Juliette cried hysterically as she slammed her phone onto the table. She couldn’t believe Tamara had been in an accident, mainly since she had just spoken to her. Juliette shook her head, thinking that everything happening was just a nightmare. Soon, she would wake up and realise that Tamara was still okay.
Her legs could no longer support her weight. Juliette fell to the floor, leaning against the table. She curled up, burying her face in her hands, trying to stifle her sobs so others wouldn’t hear. If only Juliette had accompanied Tamara to the airport, none of this would have happened. Tamara must be at the airport, sitting in the waiting room, waiting for her flight to depart together.
Juliette became more hysterical, replaying their argument from yesterday in her mind. If she had known this would be the outcome, she wouldn’t have said anything wrong to Tamara. She would have told her that she loved her like a sister. Juliette would have embraced Tamara tightly.
She heard the door to her room open, followed by footsteps approaching, but Juliette couldn’t respond. She didn’t care who was coming in; she was lost in her grief. Juliette was starting to feel exhausted from being in this situation. She didn’t want to cry anymore. If this continued, her tears would surely dry up, and nothing would be left to come out.
“Juliette.” She jolted when her head was gently stroked. Slowly, Juliette lifted her head, and her tears flowed more freely when her eyes met the dark brown ones of Robbin. Seeing her so devastated, Robbin immediately knelt and hugged Juliette tightly. One of his arms wrapped around her while the other stroked her head, trying to calm her down from the chaos she was experiencing. “Shh, everything will be alright.”
“No.” Juliette protested in a hoarse voice. “Nothing is alright, Robby. I’m tired…”
Robbin buried his nose in Juliette’s hair, inhaling the scent of her hair. Occasionally, his lips moved to whisper soothing words that somewhat healed the wounds in Juliette’s heart. After a while on the floor, Juliette’s sobs began to subside, and she slowly pulled away from Robbin.
Wiping the remaining tears, she said, “Thank you, Robby. You are truly the best brother.” Robbin responded with a gentle nod and a small smile.
“We should go to the hospital,” Juliette said as she stood up. Robbin followed suit, waiting for Juliette near the door.
“Are you ready?” Robbin asked as Juliette stood beside him. The woman nodded. He opened his arms and embraced Juliette, and together, they walked out of Juliette’s room toward the studio exit.
Once outside, a car parked near the studio approached and stopped before them. Aldrich exited the driver’s side and opened the back passenger door. Juliette entered first, followed by Robbin. The door closed tightly, and they sat comfortably.
Aldrich returned to the driver’s seat and drove through the busy streets.
As the car moved, Juliette leaned against the seat’s headrest and closed her eyes, trying to strengthen her spirit.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Juliette and Robbin were immediately directed to the morgue, where Tamara and the driver-a family employee of the De Lavignes-were located. Juliette couldn’t hold back her tears upon seeing Tamara’s tragic state. There was blood everywhere, and her friend’s face was so pale. With trembling hands, Juliette put on gloves before reaching for Tamara’s cold hand, squeezing it gently, trying to reassure herself that the woman lying in front of her was Tamara, her friend.
Juliette felt Robbin’s presence behind her, and he said softly, “There are two police officers outside who want to talk to you.” With a brief nod, Juliette released Tamara’s hand and her gloves. After thanking the officer on duty, Juliette and Robbin walked out of the morgue to approach the two police officers standing in the waiting room.
They shook hands and introduced themselves. After completing the formalities, Robbin asked the police officer, “So what’s the result of the investigation, Mr. Richard? What caused the accident?”
Mr. Richard, one of the police officers, answered formally. “Preliminary investigation results indicate the accident was caused by brake failure, causing the driver to lose control and crash.”
“How could that be? Every vehicle we used was in top condition and routinely checked. That’s impossible.”
Juliette felt her body weaken upon hearing Mr. Richard’s explanation; for some reason, her bad premonition began to resurface. Her heart raced faster, and the tightness in her chest grew more assertive. With her remaining strength, Juliette staggered to a chair and sat down. Not long after, Robbin sat beside her, one hand soothingly rubbing her back. “Tamara’s family has been informed.”
“What about Hannah? What should I tell her?” Robbin looked at Juliette with sympathetic eyes and answered, “You can tell her.” With a brief nod, Juliette said, “I should buy a plane ticket.”
“What do you mean?” Robbin asked, his tone becoming more tense. “Why buy a plane ticket?”
Juliette sighed heavily and turned to Robbin. With a bitter smile, she replied, “I have to attend Tamara’s funeral, Robby.”
Robbin opened his mouth to say something but stopped when a man ran toward them. “Juliette!” Juliette immediately turned to the man, and her vision blurred again with tears. She stood up and rushed to him, and they embraced tightly in the waiting room. Juliette cried again and tightened her hold on him. “Don’t be sad, Julie. I will always be by your side.”
“Leo… Tamara…”
“I know, I’m sorry, Julie.”
“Why does this keep happening?” Juliette whispered in Leo’s warm embrace, her face buried in his chest, the most comfortable place for her. “Tamara, she…”
“Shh… don’t worry, Juliette.” Leo kissed Juliette’s forehead. His big, warm hand stroked her back in a soothing manner. “You don’t have to think about anything. We can go to Colorado together-”
“No.” Robbin suddenly said firmly as he stood up from his chair and adjusted his expensive Italian-made suit. Instantly, Juliette and Leo turned to him. For some reason, Juliette’s heart raced seeing Robbin’s expression, clearly filled with anger for the first time. “I will not allow Juliette to go.”
“Robby-” Juliette stopped her sentence when she saw Robbin raise his hand, palm outward, gesturing for her to be quiet. Juliette took a slow breath and lowered her head.
“No. Something could happen on the way there.”
“Mr. Robbin, but I’m here to-” Leo stopped speaking as Robbin gave him a sharp look. “Um, I mean…”
“There will be no rebuttals,” Robbin concluded the conversation by leaving the waiting room, his phone in hand. Juliette guessed he wanted to contact the company regarding his absence.
…