of his career in medicine? Nico couldn't bear the thought of losing everything, as the position he held now was his lifelong dream.
"I'm just tired, really." Nico evaded.
"Are you sure?" Kelly asked, scrutinizing him.
Not wanting her suspicion to grow, Nico forced a warm smile from the corners of his lips and gently ruffled the top of her head. "I'm sure. How could I lie to you?" he replied, lying.
Although Kelly still wasn't completely satisfied with Nico's answer, she chose to end the discussion with a long sigh. She tried to trust his words because she knew Nico wasn't the typical player like many men out there, even though he had everything.
Moreover, a man as super busy as Nico wouldn't have time to chase after other women. His mind was only filled with thoughts of his patients' recovery at the hospital. At least, that's what Kelly thought.
"Dear, this afternoon, one of the customers came to the boutique. At first, I thought she wanted to alter her wedding dress design that I'd previously created. But it turns out, seriously, this was beyond my expectations. She came to the boutique just to inform me that her wedding was canceled because her fiancé got another woman, whom he'd only known for a few months, pregnant. I was so shocked to hear that," Kelly tried to steer their conversation by sharing an unexpected incident she'd experienced earlier at her boutique.
"Oh, really?"
Kelly nodded. "Hmm."
"Then, that woman was quite lucky to learn of her fiancé's bad behavior before they got married. Imagine if she found out he impregnated someone else after they were officially married. Her heartbreak would have been far worse," Nico commented.
"Yeah, exactly." Kelly then started recounting to Nico the entire incident with her customer, from the moment she came to the boutique in tears to when her family came to take her home.
And, as usual, Nico became Kelly's faithful listener as she began to tell her story. His gaze was deep, as if he didn't want to miss a second to admire his beautiful, gentle girlfriend. Nico even managed to forget his problems, just by listening to her chatter.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, a beautiful, pale-faced girl lying awake in a hospital room was staring at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh.
Occasionally, she looked to her left and right, observing the two people she loved most, who were sound asleep on an uncomfortable-looking sofa.
Ah … why does it hurt so much, God? Especially when a harsh reality suddenly slapped her. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting a tear fall from her beautiful eyes.
'I've never grown tired of praying, hoping, and asking. Acceptance has even become a regular thing. But why is there always a nagging feeling each time reality hits me?' she whispered to herself.
'God, if my fate with death comes before my fate with someone, please allow me to give a beautiful, sincere smile to the two people I love before I die.'
The girl closed her eyes tighter as more tears streamed down both sides of her face.
'If I haven't been able to make those I love happy in this world, please let me pray for their happiness through the prayers I lift daily. So that one day, when I'm gone, God answers my prayers, and they eventually forget how to be sad because of my absence.'
Right after that silent plea, the pain in her chest intensified. Her hand reflexively clutched the left side of her chest, gripping the sheet to endure the pain. Michelle's face flushed, struggling to breathe.
"L-Leo … M-Mommy … H-Help me," she whispered weakly.
***