“How… how did I get here?” Emily’s voice trembled, her eyes wide with confusion. “And how did you get here too? Where’s Grace?”
“You fainted earlier. I already told Richard to take Grace to school,” Daniel replied.
The memory of the sudden darkness that enveloped her in the kitchen, as she was about to prepare breakfast for Grace, came rushing back to Emily.
“Grace hasn’t had breakfast. She’ll be hungry later,” Emily said. A pang of guilt crept into her heart.
“Don’t worry. I asked Richard to take her breakfast first before going to school.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Emily said, her voice sounding a little weak, her eyes looking at Daniel with gratitude. She felt a little uncomfortable having to trouble Daniel.
Emily forced herself to sit down, but Daniel held her back, bringing them so close that their bodies were practically touching. The scent of Daniel’s masculine body reached Emily, making her feel a little nervous.
“Uhmm…” Emily felt her throat suddenly dry with the close proximity.
“Rest for now. Don’t move too much,” Daniel said, his eyes fixed on the IV drip attached to Emily’s hand.
“What did the doctor say earlier? What’s wrong with me?” Emily asked, her voice sounding a little weak.
“Dengue fever,” Daniel replied.
“Dengue fever?” Emily was shocked to hear the doctor’s diagnosis of her illness.
“Your blood pressure dropped earlier, so you fainted,” Daniel explained.
Anxiety crept into Emily’s heart. Her work at the office suddenly flashed through her mind. “This can’t be happening. I just started working, I could get fired,” she said, her voice trembling with anxiety.
“I’ll help you ask for leave while you get treatment here,” Daniel said.
“B-but…”
“Do you want to keep working in this condition?” Daniel asked.
“Okay, thanks,” Emily finally replied.
Silence enveloped the room, only the soft ticking of the IV drip breaking the quiet. Emily felt pressured by the silence, and finally said, “You must be busy. Go ahead. I’m fine here by myself.”
“Where’s your father?” Daniel asked.
“He’s gone to pick up his girlfriend. He won’t be back for a few days. I don’t know how long either,” Emily replied.
“You should go. I don’t want to trouble you any further, especially I don’t want your girlfriend to misunderstand me,” Emily continued.
Daniel massaged the middle of his furrowed brow, not expecting Emily to believe Alice’s words even now, still thinking that he was dating Alice.
Emily was silent, her eyes fixed on Daniel’s hand massaging the middle of his brow. ‘Why is he like that? Is he angry at me? It seems like I didn’t say anything that could make him angry,’ she thought, a feeling of guilt creeping into her heart.
Daniel sighed deeply, his eyes meeting Emily’s. “Alice isn’t my girlfriend,” he explained, his voice gentle yet firm.
A feeling of happiness suddenly surged through Emily’s chest, making her breathe a sigh of relief. A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if absorbing all her anxieties. However, when Daniel looked at her, Emily immediately restrained herself from smiling, afraid that Daniel could guess her feelings.
“Uhmm… Really?” Emily asked. “But Alice said you were her boyfriend.”
Daniel looked at Emily seriously, his eyes fixed on Emily’s face, which looked a little flushed. “I don’t have a girlfriend right now,” he said firmly, his voice flowing clearly and confidently.
“Why aren’t you dating?” Emily asked, her voice a little insistent. “What else are you waiting for?”
Daniel furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowed sharply at Emily. “It seems this isn’t your business,” he replied, his voice cold and piercing.
Emily was silent for a moment, a feeling of offense surging in her chest. “Right. It’s not my business. I’m sorry if you feel bothered.”
Daniel looked at Emily with an unreadable gaze. “Do you want me to tell Sean about your condition right now?” he asked, his voice becoming softer, but the tense atmosphere still enveloped the room.
“Sean?” Emily furrowed her brow, her voice sounding confused. “Why should you tell Sean about my condition?”
Daniel took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on Emily’s confused face. “I thought you two were dating,” he replied.
“It seems someone said not to interfere in other people’s business,” Emily said, her voice laced with anger. “But why are you interfering in my love life?”
Daniel was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m not interested in your affairs,” his voice sounded cold and flat.
“Then what’s this?” Emily asked, her voice rising slightly. “You’re asking about Sean, you think I’m dating him. Isn’t that interfering in my love life?”
Daniel just remained silent, his fingers once again massaging the middle of his furrowed brow. “I didn’t mean to interfere in your love life,” he said, his voice sounding weary.
“If I accept Sean’s love,” Emily said, her voice trembling. “Would you approve?” For some reason, Emily wanted to try and provoke Daniel. Her eyes were fixed on Daniel’s face, which looked a little tense.
“That’s your problem with him,” Daniel replied, his voice sounding a little strained.
“Why do I feel like, from your tone, you’re a little jealous?” Emily asked, trying to test Daniel’s patience.
“Why do I feel like you actually still love me, but it’s hard to admit it?” Emily continued. “Why do I feel like you’re hiding something else from me?”
“From the beginning, I never loved a murderer’s daughter like you,” Daniel tried to say it with a firm and cold voice that pierced.
“Why are you taking care of me here if you don’t love me?” Emily asked.
“I’m doing all this because of Grace,” Daniel replied firmly. “Grace is my daughter and I’m doing all this because you’re her mother. That’s all and it will never be more than that, Emily. I’m here, taking care of you because of my promise to Grace,” Daniel explained, making Emily fall silent until her eyes welled up with tears again.
Every time they were both involved in a conversation, somehow peace never existed in that conversation. As if every word uttered only caused deep wounds and sadness.
Seeing Emily’s red and watery eyes, Daniel’s feelings wavered for the umpteenth time, but he tried to hold back that feeling by clenching his hands so tightly. He desperately wanted to hug her, pull her into his warm embrace and say that his love for Emily was still there, never gone a bit, even growing bigger.
Daniel also wanted to honestly say that he was very jealous seeing Emily’s closeness with Sean, but those words seemed like they would never be uttered. As if fate was playing with his feelings, trapping him in a painful silence.
‘Should I pretend not to know about your conversation with Dad? You still love me, Daniel. But because of this fate, you’re keeping me away because you want to protect me,’ Emily thought, her heart feeling like it was being cut by a knife, tears starting to fall from the corners of her eyes. However, Emily quickly wiped them away, as if trying to hide her deep pain.
“Okay, I know, you’re doing all this because of Grace because as you said, I’m just a murderer’s daughter,” Emily muttered, her voice sounding weak.
Daniel wanted to avoid Emily, he didn’t know what he would do if he stayed in the same room with Emily for too long because his chest felt tight.
“I’ll be gone for a while. I need to get something. But I’ll be right back,” Daniel said, his voice sounding cold. Unbeknownst to Emily, he was trying to be cold, but his heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Daniel got up from his chair, about to leave Emily for a while. But before he could take a step away, Emily suddenly grabbed her stomach, her face wincing in pain as it surged through her. “Ah, my stomach!” she groaned.
Daniel was startled, immediately turning to face Emily with a panicked face. “What’s wrong, Emily?” he asked, his voice trembling with worry. “What happened?”