Rex was sent to the hospital after he collapsed at the search and rescue scene. There must be internal
injuries but more of what he’s feeling now is the pain from his heart.
Karl wants Rex to take a good rest before he leaves but Rex never listens. He knows he could never
make Rex do anything he doesn’t want to, so he gives him a few injections to keep him going and lets
him go.
People of Jacob never give up looking. They keep searching in the area of the accident to the area of
the downstream.
Day by day, there’s still no news from Lily.
On the third day of her went missing, this man turns into being terrified from being panic. He is afraid
that someone might tell him that they found Lily, and she isn’t breathing anymore.
What’s keeping him sane today is the hope for Lily to still be alive. So he tells himself, no news is also
considered as a piece of good news.
Having such thoughts, Rex is always the first to arrive at the accident scene every day. He never
combs his hair nor he shaves. There are days that he would wear the same clothes every day. The
polished look on him doesn’t exist anymore.
One day, he receives a call from the police station.
On the other side of the phone, the Commissioner of Police expresses his regret to Rex, “Mr. Rex, what
do you think we should do with Ms. Lily now?”
“What are you talking about?” Rex is sensitive and sounded croaky, “The search mission isn’t over yet.
Why are you asking this?”
“Yes, we understand that you are still searching. It’s alright, you can carry on with the search party. We
could even help you to set up road closures. The biggest problem now is that we need to go by the
rules.”
The Commissioner of Police continues, “It’s been such a long time since it happened. Why don’t we c-
complete the paperwork, so you could move on to arrange her afterlife affairs.”
“Afterlife affairs?” Rex repeats after him. The Commissioner of Police could even sense his coldness
over the phone, “What afterlife affairs? We are still searching.”
The Commissioner of Police understands now. Rex didn’t want to accept the fact that Lily is gone. He
immediately changes the subject, “We understand but it is not easy to explain this to the family
members.”
Family members.
When mention about the terms, Harry and Bree’s face comes across his mind.
Rex tries to pull a curve on his lips. They are never going to forgive him. He lost their beloved daughter.
He is a sinner.
It’s silent over the phone. The Commission of Police call Rex’s name, “Mr. Rex?”
“I’ll be there in a while,” Rex ended the call.
Everything he doesn’t want to face and everything he tries to deny is proving him that denial isn’t going
to wipe everything off. Whatever happens, happened. It is cruel but it’s a fact and you must live with it.
When Rex arrives at the police station, Harry and Bree are already there. He could see them sitting on
the couch in the office of the Commissioner of Police with their sad faces when he opens the door.
It’s only been a month. Both of them look way older than before. They look like they are already in their
80s when they are, in fact, only in their 50s.
The pain of losing their daughter, it’s something that makes them look older overnight.
Both of the old folks raise their head when the door opens. Harry’s eyes are red and Bree is tearing.
The moment they see Rex, their sadness turns into anger and hatred.
That elegant man they remembered looks worn-out and scruffy now. It’s like he has transformed into a
complete person in just a few days. It is clear that he is having a hard time too.
Even the Commissioner of Police is surprised by how Rex looks. “Mr. Rex?” He is unsure if this is the
person he thought he is.
He has met Rex a few times on different occasions. Every single time, he is the centre of all attention.
He would never look this scruffy.
Rex nods and remains silent. He looks at the direction where Harry and Bree sit, “Harry, Bree…”
Hearing his voice triggers Bree.
It’s like she’s going insane. There’s a voice in her head keep telling her that this is the man who gets
Lily killed! It’s him! This is all his fault!
She is a woman after all. After experiencing such tragedy, Bree is pretty disturbed. Now that she sees
Rex, it gets even worst. She stands up and walks towards Rex.
She clenches her fist and hit Rex’s shoulder. “You give me back my daughter! Give me back my
daughter!”
Her hair is loose and her shirt becomes messy. Although she uses all her strength, Rex doesn’t feel
anything about her punches.
She keeps hitting and hitting. The Commissioner of Police wanted to stop her but Rex stops him with
an eye signal first. His tall body withstands all the punches from Bree even though he has already been
exhausted from the searches.
He owes it to them and their family. Even if they want to stab him with a knife, he wouldn’t complain.
Harry watches from aside. Initially, he is just sitting down with his head down, trying to hold back his
tears. When he hears Bree questioning Rex and her desperate scream, he couldn’t stand it anymore.
He stands up and breaks up their fight. His aged eyes are so red as if they could bleed anytime. He
says, “Our daughter is gone, what’s the use for all these?”
Bree feels defeated and devastated when she hears the word ‘gone’, “I want to kill this animal! He
killed our daughter!”
She turns around and continues hitting Rex. However, no matter how many punches she hit, Rex
couldn’t relieve the pain in her heart. Her body then leans on a wall as if this move has already used up
all her strength.
“My Lily. Oh, my dear Lily. Why are you so silly? There are so many men outside but instead, you fell
for this one.”
Bree’s cry gets louder and louder in the room, “What are we supposed to do now that you're gone?”
The atmosphere is too depressed. Even the Commissioner of Police, who had been through so many
cases, feels sad for the old folks.
She’s right. Who would ever know the person who’s still walking around a few days ago would be gone,
just like that? The prison bus crashed into the river? There haven’t been many cases like this in the
past ten years.
Maybe, it’s fated.
Harry picks Bree up from the floor. He turns around and sees Rex standing there with his head down.
Instead of anger, he feels regret. “If I know this would happen, I will never allow Lily to see you.”
This simple statement hurts Rex more than any physical harm.
He tries to mock himself but her lips are sealed tight, “If I know this would happen, I wish she never met
me.”
He would rather he never loved her and stay single for his entire life. He could do that. What he
couldn’t take it is Lily leaving him. It’s a wound he couldn’t stand and it’s a scar carved into his bone
that he could never wipe off.
Is it painful?
It is more than painful. It is with him every second. Everyone looks like her during the search in the
daylight and during the night, her scent lingers around him. This is torture - never-ending torture that
will follow him his entire life.
The Commissioner of Police looks at the other three persons in the room. He takes out the documents
when everyone drowns in silence. “So, shall we start with the paperwork?”
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