“Is he a man?”“Don’t worry. Our nursing staff is professional, no matter their gender. It’s better to have a male nurse for your situation. They’re usually stronger, so if your legs cramp up, they can help you get in and out of bed. Pregnant women often have leg cramps, and as your belly gets bigger, it will happen more often.”Ms. Xavier made a good point. It made sense for them to assign me a male nurse.“But why doesn’t he talk?”Ms. Xavier lowered her voice. “This is Mr. Ganes. He has a speech impediment. But don’t worry. He’s skilled at caring for patients, and he’ll take good care of you.”A speech impediment? I had heard of that. It seemed to be more of a psychological issue than a physical one.I did not judge people with disabilities. After all, I could not see.I nodded at the white figure before me. “Sorry about that. Ever since I lost my sight, I’ve been a bit paranoid. I always feel like someone’s out to get me.”The figure did not respond. Ms. Xavier smiled and s
I had a vision therapy session at 7 p.m. after dinner. The doctor would put magnetic patches around my eyes. Whenever current ran through them, I would feel slight tingling sensations. It did not hurt, but it was a bit uncomfortable.Hayden said that the treatment would be effective for me. Maybe it was just in my head, but after a few sessions, I felt the same too. Everything looked blurry in the past. But after the treatment, I could finally make out their shapes. The doctor said that it was a good sign. It meant I was slowly getting better.Mr. Ganes accompanied me to the session. I held on to his arm as we walked down the hallway. When we passed the nurse’s station, I overheard young nurses whispering. “He’s so handsome.”Were they talking about a show?I smiled and chimed in. “Got a new TV crush? I’ve been thinking about swapping crushes. Introduce someone to me.”They did not reply. Even with my blurry vision, I could tell that they were staring at me in shock. Oh, I
“There are still a few months to go. I haven’t thought of names yet.”I was bad at naming things. I named our pets, and if they could talk, they would probably complain about it for a long time.I figured that Eloise and the others had already chosen names for the babies anyway. After all, they would be taking care of the babies. So, I did not need to stress about it.After the vision therapy session, Mr. Ganes walked back with me.Just then, my phone beeped in my pocket. I took it out and saw a notification.A robotic voice said, “Hello, this is your reminder. Zach’s birthday is in one week. Is your gift ready?”I stared at my phone. In the past, I would be anxious about Zach’s birthday and prepare his gift days in advance.Most of my reminders were about him. I stood there and deleted them one by one.With each deletion, the voice asked, “Are you sure you want to delete the reminder for Zach’s birthday in three days?“Are you sure you want to delete the reminder to replace t
I was satisfied after I finished the fried chicken. I was not actually hungry, though. I just had a craving for it.After that, I sat on the terrace with my hand on my belly and enjoyed the fresh air. Mr. Ganes covered my legs with a thin blanket. Then, to keep me warm, he brought over a comforter and wrapped me up completely.“Do I look like a cocoon now?” I smiled at him.He was quiet, so quiet that I could not even hear him breathe.It was nice that he could not speak. Having someone by my side made me feel less lonely.“You’re so thoughtful. Your wife must be happy,” I said genuinely. “I like sweet guys. It feels good to know someone cares about you. By the way, my boyfriend is also a sweet guy,” I added with a bit of pride.I lay back in the lounge chair and curled up in the blanket. Only my face was showing.Suddenly, I felt like talking and sharing my thoughts.I looked up at the dark sky. “Are there stars tonight? There should be, right? Ms. Xavier said that the sky
He typed on his phone. “Didn’t you ask me to see if your eyebrows moved?”I was at a loss for words.It was late, and the cold wind felt like it was creeping into my blankets. So, I sat up in the lounge chair and said, “I’m going to sleep. I’m tired.”While I was looking for my shoes, he suddenly bent down and picked me up.This was not his first time carrying me. Sometimes, he would carry me when it was inconvenient for me to walk.My face was pressed against his chest, and that strange feeling of familiarity returned.I could hear his heart pounding.Weirdly, my heart started to race a little too.I knew that I should not think this way, but he really reminded me of Zach.“You kind of look like someone I know,” I said.He set me down on the bed and typed on his phone. “Who?”I contemplated for a moment and did not answer.In the end, I just lay down. Mr. Ganes was in the room next to mine, and I had a call button. So, if I needed anything or shouted, he would hear me.Th
I remembered that Zach had a sweater just like this one. In fact, I was the one who had given it to him.He did not wear it often because he usually dressed formally.Was this the sweater from me?I reached out and touched the soft fabric. It felt fuzzy, and there was no painful static electricity.At the same time, my phone rang.I extended one hand toward Mr. Ganes while I answered the call with the other.Sophie said, “Cassia, Zach’s with Cecilia.”“Are you sure?”“Absolutely. They were hugging in a car. My friend, who’s a private investigator, sent me a picture. It shows the inside of Zach’s car, and he’s hugging Cecilia. I would send it to you, but you can’t see.”“Oh, okay.”I was still reaching for Mr. Ganes, but my arm was getting tired.I hung up on Sophie and lowered my left hand.Mr. Ganes typed on his phone. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” I replied softly.“Are you sure? Do you feel okay?”“I’m fine. You should go to sleep. I won’t bother you anymore.”I turned
“I can see its color. My eyesight’s gotten a bit better these past few days. I can kind of see your face now.”“Am I pretty?”“You’re gorgeous.”Ms. Xavier laughed. “Your eyesight’s still not fully healed if you think that.”As I prepared to wash up, I asked, “My friend’s visiting today. If she stays late, can she spend the night?”“No one can stay, but for you? Sure.”My dad had shares in the rehabilitation center, so I could do whatever I wanted.Honestly, I was thinking about Mr. Ganes starting his shift at 6 p.m. If Sophie stayed, she might get to see him. For some reason, I just could not let it go.I trusted my intuition. After being with Zach and loving him for so long, I knew every little thing about him.While I walked by the lake after breakfast, Ms. Xavier came over. “Ms. Sophie Freeman is here.”From afar, I could hear Sophie yelling, “Cassia! Cassia!”She ran up to me with a bunch of bags and dropped them casually on the ground.“What did you bring?” I asked.
