“I’m guessing it’s some sort of private facility. Maybe they don’t allow calls out of concern that it might affect the patients,” said Kyle, as he glanced at Maya.
Maya pursed her lips and said nothing in response.
She’d lost more weight recently and wasn’t even interested in eating the cheesecake her mother liked. I want Mommy to see how different I look when she gets back. A brand new Maya!
After Evan hung up, he felt his insides churning yet again.
Damn it, Nicole. Where on earth are you?
Do our feelings mean nothing to you? What about the kids? Can you just let them go too? We really miss you, Nicole. When are you coming home? Come home, please…
That night, Evan dreamt of Nicole.
Nicole was curled up in a dark corner, shivering. Her hair was a mess, and her gaunt, pale face stared blankly into space. She couldn’t seem to remember who she was, let alone find her way home. Evan called out to her as hard as he could but to no avail. The only thing he could see most clearly was the fear in her eyes.
Evan stopped briefly but knew he had to keep on trying. “You don’t have to hide and suffer alone, Nicole. Let me share the burden with you, okay?”
“You’re hands are chilled to the bone. Are you cold?”
“Nicole, let’s go home, shall we?”
Without warning, Nicole got up and left. Evan trailed closely behind in hot pursuit. They walked like this for ages when Nicole suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“NICOLE!” he shouted frantically.
With a panicked yell, Evan woke up with a jolt. His body was drenched in a cold sweat.
The scenes from just now were so vivid that Evan thought they were real.
This made Evan feel distressed. He wondered if Nicole was in fact, hiding somewhere, suffering through the torment of her illness all alone.
Is she going through everything I dreamt of?
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