Chapter 12: In My Dreams, I See Him
Rain had been falling since the afternoon.
The village sky was soaked, and cold wind slipped through a window left slightly open.
Aurel sat alone in her room, hugging her knees at the edge of the bed.
In front of her, a small desk lamp glowed dimly.
She didn't sleep that night. Again.
For two weeks now, her nights had been restless.
Even when her body was exhausted, her mind refused to settle.
Every time she closed her eyes, Rey's face appeared in her dreams—
always the same way.
Silent. Soaked with rain.
Sitting alone.
Looking at her without saying a word.
Sometimes Aurel woke up drenched in cold sweat.
Sometimes she sobbed without realizing it.
Of course, Damar had begun to notice.
"What's wrong with you lately?" he asked a few nights ago.
Aurel only shook her head.
"Just tired."
"This isn't just tired, Rel. I'm your husband. You can talk to me."
But Aurel stayed quiet.
Because she knew—
no words could explain the guilt that grew inside her every single day.
---
That day, news arrived.
Mrs. Siti came to Aurel's house.
Her face was pale, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Aurel…" she said softly, barely audible.
"Do you have a moment?"
Aurel looked at her mother, then nodded.
They spoke on the porch, far from Damar's ears.
"Rey…" Mrs. Siti's voice trembled.
"He's been found."
Aurel's heart sank.
"In the city. On the street… they said he was sleeping in front of an empty shop. People thought he was homeless. But someone recognized him and brought him to the hospital…"
"Is he sick?" Aurel interrupted, panicked.
Mrs. Siti nodded slowly.
"The doctor said… Rey's traumatized. Mentally unstable. Sometimes he talks to himself. Sometimes he cries. Sometimes he gets angry. But most of the time… he just sits and calls your name."
Aurel felt her chest tighten—like being punched from the inside.
Her hands trembled.
"Which hospital?"
"A mental hospital. Downtown. The doctor said he needs treatment… he's lost his sense of direction."
Aurel covered her mouth.
Her tears poured without warning.
"Why… why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, her voice breaking.
Mrs. Siti looked at her with deep sorrow.
"Because you're no longer Rey's."
That sentence hit like a hammer.
But there was no denying it.
Aurel was no longer Rey's.
But her heart… was still his.
And only his.
---
That night, Aurel cried in the bathroom.
She muffled her sobs with a towel.
She cried without sound, clutching the red bracelet in her hand.
"I'm sorry, Rey… I'm so sorry… I was weak… I should've waited for you…"
But regret always comes last.
And sometimes, regret has no door left to return through.
---
At the hospital, Rey sat quietly.
He wore a patient's uniform now.
His hair had grown longer.
His eyes were blank, staring at the white, silent wall.
A nurse passed the door, jotting something in the logbook.
Rey didn't see her.
He only hugged his knees and whispered softly:
> "Aurel… I came home, but you weren't there…"
"I came home, Rel… I came home…"
And that night, the doctor wrote a new note on his chart:
> "Patient shows signs of severe hopelessness. Repeats the same name every night. Requires close attention."