Episode 4
1044 Words
After returning home, Emma goes to freshen up, planning to fall asleep straight until morning and forget about today’s heart-fluttering kiss, just like she had done in the past.
However, at 2 a.m., Emma receives a call from the hospital informing her that her alcoholic father, having gotten drunk and engaged in a fight, has been rushed to the hospital.
Due to her father’s alcoholism and frequent domestic violence against her mother, Emma’s mother left her at a young age, prompting Emma to flee Phoenix herself at just 16 years old to escape her father’s influence.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Emma rises from her seat, slips on a coat, and hears the rumble of thunder as she hastily ties her hair. She then drives off to the hospital.
The night is as dark as ink, and raindrops begin to splatter against the car windows, mingling with the chaos within Emma’s heart. The road to the hospital seems particularly long under the rain, with each streetlamp guiding her way while simultaneously illuminating memories she wishes to forget.
Upon arriving at the hospital, a pungent smell of disinfectant greets Emma as she takes a deep breath, striving to calm her frayed emotions. She navigates through the bustling corridors, following the information provided in the phone call, until she finds her father’s hospital room. As she gently pushes open the door, a noxious mix of alcohol and medicine assails her senses, causing her brows to furrow even more tightly.
Inside the room, her father lies on the hospital bed, his face pale and a bandage wrapped around his forehead. His eyes are shut tight, suggesting he is still in a deep slumber. The steady ticking of the heart monitor fills the silent space, adding a rhythmic beat to the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. Emma stands by the bedside, gazing at this man who is both familiar and strange to her, her heart a tumult of conflicting emotions.
Memories of her childhood, shrouded in the shadows of alcohol and violence, surface in her mind. She recalls her mother’s helpless tears and the countless nights she spent crying silently. Though she had long ago resolved to sever ties with her past, the bond of blood prevents her from completely disowning the intricate feelings she harbors towards her father.
“Why do you always do this?” Emma mutters to herself, her voice tinged with anger and helplessness. She reaches out and gently touches her father’s hand, feeling a chill that sends a shiver through her heart. Perhaps, in that moment, she is more asking herself, wondering why fate has dealt her such a hand.
Just then, her father’s eyelids flutter slightly, and he slowly opens his eyes. His gaze is initially clouded with confusion but quickly focuses on Emma. For an instant, time seems to stand still, and an unspoken emotion flows between them.
“Emma…” her father’s voice is hoarse and weak, yet it reaches her clearly.
Emma doesn’t immediately respond, standing still and silent, waiting for what he will say next.
“I… I’m sorry,” he says, his voice laced with an unprecedented sincerity and regret. “I know I’ve done so many wrong things, hurt you and your mother. I… I want to change, but I can’t always control myself.”
Those words are like a boulder dropped into a still lake, sending ripples of emotion surging through her.
“You need to rest now,” Emma finally speaks, her voice softer. “When you’re recovered, we can talk.”
“Don’t leave, stay in Phoenix, Emma!” her father pleads, looking up at her.
With some matters for Emma to attend to with the doctor at the door, she turns and leaves the room.
It takes her the entire night to settle her father’s affairs. Walking down the quiet, well-lit corridor, Emma comes to a halt.
She sighs deeply.
She is exhausted.
The inevitable entanglements of human relationships have left her physically and emotionally drained.
Glancing to the side, she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror at the corner.
A mess.
Wearing a pajama top over a long white coat, her face is pale and devoid of color, her hair a tangled mess that has long lost its order, making her look like… a madwoman.
She undoes her hair tie, smooths out a few stray strands, and ties it up into a bun.
As Emma makes her way through the corridor to the dimly lit lobby, she hears the sound of pattering rain, which gradually grows louder. Hurrying towards the entrance, she is met with the fresh scent of rainwater, realizing that it has started to pour.
Thinking of running to the emergency wing, the rain intensifies instantly, as if the sky has sprung a leak, unleashing a torrential downpour.
Having left in haste, she hasn’t changed her clothes, nor has she grabbed an umbrella.
Holding her father’s medical reports tightly, her eyes grow vacant.
Nothing has gone right since she returned, and even though she isn’t one to dwell on other matters, fate seems to be toying with her, leaving her heart heavy.
The light in her eyes is gradually extinguished by the raindrop by drop.
“Emma?” A voice calls out her name.
She freezes for a moment.
Footsteps approach.
The man strides up to her, glances at the rain outside, and notices she has no umbrella. He kindly asks, “Would you like to walk together?”
Emma sees the black long-handled umbrella in his hand and a coat draped over his arm.
She looks up at him, meeting his gaze.
His features are gentle, adorned in a well-tailored woolen overcoat, and he smiles with a gentlemanly charm, simply gazing at her.
Though spring is still far away, she feels as if she is melting into a gentle breeze.
A faint fragrance brushes past her nose, as if she has stumbled into a field of blooming flowers.
Her heart races suddenly.
Beat after beat, an irresistible emotion overwhelms her.
She is on the verge of being engulfed by the downpour, her emotional defenses crumbling bit by bit.
No words could describe it more accurately.
But at this moment, he is like a savior standing before her.
- Writer
