It was thickly covered with blood. The doctor carefully cleaned the wound and dressed it with
medicated gauze and surgical tape. During the entire procedure, no emotion registered on Brian's face.
He was careful to mask any pain or discomfort he felt at that time. The doctor treated him efficiently
even though privately, his thoughts were about how aloof the patient was and how strict he was,
particularly with himself.
After completing the surgery, the physician cleaned up and put away his tools then listed down what
was needed to help in the healing. Brian said nothing, and there was no indication he paid any
attention to the orders. The doctor sensed Brian was already in a bad mood and decided to make a
hasty exit. He bowed before the patient then left the villa.
"You can also go and have a rest," Brian told John. He remembered the soiled seat cover and ordered
John,"Get the sofa changed tomorrow."
"Yes, I will do that," a worried John replied. As concerned as he was about Brian, John knew how
stubborn his master was. He would only disregard anything John said, even if it was good for him.
Since there was nothing he could say or do, John took his leave.
Alone now, Brian sat quietly on the sofa, his eyes glued to the expansive sky outside his window. He
saw stars twinkling in the dark sky like they were eyes blinking. It was a beautiful sight that could get
people drunk during a peaceful and silent night.
He sat there calm and distant, soaking in the feeling. His black eyes, seemingly ready to spar, grew
sharper gradually and became even darker. It was as if his eyes were like the night sky with glittering
stars that appeared to be dancing.
After what seemed like hours, the nerves in his muscles suddenly trembled and there was a prickly
feeling in his arms. He frowned again and stared out the window before taking out Molly's phone from
his pocket. One long finger slid on the screen and unlocked the phone. A picture jumped at him and
filled the screen. It was a photo of the cute snow couple, with one wearing Molly's hat and scarf, the
other his tie.
Squinting his eyes, Brian stared at the picture and thought of that night when he and Molly stood hand-
in-hand in one corner of the garden. He struggled to remember the feeling of warmth and peace he felt
then. It was the night when Molly expressed her feelings for him using the phone, to help lift the heavy
burden in his heart.
He felt the corners of his mouth curling into a smile as he thought of that night. The smile remained on
his face. But he was struck by reality and sneered inside. "Dust! That's all it is. How can she even be
qualified to play the game of love when she's nothing but dust?" he murmured.
Regardless of the thought, his eyes turned soft as he stared at the photo and a gentle smile creased
his face, which he did not even realize.
Seconds passed then the phone screen turned dark. Brian tore his gaze from the phone, put it back in
his pocket and stood up. He would attempt to go up the stairs. As he was about to lift one foot, he
stopped. Brian looked at the stained coat and shirt lying on the sofa that John forgot to discard. The
blood had already dried and was now dark red. He narrowed his eyes while staring at it then turned
away. He put one foot forward to begin his walk towards the stairs.
After the first step, he moved as if nothing happened to him and showed no evidence that he was in
pain. He reached the top of the stairs in good time and proceeded to his bedroom where he paused at
the door. He glanced at Molly's room and decided to check in on her. He pushed the door open and
frowned when he didn't see her on the bed. Her bedside lamp was on. 'Where was she?' he wondered.
With a slight scowl, his eyes scanned the room.
Huddled in a corner beside the cabinet, he found Molly's small figure. Legs pulled close to her chest
and arms wrapped around her knees. He should have known she would end up this way. Brian sighed.
Finding a place to hide was always Molly's way every time she was sad or wanted to escape from
something unpleasant. And this behavior annoyed Brian. He walked over silently and with lips tightly
closed, stared at her condescendingly. She had nearly buried her face under her arms. Brian made no
sound but hoped she would sense his presence.
Minutes passed, but there was no movement from Molly. Impatient, Brian decided to check if she was
only sleeping or not well. Annoyed, the man bent down and carefully tried to lift her. Pain shot through
his body from the exertion and sudden movement. He had forgotten the bullet wound in his shoulder.
After taking a deep breath, he shifted Molly and carried her to the bed, which seemed so far in his
condition.
On the bed, Molly remained in a curled up position. Her lips were closed tightly and he could see the
grief in her face even asleep. Brian noted the tear stains and thought she looked so pitiful.
Even with her face looking like a mess, Brian could not control his emotions, which was becoming more
complicated by the minute. He didn't know if he was fighting against Molly or himself. Gently, he took a
quilt to cover her and was prepared to leave. The man stopped to look at her one last time. Brian
hesitated then took the phone out of his pocket. He put it on the bedside table then went out hurriedly.
There was an unfamiliar feeling in his heart which he couldn't identify.
Time passed as it did during the night with the ticking clock counting away the hours until night turned
into day. Early morning sunlight peeked through the clouds and lit up the earth generously.
As she opened her eyes, Molly felt her head pounding as if it was ready to explode. Her eyes were dry
and were sore from all the crying she did the night before. She tried hard to open her eyes fully and
was frustrated when she couldn't. They were very swollen after a whole night of tears and resembled
those of a goldfish.
She let out a deep sigh and managed to sit up even as her entire body ached. Molly quickly surveyed
her surroundings and wondered how she got in bed when she remembered huddling in the corner until
she fell asleep. Then she saw the phone on the bedside table. A lump suddenly formed in her throat as
she looked at the phone. She took a deep breath, swallowed then reached out for it, her eyes full of
sorrow.
She swiped the screen to unlock the phone. Molly knew Brian would have deleted the photo of the
snowmen in the phone, but held a little hope that it would still be there.
When the screen lit up and the snowmen photo popped out, Molly gasped in surprise. She opened her
eyes wide to see if she was only imagining things and felt pain due to the sudden movement. She
couldn't believe it was still there. Molly hurriedly checked the album and confirmed it was real. He did
not delete the photo even though in her heart, she believed he would do it last night. She felt tears
burning in her eyes. He didn't, and that was completely unexpected.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda