Chapter 7
Outside the hospital, Diana was carrying breakfast back to the ward.
“Wayne, didn’t you say you had stomach issues? I only got plain porridge.”
Wayne leaned toward her with a grin. “I feel bad making you drink plain porridge with me, Senior Sister.”
Then he asked, “By the way, last night you saved me first. Stephen won’t say anything about it, will he?”
“What could he say?” Diana replied casually. “He wasn’t drunk; it was right for me to save you first. You’re my little brother, after all.”
Wayne felt smug but feigned concern. “The accident was pretty serious. Stephen might be hurt. I feel a little worried about him.”
“Maybe you should go check on him, so he doesn’t misunderstand me again.”
Diana hesitated at this. Last night’s accident was severe, and she’d only focused on saving Wayne. She hadn’t checked on Stephen. She thought about pulling out her phone to ask, but then paused.
If Stephen was hurt, he’d likely go to the hospital himself. After all, he was 25, not a kid like Wayne.
By noon, after tending to Wayne, Lucy dropped him back at school. For some reason, she felt a nervous flutter in her heart.
It felt like everything had started changing since Stephen threw things around. She’d been so busy with Wayne lately that she hadn’t noticed.
“Come home.”
“I need to talk to you.”
Seeing Stephen’s message, Diana rushed home. What could he need to discuss? She tried to find clues, but her mind drew a blank.
She went through their recent chat history, hardly believing her eyes. Only a few exchanges in a week, and even those had dwindled over time.
Only now did she realize she had no idea what was going on in Stephen’s life. He was drifting further from her, to the point they barely spoke.
How had things come to this?
A sense of foreboding filled her. She recalled the incident at the mall.
Yes! Stephen must have seen her with Wayne; that’s why he reacted so strongly. But he loved her so much; he wouldn’t be mad over something so trivial.
She just needed to explain and soothe him a little.
With this thought, Diana decided to buy a small gift as a peace offering. She ran from the first to the fourth floor and unlocked the door in a flash. She had her excuse ready, but as she stepped inside, the house was empty.
An eerie silence, sharp as needles, filled the air. Everything related to Stephen had vanished as if he had never existed.
Diana’s hands began to tremble as she grabbed her phone. Messages showed only exclamation marks, and a cold, automated voice answered her calls.
She looked toward the couch where Stephen loved to sit. Everything was in its usual place.
It was almost as if she could see him sitting in the corner, snubbing out his cigarette, ready to welcome her home. But the moment passed, and the illusion dissolved.
The ashtray was spotless, and only a stack of scattered papers sat on the coffee table.
In a daze, Diana stumbled to the table, picking up the letter she’d waited so long to receive. On it were the chilling words: “Diana, we’re completely over.”
