Jayden quickly followed Joyce out of the room. He was wondering why she looked upset and wanted to know what causes her distress.
"Wait!" Jayden called out to her. She turned around and looked at him blankly.
"Why are you following me?" Joyce asked flatly. She was emotionally drained and not feeling like having an arguement. That was why she left early.
"I am going back too. Since it's quite dark outside it's better if I go back with you. To prevent unwanted perverts to attack you." He smiled. Trying to charm his way passed her cold countenance.
"Thanks." She replied tiredly and pressed the elevator button impatiently.
*Ding
The elevator opened and a man inside rushed out in a hurry. Jayden quickly pulled Joyce aside to avoid colliding with him. Then worriedly looked at her while still hugging her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She nodded quietly and slowly walked into the elevator. Still hugging her shoulder, he guided her into the elevator. Both unaware that somebody was watching them.
-----
In the hospital, Lily went to the toilet and looked at herself in the mirror. Her once slightly plump cheek was now hollow. Her once blushing cheek was now pale. Her once glowing skin was now dimmed. She combed her hair with her fingers. She stared at the bunch of lifeless hair clutching her fingers. She looked at her thinning head. She screamed and screamed at the sick and ugly girl who was looking back at her.
She started to throw things on the mirror and broke it.
The she roared and pulled at her head and squatted down to cry. Pouring out her despair and hopelessness. Pouring out her fear. Pouring out her jealousy and hatred that she suddenly had at Joyce, at her lost youth, at her lost health and mostly at her useless sick body that was pulling everybody down with her.
I had enough! She told herself. It was useless to love like this! She screamed and screamed not caring of her surrounding. She was in pain and she would care about anybody and anything right now. She hate the doctor, she hate her parents, she hate Jayden, she hate Joyce, she hate herself.
"What am I fighting for?" She thought to herself.
She sat down in daze on the floor. Staring blankly ahead. Oblivious to anything around her. She had lost her will to live.
-----
Mrs.Chua found her on the floor. Sitting stupefied, broken mirrors strewn across the floor, her body and face full of scratches. Mrs.Chua screamed for doctor and nurses and quickly helped the paralyzed Lily to her bed while trying to supress her tears.
"What happened baby? Why are you like this suddenly?" She hug Lily to her chest and sobbed uncontrollably while waiting for the doctor to arrive.
Dr.Goh checked Lily's vital sign and gave her a shot to help her relax. Her whole body tensed up like a string being pulled and her eyes were blank as if she was not listening to any sound surrounding her.
After Lily fell asleep, Dr.Goh talked to Mrs.Chua.
"She is under extreme stress which is not good for her current condition. What happened?" Dr. Goh asked.
"I don't know. She was fine when I left her for a while when I went out to ask for some water. When I came back to the room she is already in this state." Mrs.Chua cried again unable to suppress her feeling. What had happened to her baby?
She then remembered Jayden and called his number.
-------
Jayden and Joyce was at the entrance to Joyce place. Unable to keep the suspense anymore, Jayden turned her around and forced her to look at him.
"Why are you so quiet? What happened?" He asked her intensely. Caressing both her cheeks with his thumbs in a soothing manner.
"Nothing..." Joyce lied and looked down. Unable to look at his eyes.
"Look at me, Joyce."
Joyce reluctantly looked at him.
"If you don't tell me what's wrong, I would not know. I need to know why you are so quiet since just now or I won't be able to sleep tonight. So will you be so kind to let me know what bothers you?" Jayden teased her in the hope that she would finally told him what was wrong.
Joyce looked at him intently. So, he still cares for me. Maybe I can be honest with him about what I saw. She was thinking about what and how to tell him inside however on the outside she looked like she was just staring coldly at him.
"Be good... Tell me... Let's be frank with each other so that our relationship can last longer without any misunderstanding and such. Kay?" Jayden patiently talked to her again.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, Joyce finally nodded her head.
Jayden was so relieved that he let out the breath that he had been holding in for so long. Joyce sighed out loud. She didn't know how to start.