Episode 10
(Would They Have Come If I Died?)
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Iris and Blake had to leave the hospital for an important meeting they'd been putting off for hours while Cecilia remained unconscious. But now that she was awake, they could no longer delay.
"We'll be back as soon as we're done, alright?"
Iris said, her voice gentle yet tense.
"Don't rush. Take your time."
Cecilia replied with a gentle smile, though her tired eyes said otherwise.
"You don't have to come back, honestly. I'm perfectly fine now."
"What nonsense are you saying, you silly girl? Sigh~ We'll be back soon. Just rest until then—and don't you dare try anything."
Iris frowned, her concern clear.
Cecilia chuckled softly. "Alright, alright."
After some more nagging, Iris and Blake finally left. Alone, Cecilia lay back on the hospital bed, her gaze drifting toward the ceiling as she slipped into a quiet daze.
Crackle!
A sudden rumble of thunder echoed outside, pulling Cecilia from her thoughts. Her eyes shifted toward the window, where dark clouds brewed across the sky. Something stirred in her mind, a fleeting thought, before she slowly rose from the bed and quietly slipped out of the room.
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Woosh~
A cold, biting wind swept through the rooftop, tugging at Cecilia's loose hair as it danced in the breeze. The rain had ceased, but the sky hung low, shrouded in dark, ominous clouds, casting a muted gloom over the city below.
Cecilia sat precariously on the railing of the hospital's rooftop, twenty stories high, her legs dangling over the edge. Her gaze drifted across the far-off cityscapes, detached and indifferent. The cheerful mask she'd worn for Iris had long faded, replaced by an expression so distant it was almost hollow. She didn't seem sad or troubled—just coldly indifferent, as if the world held no meaning, no color. If anything, she seemed bored… profoundly so.
"Haa~"
A sigh escaped her lips, soft and weary, as if the weight of everything had become nothing more than a passing thought.
A person with anaphylaxis, just like me… What would have happened if he hadn't been there?
It's obvious isn't it? You would have died…
Those words crept into my mind, as if someone whispered them directly into my ears.
Death…
Would they have come if I died?
"Hah! As if…"
Cecilia scoffed at her own foolish thoughts.
And just then–
Ding!
Her phone rang, jolting her from the dark spiral of her musings. She glanced at the screen, and a message flashed before her eyes—it was from Seraphine.
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Today
[ New Messages ]
Sera
10:47 AM
[ Sister, I forgot to tell you. You have to meet Adrian the day after tomorrow. Please get dressed up nicely. ]
Sera
10:55 AM
[ Oh, and I'm sorry for what Brother Bruno did. You know how he is—too sensitive about me. I truly apologize. ]
Sera
5:47 AM
[ Sister, what's going on?! Everything was fine when we last met! Now you're suddenly in the hospital?? What happened? And more importantly, will you even be able to meet Adrian on time? ]
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Ding!
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[ New Messages ]
Sera
5:48 PM
[ I heard you had an anaphylaxis attack! How could you not tell me? I had no idea! When and how did this happen? ]
Sera
5:48 PM
[ Wait, you have a nut allergy? Was it because of that latte with almond milk? Oh no… Are you allergic to almonds too? Why didn't you say anything? I mean, I didn't know! ]
Sera
5:48 PM
[ Why aren't you replying? ]
Sera
5:48 PM
[ Anyway, you're okay now, right? So… I guess it's all fine. ]
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Ding!
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Sera
5:50 PM
[ You didn't tell anyone that we met today, did you? ]
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"Hah… Hahaha~"
Cecilia scoffed, the sound, sharp and bitter, slowly morphing into laughter—mocking, derisive. The sound echoed louder and louder, filling the hollow air around her, until it all fell silent.
"..."
A single tear slid down her cheek.
< I heard you had an anaphylaxis attack! How could you not tell me? I had no idea! When and how did this happen? >
You… How could you not know? How could you not remember that I nearly died on your birthday?
Seraphine… My sister, to whom I'm nothing but a sinner. They said I tried to kill her… Or maybe I did. Maybe it's true. I have no memory of that day, yet the weight of my guilt suffocates me still, crushing me even now.
However, You—
< Anyway, you're okay now, right? So… I guess it's all fine. >
How can you just brush it away so easily? No, did you even feel guilt in the first place?
I survived, so it's all fine? But you survived too. So why am I the one still shackled by this? Every day, I crushed beneath the blame, the guilt, their cold, unforgiving eyes. They tear into me, cutting deeper and deeper with every glance, as if I'm the one who should've died that day. It's endless. Suffocating.
"Why?"
Her voice faded into a whisper, trembling and broken, as the tears slipped down her face in silence, one after another.
Sob* Sob*
Cecilia crumpled, her hands trembling as they covered her face, but nothing could hide the agony flooding out of her. The weight of it crushed her, pressing down until the sobs were all that remained—ragged, desperate cries in a world that felt far too cold.
And then, soon–
Shaa~
The rain began to pour, loud and relentless, as if the sky itself wept for her. It wrapped her in its cold embrace, hiding her tears, muffling the silent screams trapped within her chest, shielding her from the prying world.
After a moment, she slowly lowered her hands from her face and gazed up at the stormy sky, her eyes hollow, reflecting no light. The raindrops fell on her cheeks, mingling with the tears she could no longer feel.
"I swear… This will be the last time… The last time I ever shed tears for you… for any of you…"
Her words drifted on the air, fragile and hollow, spoken more to herself than the world. It was a quiet promise, one laced with a sorrow too deep for tears—a whispered vow made not in anger, but in defeat.
A whisper that faded, as she let go of something she had held onto for far too long.
____~ Chapter 2: Relinquished Whisper ~____
______________ ~ End ~ ______________