Chapter 7
1065 Words
Mira sat on the couch, legs crossed on the table in front of her, in a gem-green short and top, hair tied in a messy ponytail.
She held her phone to her ear, picking popcorn one by one into her mouth, the news of Jea and Darian’s marriage playing on her screen.
"Are you there?"
She asked the person on the phone
"Yes, ma'am"
The voice came through
"Okay"
She waved
"How’s it going?"
She asked
"There are a lot of people applying"
He complained
"The line’s long"
He continued
"Apparently, you’re late"
Mira said
"No matter what. I don’t care how. You must get in"
"Do you understand?"
She asked
"Yes, ma'am"
He replied
"Good"
"A lot of people like volunteering work these days. Are they planning to use that as repentance?"
She scoffed out loud
"Do a great job, okay?"
The man nodded and she hung up
"Who were you speaking with on the phone?"
Manson asked, walking in from the dining room with a glass of water.
"Are you eavesdropping on my conversations now?"
She snapped, annoyed
"It’s just something I left unhandled."
She said, brushing him off
"I’ve taught you better than to leave loose ends, Mira."
"Being sloppy always gets people caught."
He warned, with a smug smile.
"I know, Dad"
"You’re the epitome of getting away with what you’ve done"
"I’ll handle it"
She shrugged
"I’ll be dropping by a friend’s place"
"See you on Monday"
She walked past him to her room
Manson stared at the TV screen, then back at her.
"Hope it’s worth it"
He muttered under his breath.
_____
Jea came downstairs to meet Darian already dressed: black trousers, black shirt, and a black cap. She paused and stared at him for a while. This look felt familiar. The image kept trying to flash by but didn’t quite stick.
"Looks like you’re heading somewhere"
She observed.
"You too"
He replied
Jea rolled her eyes and walked out.
_____
Bethel stared at her reflection in the mirror. The red dress sat beautifully on her body, setting off her radiant skin.
A slow smile formed on her lips.
"You look gorgeous"
Mrs. Sarah said from behind her, also staring at the mirror
"Thank you"
Bethel flushed
Mrs. Sarah and Bethel’s relationship had always been like that of mother and daughter. From the first day she was assigned as her caregiver, they talked together, laughed together, shared their stories and comforted each other.
Then Bethel’s face went pale, her eyes welled with tears, she blinked, trying to keep them from falling.
"What is it?"
Mrs. Sarah asked.
"No..."
Her voice cracked.
"It’s fine. Okay, it’s fine"
Mrs. Sarah brushed her hair with her palm
"You’ll ruin your mood"
She added
Bethel gave a brief smile
"He’ll be coming to watch me today. I should perform well"
Both smiled at that
"Yes, so don’t ruin your mood, okay?"
Bethel nodded
"Let’s go"
She wheeled her out of the room and headed for the Defiant Hall
_____
Jea slipped through the crowd to the back row, somewhere she could be hidden. As long as she could see the stage. That was all that mattered.
She sat with her back against the chair, arms crossed, glasses on.
Bethel appeared under the spotlight. The crowd cheered.
She gripped the tightrope hanging from the ceiling, lifted herself from her wheelchair, and clung to the ropes, making graceful moves.
She twirled on the ropes, swinging from one to another, impressing the crowd.
As the crowd kept cheering and Bethel’s moves grew more dazzling, tears welled up in Jea’s eyes. It had been 15 years, but she still hadn’t gotten over the incident.
Not when Bethel never got her legs back.
Not when her dreams were stalled.
Not when Jea brought flowers to ease her own guilt while Bethel suffered.
She blinked once, then twice, but the tears kept falling. She quickly got up and hurried to the restroom.
The restroom door swung open and she walked in. Standing before the mirror, she took off her glasses and looked at herself. Her throat tightened to hold the tears back.
She stared at her reflection longer this time, clenched her fist around the edge of the counter, and tightened her jaw.
She took one deep breath, pulled a wipe from her clutch, and wiped her face.
Her phone buzzed on the counter. She glanced at the caller and ignored it, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the restroom.
The phone kept buzzing, but she ignored it each time.
"Pick up already"
Julien yelled into the phone, then dialed again. Still nothing.
"Yes?"
Liora answered.
"I want to speak with Jea. Where is she?"
Julien asked.
"It’s the weekend"
Liora reminded him
"Aren’t you her secretary?"
He asked, annoyed.
"You should know everything"
He added
"That’s not part of my job description"
Liora replied and hung up before he could say another word
"Hello? Hello?"
"She hung up on me just because I’m no longer her fiancé"
He scoffed
"Such nerve"
He muttered
_____
"Here are the letters from the past few months"
The nurse handed Mira a pile of white envelopes
Mira cackled
"She still sends these?"
She sneered
"It’s not like it’s doing any good"
"But anyway, keep it up"
"Next time, you might as well throw the flowers away too"
She said, annoyed
"Check your balance. You’ll be glad"
She said and walked out
"Thank you, Ms"
The nurse bowed in appreciation
______
Jea, Mira, and Darian walked to the parking lot from different exits.
Mira hurried to her car, but then spotted Jea just one vehicle away from her, she froze.
Jea walked to her car, staring at her phone the entire time. She opened her car door, but then her peripheral vision caught something familiar. She looked up, but Mira was fast enough to get in the car. Jea glanced at the side mirror, but then the man parked between them walked over, blocking her view.
"Sorry for the wrong parking. I’ll move"
He said
Jea’s focus shifted. She stared at the man, then at the car. It was parked perfectly fine.
Her brows furrowed.
"I’m Doctor Lee"
He introduced himself, stretching his hand forward with a gentle smile on his face. Jea found it quite creepy
She ignored him and opened her car door, but Darian walked in on them.
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