" Frances, wake up!" Desmond sounded terrified as he kept shaking her nonstop.
"Stop, No! Please!" Frances said out of her sleep, with tears streaming down from the corner of her eyes. She held the duvet as tight as she held Desmond's hand. digging her nails deep into his skin.
In her dream, she saw herself in a dark cave and the darkness in the cave was closing in on her, so much that she felt suffocated and strangled by it.
Tapping her face gently, Desmond said.
" Frances, please open your eyes"
His calm voice came to her in the darkness and it began to pull her out of it gently and she felt relief and save. The kind of feeling one would have when your saviour is close by.
"D…Desmond" She called out from her sleep.
"Yes, I'm here" He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. And with his assurance, she finally slowly began to open her eyes. Her eyelid felt glued together but she kept opening her eyes.
Desmond held her hand tightly, staring at her face and when she finally opened her eyes, he pulled her Into a tight hug. He squeezed her to himself, breathing heavily. For some reason, his heart aches when he sees her distressed.
Patting her back gently, he said: " You're alright. I'm here"
Frances freed herself from the hug and stared into his eyes. Unable to control her tears.
" Please leave," She sniffed.
" But you're not feeling too well and I would love to stay with you" He answered. He tried to touch her but she pushed his hand away slightly.
" Please leave me Desmond," Frances said once again. She looked ahead of him and her voice showed how sad she was.
Desmond, nodded his head obediently. He was deeply hurt by her actions but he doesn't want to invade her privacy. He stood up from the bed and walked some few steps away from her and stopped to look back at her. He wanted to ask her what it was that made her so sad but he knew she wasn't ready for the conversation so he went out of her room.
When he left, Frances sunk into the large bed and cried. So loudly that she was surprised at how emotional she was. Desmond leaned into the door outside her room and heard her sobbing. He wanted to go to her, hug her, comfort her and tell her whatever it is, he would always be here for her. But then, what must he do when she's closing up on him and doesn't want to see him either. He stood there for a while until he couldn't hear her voice anymore which he guessed she might have fallen asleep.
He went into his car, and drove away with a heavy heart. His eyes revealed the gloomy cloud that surrounded him as he drove. Then suddenly, a blurry white image flashes through his mind which makes him step on the break suddenly. There was suddenly a buzzing sound deep inside his ear.
He shut his eyes tightly, and one of his hands was on the steering wheel while the other was grabbing his head tightly. He lost hold of the car and its car went zigzag on the silent sloppy road.
Desmond stopped the car as he felt his brain twitching in pain.
"Haaa!" He screamed in pain as he held his head still with his hands. Trying to force himself to make sense of the unclear image.
The un- clear image was that of a young woman, her face wasn't revealing but her smile was and he could hear her echo his name softly as if they were lovers.
He opened the compartment area of his car and brought out a bottle of pills. He opened it and threw a couple of it in his mouth and swallowed it down his throat without water.
After using the medicine, Desmond rested his head on the headrest and closed his eyes. He felt better after taking the pills. His hurting brain and aching skull felt better than before.
But then who was the woman? The thought made him open his eyes at once and blinked his lashes nonstop. He used to have those unclear images but he hasn't had them for a while now which he thought it's subdued because of the pills. But why suddenly today…
He knew he couldn't answer his own question when he couldn't remember a thing! Instead he gave up thinking and kicked start the car again and zoomed off.
±±±
Agatha was waiting nervously for her husband to arrive. He doesn't stay out this late, everything changed ever since Frances arrived.
"Frances!" Agatha gritted her teeth together in anger. At the mention of the name, her anger rises to the highest point.
She was strolling around their big living room when she saw him striding in, looking lost and sad.
She ran towards him and held his hand.
" Desmond, are you alright? What's wrong you don't look good to me"
Desmond took her hand and slid it away from him. He felt disgusted by her touch. " I'm fine," he said. He bypasses her without giving her a second glance.
Agatha felt the urge to cry. She felt so sad. After everything she has done to get the man still his love and loyalty belongs to a dead woman even when he didn't remember her, she knew his heart didn't forget.
" I hate you Yolanda! Even when you're not here you make my life miserable! I just hate you" Agatha ran upstairs to her room. She buried her face in her pillow, wetting it with sad, lonely tears.
…..
Usually on mornings like this, Lucy Ambrose would love to have her feet massaged by the maids, reading a fashion magazine and sipping coffee from her favourite mug.
But, she was feeling rather sick and down. Maybe because she was getting older now.
She stride down the long lengthy stairs, holding her cramped neck with one of her hands.
She sat down on the couch slowly before turning to face the maid standing next to her with her head bow.
" Get me a glass of water" She commanded.
The maid gave a slight bow before going to do as she was told.
While waiting for the water, one of the bodyguards came in with a blue gift box laced with a red ribbon on it. He stood in front of Mrs. Ambrose and gave a bow before he spoke.
"it arrived a while ago, it was issued to you" He stretched the box out to her without looking at her face.
Mrs. Ambrose gestured for him to drop it on the table next to her, which he did and left.
The glass of water arrived just in time and she took it from the tray and gave it a sip before her attention was drawn back to the beautiful box.
She took it in her hands and examined it before lifting it closer to her ear and shook it. The sound from the box was a slight one.
" Strange!" She murmured to the box.