True Love

Chapter 4: Nightmare.

It was dark before Sarah's eyes. A male voice mixed with the wind whispered in her ear:

"This gift is exceptional. Now prepare to receive it."

She nodded, smiling. "What are you doing so secretively? Hurry up."

It was the same man's voice, but she couldn't hear it because the wind was blowing so hard. "Okay, it will be very soon."

She eagerly waited, the gift was probably exceptional, so this man gave her in such a mysterious way.

But suddenly, her back was pushed by something, and she fell forward.

She was scared and shouted for help, but no one reached out to take her hand. She found herself falling, like falling from a very high place. In front of her eyes was a dark space; in the distance, there were only a few faint sparkles. In her ears was the howling wind, the wind whipped her face, and her body ached as if it wanted to tear her into a hundred pieces.

...

"When you were a child, you always wrapped around me, wanted me to go anywhere; without me, you would cry, look very funny."

Dylan's warm voice suddenly rang in Sarah's ears, replacing the howling wind in the night. It took a long time for her to realize that she had just been through a nightmare and that Dylan's deep voice was now a reality. This voice was like a warm stream of water flowing through her heart, causing her to get rid of the nightmare's fear quickly.

"You're a pretty girl; I'm always proud of you." Dylan was still telling old stories, his warm hand gripping hers. "When we were in high school, many boys followed you, wanting to flirt with you."

Sarah concentrated on listening to Dylan speak. These are scattered little stories, sometimes stories from when they were five or six years old. Sometimes it's a story about high school; sometimes, it's a story about their time in college.

When Dylan remembers any memory, he will tell about that memory; there is no continuity between the stories.

But from his story, Sarah's eyes gradually appeared in a very faint scene as if covered by fog; it was challenging to capture it. She believes that it is the memory that she lost, and she must find it again. She tried to follow Dylan's voice, stepping into the thick fog in front of her.

"Sarah, it's time for me to go; tomorrow, I'll come to talk to you."

Dylan's voice pulled Sarah out of the fog. She didn't want to go back; she wanted to continue to delve into it, to explore because the memories she had lost were definitely there.

A warm kiss fell on her forehead. "Goodbye, see you tomorrow!"

Dylan kissed her and then left the hospital room. Sarah wanted to reach out to hold him, but she couldn't control her body.

Sarah listened to Dylan's steady footsteps fade and disappeared. Without him, the room became empty, leaving only the familiar, constant sound of the machine. Now she didn't want to hear that mechanical sound; she longed to listen to people talking to her, wanted to hear the stories Dylan told her, small but full of life's colors.

Suddenly she remembered Vincent, her husband. Since she regained consciousness, he has only visited her once, the day he brought some strangers and nominated himself for her post.

She didn't understand why Vincent didn't show up when she needed someone the most. He is her husband; does he miss her? Or is he too busy with work?

If busy, what about Dylan? She had heard that someone invited him to the company's board of directors meeting, so his position was not small. Yet he could still come and talk to her every day, not once without interruption.

The flood of questions hurt Sarah's head as if something had hit her. She tried to shake off those thoughts, focusing on the fog she believed was hiding her memories.

But without Dylan's warm voice guiding her, she couldn't find that fog. Around her now was just a dark space without a ray of light; her mind became blank again.

Another day passed, and the nurse helped Sarah clean up and left the room. Sarah knew it was evening now because the sound around her was no longer too noisy, only occasionally the slow footsteps of nurses visiting the wards.

Sarah's brain automatically works according to the body's biological clock, so she gradually falls into a sleep she cannot control.

...

The wind whistled in Sarah's ears, and a male voice whispered very close.

"This gift is exceptional. Now prepare to receive it!"

Something shoved her back so hard that she fell forward. She felt herself falling, the wind howling in her ears; in front of her eyes was pitch-black darkness. In the distance, there were a few glittering lights.

Her heart tightened with fear. She is falling at a breakneck speed. She tried to scream for help, but no one was around. A strong wind whipped her face.

...

When Sarah regained consciousness, she felt someone's hand holding her tightly, the familiar voice of the doctor in her ear.

"Since last night, the patient's heart rate has been very irregular; she seems agitated."

"She's comatose. How can she be excited." As Dylan's voice, still, he was always there for her. "Doctor, is this condition dangerous for her?"

"There is no danger; all stats are stable. You can rest assured." The doctor reassured Dylan.

"Yes, thank you, doctor!" Dylan was still holding Sarah's hand.

"You stay with her. I need to check on the other patients." The sound of the doctor's footsteps quickly faded away, followed by the sound of the door closing.

Dylan stroked Sarah's face gently; his voice was soft, as if he was afraid he would hurt her if he spoke loudly. "Please wake up soon. I need you to be healthy and happy. I don't want you to suffer like this."

Sarah felt the earnestness in Dylan's voice; she knew there was no lie in his words. She trusted him very much. More and more, she realized that she was psychologically dependent on him, waiting for him every day, wanting to hear the messy stories he told.