Emily lifted her gaze to the voice calling her name, and there, in the warm light, she saw the figure she knew so well.
“Daniel?” murmured Emily in a voice full of question marks, her eyes trying to focus on the figure before her.
The figure approached, step by meaningful step. Daniel, with a meaningful gaze, repeated his words, “I will never forgive you if you ever leave me.”
Daniel’s face looked so pale and full of sadness. “Come back, Em. Don’t leave me,” he added in a trembling voice.
Emily’s tears fell down her cheeks in the ICU room. Flashes of dreams in her subconscious stirred her emotions, making her cry without being able to bear the pain she felt.
“Doctor, his heartbeat has returned,” said the nurse with a voice full of relief.
The doctor, who was focused on performing the defibrillator action, nodded quickly. “Good, keep monitoring his condition.”
***
In the waiting room, Daniel was still waiting anxiously. His heart was filled with hope that Emily would not leave him. He felt tense and restless, unable to imagine what he would face in his life if he had to lose his loved one again.
Time seemed to pass so slowly, every second felt like an unfinished business. Daniel felt out of control of a situation he couldn’t predict, only able to pray and hope for the best for Emily. His heart was filled with deepening worry.
After a few hours, the doctor who treated Emily finally left the ICU room. Daniel immediately stood up, his steps steady towards the doctor, and in a firm voice he asked, “How is my husband, Doctor?”
“The patient made it through his critical period. We took urgent defibrillator action to restore his heartbeat,” the doctor explained.
“He had broken ribs and fractures in several parts of his body because of pressure and impact during the accident. Currently, the patient’s physical condition is stable after surgery. However, I need to say that we will continue to monitor and evaluate his condition further,” the doctor continued.
The doctor explained the details of the injuries sustained by the patient because of the accident. Daniel felt a deep concern about Emily’s current condition.
“Can the patient be visited?” Daniel asked.
“Sorry, for now the patient’s condition is still not stable to be visited,”
After explaining Emily’s condition further, the doctor withdrew from Daniel’s presence.
“I’m sorry, Emily. If only I could have kept my promise to return our souls sooner, this wouldn’t have happened to you,” Daniel muttered.
From a distance, Daniel could see a familiar figure stepping closer to him. That person was Fred, his face shrouded with anxiety at the sight of Daniel, who he thought was Emily at the moment.
“Dad,” Daniel called out.
Fred nodded quickly, his eyes gazing empathetically, sensing how much of a burden his daughter must be carrying.
“I was so panicked when I heard from you,” Fred continued.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said. The word ‘sorry’ that Daniel threw out was the word ‘sorry’ for not being able to take care of Emily, whose soul was currently in Daniel’s body lying there.
“Why are you apologizing to me? You’re not at fault at all because we can’t predict when an accident will happen,” Fred replied in a soft and understanding voice.
“How is Daniel? Is everything okay?” asked Fred.
“The surgery was successful but we still have to wait as his condition is still unstable,” Daniel replied.
Fred nodded, absorbing every word Daniel said with mixed feelings. The two were silent for a moment, letting the silence of the waiting room fill the space between them.
“Em, Daniel is a strong fighter, and I’m sure he’ll make a good recovery,” Fred tried to give him strength.
“Dad, can you look after Daniel for me?” asked Daniel.
“Are you leaving?” asked Fred.
“Yes, there’s something I need to get done,” Daniel replied.
In a state filled with questions and confusion, Fred looked at Emily with a look that reflected worry and uncertainty.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Daniel said in a confident voice before leaving Fred.
“Where is she going?” muttered Fred, feeling anxious about his daughter.
***
Inside Emily’s car, Daniel waited anxiously for the person he had contacted earlier. Suddenly, the car door opened, and a detective appeared to enter the car.
“Sorry if I’ve interrupted your time, sir,” Daniel said in a respectful tone.
“No problem. This is my job,” the detective replied calmly.
Daniel carefully handed over the evidence he had collected during his various investigations. “This is corroborating evidence that my grandfather’s death, as well as my husband’s recent accident, are connected to this person.”
The detective took the evidence seriously, his eyes tracing every detail contained within. “Alright, I’ll try to investigate more about this evidence. Thank you for your cooperation.”
However, Daniel continued his words. “There is also a suspect in the murder of my husband’s parents, who had escaped several years ago. He just disappeared. His whereabouts are not even known. At that time, the case was closed with the decision that my husband’s parents died as victims of a hit-and-run. However, I believe all these cases have a deep connection to my grandfather’s killer,” Daniel explained.
The detective nodded seriously, absorbing Daniel’s information carefully. He was intrigued by the complexity of Daniel’s case, as well as the strong conviction that radiated from every word spoken. “Very well, I will immediately check and conduct further investigations,” he said.
“Thank you, sir,” Daniel said before the detective left.
Daniel’s memory played back the hidden camera footage. He saw again the figure of his grandfather, Jake, when dealing with the mysterious figure.
“You …” an emotional tremor sounded from Jake’s voice when he saw a familiar figure standing right in front of him.
“That’s right, I’m Daniel’s personal driver,” said the mysterious man with a mysterious smile sculpted on his face, creating a contrasting aura of mystery.
“Who killed David?” asked Jake without leaving room for pleasantries, his voice filled with desperation and a desire to know the truth behind the haunting tragedy.
“I feel sad that you don’t know me at all,” said Daniel’s personal driver.
“What do you mean?” asked Jake, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“You don’t remember me?” asked Daniel’s personal driver in a voice full of hurt. “You left me and my mom to marry someone from a high society. You must have had a very happy life.”
“You even chased me away when I tried to approach you back then. I just wanted to ask for your help to save me and my mother from my cruel stepfather,” the private driver said in a trembling voice, with the hurt and despair still lingering in his memory.
Every word uttered by the man before him pierced Jake’s heart with unexpected force. His eyes reddened with unspoken pain. Trembling, Jake reached for his chest, which ached. “D-do you know who was responsible for David’s death?”
A wide smile was etched on the lips of Daniel’s personal driver, creating an aura of mystery that pervaded the room. “Shouldn’t you be asking how I’m doing, considering we haven’t seen each other in a while, Dad?” the driver asked. “You never asked how I or my mom were doing, instead paying more attention to your son, David?”
“Ah, I forgot that you never cared about me, even until my mom died while missing you,” Daniel’s personal driver said in a voice filled with layers of complicated emotions, reflecting years of pent-up disappointment and sadness.
Jake suddenly fell out of the chair with a loud thud that shook the floor.
“What’s wrong, Dad? Are you okay?” the driver asked with a panicked expression, crouching down to see how Jake was doing. Suddenly, however, a sinister chuckle escaped his lips.
With cold sweat breaking out on his temples, Jake struggled to stand up with what strength he had left. His weak whispered voice called for help, “H-help… I-I…”
“What did you say? I can’t hear it. Can you say it one more time?” the driver asked.
“M-medicine…,” Jake whispered in a barely audible voice.
Jake struggled to get up, in pain, clutching his chest. His hands trembled, trying to grab the figure’s legs, his efforts futile amidst the tension.
“Why should I help you? When my mom and I needed you the most, did you ever help us?” the dark eyes of Daniel’s driver stared intently at Jake, who was in pain.
A satisfied smile was etched on Daniel’s driver’s lips before he said. “I am the real killer of David and his wife. Is this enough to answer your curiosity?” he asked.