“Lucy Grant is a fake name. What about her ID? Doesn’t she have one?”“Her ID is fake too.”“That’s impressive.”“What kind of comment is that?”“How else should I respond?” In winter, it got dark early. By about 5 p.m., the sun was already gone.We went inside, and Sophie said, “By the way, where’s your male nurse? You keep suspecting that he’s Zach. I want to see if he looks like him.”“The next shift starts at 6 p.m.”“Oh. I’ll stay here tonight, then.”Even though I did not really want her there, she had an important mission tonight.At 6 p.m., Ms. Xavier came in to change my sheets. “Why are you still here? Isn’t Mr. Ganes supposed to start his shift at 6 p.m.?” I asked.“I’ll leave soon.”“Mr. Ganes isn’t here yet?”“He’s changing.”I felt relieved. I thought that Mr. Ganes might avoid coming to stay away from Sophie.I had not given up yet. I knew that I was acting strange.After Ms. Xavier finished changing the sheets, she smiled and said, “Well, I’m leaving now.
Zach helped Rachel with the Legos until Sophie came to get us for the pizza buffet. “What’s going on here?” she asked in surprise.“It’s exactly what it looks like.”“When did he get here?”“After 9 a.m., I think.”“Is Yonder Trading closed or something? Why is he so free?”I rolled my eyes and helped Rachel put on her jacket. “We’re going for lunch.”Rachel did not want to stop. “But I want to keep building.”“Have a break. You can continue later. Let’s eat first.”“Mr. Gordon.” She called me “Cassia” but called Zach “Mr. Gordon.” I wondered why.“Can you play with me this afternoon?”“Probably not. I have paperwork to do,” Zach said.“I knew it! You can only play with me for a little while. Adults only stay in my life for a short time.”Sophie laughed so hard that she could not stand up straight.“He only spent a couple of hours with you. That’s even less than a short time.” I tied her scarf around her and said, “I’ll play with you this afternoon.”“But your belly’s t
Benjamin was caught off guard. But then, he smiled and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Benjamin Lowe. You can call me Mr. Lowe.”I told him, “Can you buy some books and toys, like Legos, for her? She’ll be around quite frequently.”“Sure.” He then glanced awkwardly at the soup on the table. “Mr. Gordon brought this in early this morning.”“Drink it or toss it. Just don’t bring it in next time.” I took Rachel’s hand and walked into my office.There was a couch and a coffee table in the corner of my huge office. Benjamin quickly returned with the toys and books. He even got a playmat, so Rachel could sit on it and play. He piled everything on the table.Whenever I was not busy, I would play with her for a bit and tell her a story or two. Most of the time, she would play quietly by herself.Rachel was sharp but also so sweet that she tugged at my heartstrings. For example, when I said that I would spend more time with her, she told me, “You should work. Don’t waste time on
It was late at night, and everyone was too tired to do anything. I was heavily pregnant, and Sophie had no energy left. So, she stopped fighting back. She just collapsed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.Lucy had already fallen asleep. She was young, and she could sleep through anything, including all our talking.Austin was as cold as ice while he sat on the couch. Since I could not convince him to budge, I gave him some water and went back to sleep.He could do whatever he wanted.When I closed the door, I saw him staring at the bed. The look in his eyes was soft and almost dreamy. I could sense love from where I stood.Did he really love Lucy? I could not believe it because I never thought he felt that way about her.I was exhausted, and my mind was all over the place. I went to sleep and had no idea when Austin left.The next morning, Sophie appeared at my door with a pillow.“If you didn’t sleep well last night, you can sleep a little longer. You’re
“I’m not scared. With Austin to protect me, what do I have to worry about? But I think you’re pretty pathetic, Sophie. I show up, and you just give me your room. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Lucy shook her head. “So pathetic.”Sophie simply stared at her. Lucy was nervous, but she was trying to put on a tough front.Right after, Sophie wore an eerie and unsettling smile.“Fine. You want to sleep with me? Let’s do it. After all, I’m scared of you.” With that, she went back into the room. “It’s time for a shower. Who’s going first, you or me?”Since Lucy had won, she gave me a smug look. “Sophie’s so easy to deal with.”“I don’t think you’ll enjoy sleeping in the same room with her as much as you think,” I warned.The room next door became eerily quiet after I returned to my room.I knew that Sophie would not hurt Lucy. She was not one to go overboard.I texted her. [If you don’t want to share a room with her, come to mine.][It’s fine. The bed’s big enough,] Sophie replied.Alright, then.
