Daniel’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Where to?” he asked.
Daniel’s luxury car glided smoothly through the busy streets of New York, heading towards one of the city’s most famous skyscrapers.
“Come here,” Emily said, pulling Daniel’s hand towards the grand entrance.
They stepped into a lobby filled with sparkling lights and lavish decorations, reflecting the grandeur of the city itself. The fast elevator took them up, surpassing floor after floor, until it finally stopped at the observatory located at the top of the building.
The observation deck greeted them with a cool night breeze and a mesmerizing view. The high glass railing provided an unobstructed view of the entire city, with lights twinkling like stars below them, forming a living, moving mosaic of colors.
Daniel looked at Emily with a questioning gaze. “What are we here for?” he asked again, his voice almost drowned out by the sounds of the city.
Emily smiled, her eyes sparkling as she spread her arms out, as if hugging the city. “I wanted to try it out since I’ve never been here before,” she replied. “Isn’t this view also wonderful for relieving stress? We can see the vibrant lights of the city, feel the life below us. There’s a feeling of calm that comes with the night breeze.”
Daniel nodded, letting Emily’s words sink in. “Mmm,” he replied, his voice soft, clearing his throat lightly.
Emily leaned closer, her voice a whisper. “I know you must be feeling tight after what happened at Grandpa’s house. That’s why I brought you here.”
Emily pulled out her cell phone and beckoned Daniel over to her. “Come here, sir,” she said, waving her hand.
“What do you want?” Daniel asked.
“Take a picture, come on. At least we can make good memories here too, right?” said Emily.
“I don’t want to,” said Daniel, his voice soft but firm.
However, Emily didn’t give up easily. With a mischievous smile on her face, she took her phone and positioned herself so that Daniel was in the frame. She pressed the camera button just as Daniel turned to her, surprised.
“I got it!” exclaimed Emily, laughing at Daniel’s shocked expression, which was more accurately her own facial expression due to Daniel’s soul being trapped in her body.
“You made my face look ugly like this. Look,” Emily showed Daniel the photo she had just taken.
Seeing Emily’s cute face in the photo made Daniel unable to hold back the smile that broke out on his face. A light laugh that was rarely heard broke from his lips.
“You’re laughing again,” Emily said, amazed because it was rare to see Daniel who could laugh out loud like this. “Seeing you laugh is a very rare sight. Your laughter is very expensive, laugh like that often, sir. If we’re back in our own bodies, you’ll have to find reasons to laugh more often,” Emily said.
“Let’s go there,” Emily said enthusiastically.
They continued walking until they found a telescope located in one corner of the deck. Emily, with great curiosity, approached the telescope and peered through its lens. “Here, you try it too.”
As Daniel approached, Emily pulled gently on Daniel’s hand, and without realizing it, the distance between them shrank until they were almost touching. As their eyes met, for a moment everything around them seemed to disappear. There were only the two of them, connected by a meaningful gaze.
“Uhmm,” Emily’s voice sounded hoarse, her throat dry from the tension of the moment.
“Here, you can try it,” Emily said, handing the telescope to Daniel with an awkward feeling that had crept into her heart.
***
On the other side of the city, in the family home located in a quiet suburb of New York City, a tense atmosphere greeted the arrival of Sophia, her husband Mark, and Sean, who had just returned from a dinner at Daniel’s grandfather’s residence.
The tension from dinner was still there when they entered the house. Mark, with his voice raised, could not hide his disappointment. “I don’t understand your attitude. Your attitude is shameful,” he said.
Sophia, with an equally angry face, retorted fearlessly. “What do you mean shameful? Why, do you not accept that I insinuated the son of your first love?” she challenged, her voice accusatory.
Sean, who was used to seeing the arguments between his parents, chose to walk away from the uncomfortable situation. His footsteps led him to the front door of their house.
“Where are you going, Sean?” asked Sophia, her voice showing a mother’s concern.
“Are you going to the nightclub again? No mom, no son, it’s the same. Sean can be like this, all because of you,” said Mark, blaming Sophia for Sean’s behavior.
Sean’s hands were clenched tightly, his jaw hardened, but he did not turn to his parents and chose to leave the house with a slight slam of his door.
“Insolent child!” Mark said in an annoyed tone.
“What? Sean is like this, is it all because of me?” Sophia stared at Mark in disbelief, feeling unfairly accused of being the cause of the problem.
“Yes, because you are his mother and are supposed to educate your son to be a better child. But instead you set a bad example for your son by getting drunk every night and playing with other men behind my back. Do you think I don’t know about your bad behavior?” Mark asked.
“You’re not a bitch like me. But, you always live with the memory of your past with your first love. Wake up, Mary is married to my brother. She chose my brother over you,” Sophia said.
“Enough, Sophia! Don’t talk about my past!” shouted Mark, his voice filling the room.
“Why, are you sad when I talk about Mary? She’s happy with my brother in heaven and you’re still living like in hell,” Sophia whispered, leaning closer to Mark.
“I was talking about your behavior. Why are you talking about my past?” asked Mark unhappily.
“It’s because I don’t like Daniel that I can act like that towards him. Looking into his eyes reminds me of his mother, your first love who you still haven’t forgotten. Your overwhelming love for Mary made our household a living hell. So don’t blame me if I seek happiness outside,” Sophia said as she left Mark.
“Remember Sophia! You are a mother. You still have Noah and Violet. They’re both still little. Don’t let them know about your bitchy behavior,” Mark said in a raised tone, making Sophia stop in place, her eyes glazed over.
Mark then left Sophia standing there. In the silence of the room, only the sound of Sophia’s sobs could be heard. The tears that she had been holding back all this time finally fell freely, wetting her pale cheeks. She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her sadness.
***
In the silence of the night that was only accompanied by the dim light of a lamp, Jake, Daniel’s grandfather, sat pensively. His thoughts drifted to Daniel’s request to marry Emily. Ironically, history seemed to be repeating itself, reminding him of Daniel’s father, who had also asked for his blessing to marry Mary, the commoner woman who was now Daniel’s mother. However, back then, Jake did not give his blessing.
With trembling hands, Jake took out a family picture frame. As his fingers touched David’s picture, memories of his son’s tragic accident flooded back into his mind.
Suddenly, his heart throbbed painfully, cold sweat started pouring from his temples. Jake tried to hold back the growing pain, but his body couldn’t take it. With a sharp intake of breath, he fell out of his seat. Just then, one of his housemaids, who had come in to deliver a drink to Daniel’s grandfather, was startled.
“Master!”