Lewis hugged her while resting his chin atop her head and listening to her gentle voice. He didn't say a word the entire time.
Josephine shut her eyes. She didn't have the strength to speak anymore. The chilly breeze against her cheek made it feel like it was really the wintertime.
The snowfall had lessened by then. Little to no snowflakes fluttered in the air. Eventually, all that remained was the cold air.
"Let's never see each other again in our next time, Lewis."
That stunned Lewis. Then, he suddenly stood and looked down at Josephine to ask, "Are you regretting everything?"
"I regretted things long ago. In fact, I regretted it right after we got married." Josephine opened her eyes to meet Lewis' gaze.
His features had tensed up by then, and he stared at her with a grim expression. Still, she continued, "I regretted my decision during every night I spent alone in my room. I regretted meeting you and having all those wishful thoughts against you—"
"Stop talking," Lewis interrupted to prevent her from going on.
Josephine pretended not to hear him and resumed, "You keep acting like you don't understand or know anything—like you can't hear or speak up about the situation."
Lewis' lip twitched as he flashed a bitter smile.
Josephine did the same. She realized how pointless it was to say those things now. Plus, she was too tired to explain things to him. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap."
That was when Lewis tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He moved with the utmost tenderness. "Let's get home first. Then, you can nap, okay?"
Josephine shook her head lightly. She couldn't resist the urge to sleep anymore. Her eyelids felt heavier by the second.
That made Lewis stiffen. He instantly lifted her face and murmured, "Josephine …"
To Josephine, the former's voice sounded vague. She couldn't understand him because her tiredness had taken over. Josephine forced herself to stay awake for a second more. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, but she didn't have the strength.
As her arm fell, Lewis caught it and brought it to his cheek. His face was cold yet had a hint of warmth.
Josephine suddenly recalled sneaking into Lewis' room when she was younger. She couldn't help but caress his face. She retracted her arm when Lewis awoke and realized it was her. Yet, he pinned her hand down.
She remembered it had happened on a sunny afternoon. Lewis smiled at her then, and she saw a dazzling light in his intense gaze.
A smile curved onto Josephine's face just then. It felt like the Lewis in her memories was always dreamy, like a charming scene in a movie. All those moments became engraved in her heart.
Sadly, memories were only memories. Lewis had changed with time and was no longer the person in her memories.
She shut her eyes while her arm weakly slid out of his hold.
Lewis grabbed her hand again and placed it back against his cheek. His voice trembled and sounded more frail. It was as if the cold had affected him. "J-Josephine? Josie …"
It had stopped snowing all of a sudden. Even the space fell into pure silence. As the wind blew, speckles of snow flung into the air. They darted around like wild beasts before landing on the ground again.
Everything around them had gotten coated in white.
…
It was nighttime when they returned to the villa.
Yannis had been at unrest when he heard Lewis brought Josephine outdoors. He rushed out to intercept the two once the car's engine settled. Yannis panicked as he watched Lewis carry Josephine out.
Josephine's face had burrowed into Lewis' embrace, so Yannis couldn't tell how she was doing. Even so, her limp arm that weakly dangled was enough to make Yannis pale.
He ran up, frowned with concern at Lewis, and asked, "Why have you brought her outdoors, Mr. Alvarez?"
He knew Josephine's body was weak, so no good would come from taking her out into the cold.
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