Henry whipped his eyes to Mark in the hope of an order. As the days went on, Shelly’s condition consistently nosedived. If they delayed her treatment, they might be setting themselves up for something more baleful.
Mark was quiet for a beat before finally giving his verdict. “Henry, send her away right now. You have found and contacted the premier institution for this, yes? Tell them to arrange a personal nursing assistant to look after her, and that I expect only the best care and treatment for her. Finally, keep me posted with updates of her condition.”
With an affirmative hum, Henry left the room and began preparing the ride.
Later that day, only Henry and Brian drove Shelly to the institution, as Mark had eschewed seeing her off. He worried that he would regret his decision if he went with them, especially when his stance could not help but soften and wither whenever Shelly mentioned her past of living like a prisoner in a cage, with a look of abject terror and despair.
Why did things have to come to this?
Mark skipped work the next day. Arianne, noticing this, quickly called him.
The phone went unanswered for a very long time before he finally picked it up. When he spoke, his voice was devoid of life. “Hello?”
Arianne furrowed her eyebrows. “Where are you? Why aren’t you coming to work today? You know, I bought breakfast for Smore this morning, and he thought it was very scrumptious, and insisted that I bring the same set for you, too. I brought it to work, only to find that you aren’t here at all…”
Mark went quiet for a few moments before croaking, “I’m at home. Just don’t feel like going to work today. Can you come and keep me company?”
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