The chair fell with a dull thud, echoing in the quiet room. Jake collapsed on the floor, his breathing ragged, his eyes tightly closed, as if he was battling an invisible pain.
“Master!” shouted the housemaid, her voice breaking the silence of the night. She ran over to Jake, her knees almost hitting the floor as she crouched beside him. “Oh my God, are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with deep fear.
Jake, with one last effort, whispered softly, “M-medicine…” his voice barely audible, as if every word was a life and death struggle.
The assistant, eyes wide with panic, asked again, “I’m sorry sir, what did you say?” She put her ear to Jake’s lips, trying to catch every weak whisper.
“M-medicine… drawer…” Jake’s words trailed off, his breath coming in short gasps.
Recognizing the emergency at hand, the assistant quickly stood up and ran to the drawer in question. With hurried hands, she opened the drawer and searched for the life-saving medicine. After a while, she found the bottle of medicine she was looking for.
Quickly, she returned to Jake’s side, uncapped the bottle with trembling hands, and helped Jake take the medicine.
The housekeeper looked at Jake with a worried expression. “Is it necessary for me to report this to the Young Master?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly, showing both respect and deep anxiety.
Jake shook his head weakly, his breathing still labored. “No need, just get me Doctor Thompson,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I beg you, my condition must not be known to anyone, not my children or my grandchildren.”
The assistant nodded in understanding, her eyes showing strong determination. “Very well, I will contact Doctor Thompson immediately,” she said, helping Jake to sit in the chair before moving quickly to pick up the phone and make the call.
***
After a thorough examination, Doctor Thompson gave Jake a sobering explanation. “You’ve had quite a serious heart attack. For now, you will need medication to keep your condition stable, but this is not a long-term solution. You need to undergo heart surgery to improve your condition,” the doctor said firmly, looking at Jake with a serious expression.
“Under these circumstances, your family needs to know the truth. They need to support you in your treatment and recovery process,” Doctor Thompson added cautiously.
Jake asked with concern, “If I decide not to have surgery, how long can I expect to live?”
Doctor Thompson looked at Jake with empathy and honesty. “Without surgery, the risk of complications and recurrent heart attacks will increase. Your heart condition could worsen and become life-threatening. It is difficult to estimate exactly how long you can survive,” the doctor explained in a calm but firm voice.
Dr. Thompson adds, “I strongly recommend that you undergo immediate heart surgery to correct this condition. The final decision remains in your hands.”
“Thank you for the explanation,” said Jake.
“Then you’ll have to excuse me, sir,” said Doctor Thompson.
Jake closed his eyes. Memories of his dead son were painful for him, especially his disapproval of his son’s relationship with Daniel’s mother Mary, putting a strain on their relationship as father and son.
“Will you ever forgive me, David?” murmured Jake.
***
On the other hand, Daniel and Emily stepped out of the observation deck, walking down the neon-lit sidewalks of New York. The two of them entered a cozy ice cream shop, its walls filled with tempting pictures of ice cream.
“I’d like a vanilla-flavored ice cream,” Emily said with sparkling eyes.
“Do you want one too?” asked Emily, turning to Daniel.
“No,” Daniel replied, his voice calm but not overbearing.
After the ice cream was made, Emily received the ice cream with a satisfied heart. “Thank you,” she said, giving the shopkeeper a sweet smile.
“Do you really not want it? The ice cream here is very famous,” said Emily.
“No, I don’t like sweets,” Daniel refused again, this time with a slight frown on his forehead.
“Mmm, it’s delicious,” Emily said in amazement, her voice full of admiration for the melting ice cream flavor.
“You’ll definitely regret missing out on an opportunity like this,” Emily said in a teasing tone.
Daniel sighed, his voice calm but full of authority. “You are so noisy.”
Without warning, Daniel tugged on Emily’s hand with a touch so delicate. With an almost imperceptible movement, he stole a mouthful of ice cream from Emily’s surprised hand.
Emily’s heart raced, catching up with the missed seconds. Daniel’s sudden action seemed to ignite fireworks in Emily’s chest. Wasn’t this an indirect kiss? The ice cream, which had just touched her lips, now moved to Daniel’s lips.
However, with an unreadable face, Daniel only said, “It’s just an ordinary taste.”
Daniel’s steady and sure steps left Emily still transfixed, surprised by Daniel’s actions towards her earlier.
“God, what’s wrong with my heart?” murmured Emily, her trembling hands fingering her chest, searching for answers to the sudden chaos in her heart’s rhythm.
“What are you doing there?” asked Daniel, turning to Emily, who was a few steps behind him.
“Ah, nothing,” Emily replied, following Daniel in front of her.
After walking along the sidewalk, Emily and Daniel came across an interesting street performance. In the center of the crowded city, a singer stood under the neon lights, holding an acoustic guitar. His soft voice filled the air, catching Emily and Daniel’s attention.
It feels like we’ve been friends forever, yeah
And we always see eye to eye
The more time we spend together
The more I wanna say what’s on my mind
Take it easy
‘Cause it ain’t easy to say
I wanna be more than friends
I wanna tell everyone you’re taken
And take your hand until the end
I wanna be more than friends
Hearing the melody and touching lyrics made Emily hum along. Meanwhile, Daniel stood still while watching Emily, who looked so lost in singing verse after verse of the song. His hatred for Emily had slowly disappeared over time, he also didn’t know what made his stomach feel like there were thousands of butterflies in it. He even found it hard to take his eyes off Emily while singing the song. Even though their souls were swapped, Emily’s face seemed to be clearly visible before him.
When Emily turned her head slowly, her eyes met Daniel’s, who was staring at her intensely. Daniel did not blink, his eyes continued to look at Emily.
“Is something wrong, sir?” asked Emily, interrupting Daniel’s reverie.
Daniel immediately let go of the intense gaze. “Let’s go home. I’m tired.”
“He can’t see me happy, just a little”, Emily thought.
After enjoying the street show, Emily and Daniel went back to the car that was parked a little farther from where they were. They walked side by side. Suddenly, unintentionally, Emily’s hand touched Daniel’s hand. It was like an electric shock passed between the two of them, making the atmosphere awkward.
Daniel spontaneously folded his hands in front of his chest. Emily, who felt the awkwardness between them, smiled broadly as she said, “It looks like the weather is a little hot today, sir?” she said while waving her hand at her face.
“Yes, it looks like the weather is a little hot today,” Daniel replied.
Finally, Emily and Daniel arrived at the front of the car. Daniel’s personal driver quickly opened the car door for them. After a while of traveling, they arrived at Emily’s house. Fred, who had been waiting for Emily’s return on his porch, squinted his eyes to make his vision clear.
“Isn’t that her boss’s car?” muttered Fred, his gaze fixed on Daniel’s car.
Daniel got out of the car with steady steps, followed by Emily, who was about to walk him to the door. However, before they could go any further, they were surprised to see Fred, who was suddenly standing near them.
“Dad?”