As I approached Sophie’s room, the yelling got increasingly loud and made my ears hurt.I opened the door to see her dragging Lucy out by the ear. Lucy was screaming, “Sophie, let go! You’re a barbarian! Austin told me to stay here! Who are you to kick me out? This isn’t even your house!”“This is my house.” I stepped aside to avoid the chaos. “And I’m telling you to leave.”“Austin said I could stay!” “Austin isn’t the king of the world.” I sneered. “Why should I listen to him?”Before I could finish, Sophie had already dragged Lucy to the door. I opened it wide so that she could toss her out.Lucy clung to the doorframe like her life depended on it. “I’m not leaving! Sophie, if you kick me out, what will you do when Austin comes looking for me?”Sophie grabbed a feather duster that Mrs. Gibson had left behind and marched toward Lucy.She started screaming, “Sophie, what are you doing?! Don’t hit me! Sophie! Stop!”Sophie raised the feather duster up high. I knew that she wo
Sophie completely ruined a happy moment.I looked at her. “You’re not still hoping for something with Austin, are you?”“Of course not!” she raised her voice. “I’m not a masochist!”Just then, Mrs. Gibson knocked on the door. “Ms. Cassia Freeman, Ms. Sophie Freeman, someone’s here to see you.”Who could it be this late?We went downstairs and saw Lucy at the front door with a suitcase.She simply would not leave us alone.My head hurt when I saw her.Lucy saw us and walked right in without taking off her shoes. “I told you Cassia and Sophie know who I am! Cassia, your housekeeper’s so rude. She wouldn’t let me in.”“Hey, what are you doing?” Sophie blocked her path. “Take another step, and I’ll get security to throw you out.”“Starting today, I’ll be staying here.” Lucy sat on her suitcase and grinned.“What are you talking about? Are you sure you’re not crazy?”I did not want to argue with her. “Did Austin kick you out?”Lucy was like glue. Once she stuck to you, you coul
“Do you want to talk to Sophie?” I asked, even though I knew he would not say anything nice.As expected, he wore the usual mocking smile. “Talk to that idiot? No thanks.”He hung up, and the screen went black.I was so mad that I felt like my heart might stop. Austin never got angry or showed big emotions, but his calm sarcasm was enough to drive anyone crazy.Just then, Sophie ran over and held out her hand. She was sweating and out of breath. “Where’s Rachel’s water bottle? She’s thirsty.”I gave it to her, and she asked, “Who were you talking to?”“An idiot,” I replied.“Oh.” She ran off again without giving it a second thought.We ended up playing there until sundown. Rachel was all sweaty, so I helped her change in the car. Although it was already spring, it was still a little chilly without the sun.We headed home and invited Kingston to join us for dinner.He gave Sophie the mechanical kite. Our garden was big, so she could fly it anytime.We did not usually have gue
“Let Bob go. Tell Zach to hang the thermos on its neck.”“Isn’t that a bit much?”“He told me that if I didn’t drink his soup, Bob could have it. So, what’s the problem with letting Bob fetch it?”Mrs. Gibson walked away with a troubled expression, and I continued building the sandcastle.Rachel suddenly looked up and asked, “Cassia, don’t you like that guy anymore?”“I don’t like him anymore,” I said.“Is he bad?”“He’s not bad. I just don’t like him anymore.”“You can like my dad, then. He’s handsome, and he knows how to make cheese pizza.”Well, my standards were a little higher than someone who could make cheese pizza.I was not sure what happened to Zach’s soup because I never saw it. His cooking was not that great, and we already had good cooks at home. Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Ziegler, and Mrs. Harrison made amazing soups. They were from different places, so I got to try food from all over.As such, Zach’s soup was not needed.I never thought there would come a day when I
“When did your head get so square?” I looked at the metal block for a while, but I could not see how it resembled Sophie.“This robot doesn’t have to look like me. The important part is its core. It can follow my commands, and Kingston said he’ll add my voice to it later.”“What can it do? A two-hundred-dollar smart box can already do things like turn lights on and off or flush the toilet.”“Tch, this is different. Apart from following my commands, it can also read my emotions. It’ll then play the appropriate music to improve my mood.”That sounded interesting. “It should be a mood helper instead of a robot.”“Kingston also mentioned that it has a special function if I get really upset.”“Will it explode into fireworks?”“Tch.” She rolled her eyes and hugged the robot. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”Sophie seemed to like the gift.However, Kingston did not really give it to her because she was fond of it. He just happened to study this stuff.I was incredibly tired, so I turn