Chereads / Ocean of Dreams / Chapter 4 - Denial

Chapter 4 - Denial

On that rainy night, Ling Hao drove Cameron back to his house. Cameron didn't say a word, he was quiet all the way, still in denial. He thought there was no way she would die, if only he wasn't locked in...if only he got there a bit earlier...but it was useless. Ling Hao sighed and tried to comfort Cameron, "I know you're in pain now, but what's done is done. You need to move on. Go home and wash up . I'll deal with the rest. Have a goodnight." Ling Hao wasn't the type to comfort people but he knew he had to be a bit tough to let Cameron move forward.

Cameron went back into his room to get ready for shower, everything seemed surreal. Melissa was right in his arms few days ago. He was numbed and was unable to get over it. He went into the shower with his clothes on and screamed. He cried non-stop until he passed out.

Next morning, Ling Hao brought his adopted younger brother, Mai Ke, to visit Cameron. Mai Ke was a year younger than Cameron and he just came back from the USA. Ling Hao thought it would be good for these two to be friends since he wasn't the type to understand peoples' feeling that well. Mai Ke was mixed race, half Chinese and half American. He can be introverted but he really is a warm person.

A housemaid named, Mrs. Wang, opened the door, she was glad to see Ling Hao but she was curious about Mai Ke. Ling Hao introduced his younger brother to her and she seemed pretty happy, "Welcome you two, you're visiting young master, Cameron, right?" They nodded and Mrs. Wang brought them upstairs to Cameron's room.

"I found Young Master on the bathroom floor last night while I did my final house check. He passed out and he is currently sleeping now. His condition was awful, his clothes were all wet and the shower was still on. I was in shock so I quickly turned off the shower and helped him change his new clothes. He had a fever last night. Do you know what happened?" Mrs. Wang asked curiously. Ling Hao brought her aside and told her that Melissa was presumed dead by the riverside. Since they found out that the female body was about the same age as Melissa and she was also wearing the black dress that Cameron bought. Mrs. Wang was shocked and in disbelief, "Oh my goodness, that's horrible. Is it a murder case?" Ling Hao nodded, "But the thing is, I do smell something fishy about this case. It's only a feeling. I feel like there's something more to this case. For now, it's better not to assume anything. The most important thing is to watch his behavior and keep his emotions under control." Mrs. Wang was heartbroken and shook her head, "I feel so sorry for the Young Master, he loved Melissa. She meant everything to him."

Mai Ke looked at Cameron who was sleeping peacefully. Mai Ke remembered in the past that his mother was also like Cameron when she lost her husband, Mai Ke's father. He understood the feeling of loneliness without loved ones. Mai Ke thought of an idea and asked Mrs; Wang whether Cameron had any momento from Melissa, she nodded and brought a small stack of letters, "I never seen her pictures before because young master liked to keep it a secret. His mother was very against him seeing Melissa so as a result, Young Master hid every pictures of her (Melissa) so his mother won't notice. These stack of letters were written by her. Every year from New Years to Christmas, she will write a letter to Young Master. It's very heart-warming." Mai Ke nodded and asked Mrs. Wang, "Do you mind if I take a look? I might be able to help a bit."

Mai Ke took a look at the letters even though the length was short. There weren't too much details. Mai Ke gave the letters back to Mrs. Wang. Mai Ke wanted to read the letter so Cameron won't feel lonely but that idea was out of the window.

Cameron woke up after sleeping for three whole days, he wasn't in the mood to do anything. He felt weak and had no appetite. He wasn't hungry. He blamed himself for Melissa's death. Mai Ke visited Cameron again and he was relieved that Cameron was awake.

"Nice to meet you, Cameron. I'm Mai Ke. I'm the younger brother of Ling Hao. Hope we can be friends." Mai Ke smiled warmly. Cameron avoided Mai Ke and stared into space. Suddenly, Cameron got off the bed and started to walk toward the door unsteadily, "Melissa, wait for me... I'm coming...." Cameron fell on to the ground and Mai Ke helped Cameron up, "Cameron, come on. Let us go back, okay? You're still too weak, you need to eat food." Cameron shook his head and kept on walking toward the door, "No, I'm going to find Melissa. She's waiting for me in the rain, if I don't go, she will get worried. Let me go!" Mai Ke tried to persuade Cameron but he wouldn't listen.

Ling Hao entered the room after going out to buy some food, Mai Ke shook his head. Ling Hao held on to Cameron, "Cameron, listen to me. You just woke up and your body need energy. If Melissa sees you like this, she will be worried. Listen to me, go back to bed first." Cameron struggled a bit but eventually listened to Ling Hao.

"Cameron, even though Melissa is gone, you need to take care of yourself. My brother and I will help you get over her death. You need to accept the truth sooner or later." Ling Hao and Mai Ke helped Cameron back to his bed. Cameron forced himself to eat in order to gain back his energy. His appetite gone down and he felt tired again. As he tried to sleep, images kept on flashing back.

"Melissa.... Melissa... Don't go..."

Cameron's condition worsened to the point of hospitalization, he was getting weaker by the day with no energy. Doctors told them it will take some time for him to accept the reality. He said, "it's a mental problem not physical. He is healthy physically but stressed out mentally. Give him some time to digest." Ling Hao asked Mai Ke to stay with Cameron since he had to pay for the hospital bill. Mai Ke listened to him and stayed to watch over Cameron. He really hoped that Cameron will be alright.