***Compared to the chaos and disturbances, this was the most peaceful place. This was where he found his solitude. Not a night went by without him finding himself here. No matter how long the day had been; no matter how long the evening was, he'd always end up here. And in the wee hours of the morning, he'd had to bid it goodbye with a heavy heart. His little one. How he wished it was curdling in his arms instead of the cold confines of the ground. The leaves rustled and fluttered with the wind. The moon beamed on the sky, a mocking image of the unparalleled ache in his heart. If only it could be dark all night. If only he'd experience the same kind of darkness that resided deep in the ground. If only the biting wind didn't feel more like a caress, Kendrick would be happy to live with this decision. He'd bask in the regret.Deep in his heart, the feeling was always awakening. He was given two choices and he'd chosen the hardest of all.Not only did his decision lead to more c
***Hailey was awoken the next morning by the blaring sound of her phone's ring tone. The voice from the other end was harsh. Kara sounded very agitated. She reminded her about some arrangements. She told her that they had a deadline to meet. Hailey still couldn't pinpoint what Kara's call was about. But Kara threatened her to barge into the house. She said she would come and drag her out. She would wage a war and Hailey was going to get into trouble."Rob." Hailey hurried behind Rob when he came out of the closet. "Are you off to work? Could you take me to the diner? I want to go and meet Kara.""You want to go to the diner?" Rob asked. He looked slightly confused. "Yeah, I have to go." Hailey nodded eagerly. And she didn't have time to explain to him about Kara's plan to raid the house.It was already morning. Kara must be on her way now. The sun was about to come out. "Hailey." Rob took her hand. "You haven't even taken breakfast yet, why do you want to be at the diner? Are y
"If you want to get better, go to your parents and collect money from them." The woman continued. "Because I'm seizing these drugs. I won't let you waste my son's money when there's no chance that you'll get well.""Also." She walked closer to Hailey and scrutinized her from head to toe. "I'm still waiting for you to tell me that secret you're hiding. If you let me find out by myself, believe me, you're going to regret it."And she turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut.Hailey stood in one spot, baffled and yet confused. Why was Rob's mother treating her like this? Did she hate her this much?And why would she seize her drugs? Rob said that she must take her drugs no matter what.The woman also mentioned her parents. Where were her parents? Hailey stood in the middle of the room for a while before picking up her bag from where the woman had left it on the floor.Rob's mother had also taken the wad of money, so Hailey was only left with an empty bag.No, pr
She hoped not. Hailey had no idea about what to cook.Who was that lady that gave her this job?Did she really eat the food prepared by her? Wasn't she mistaken?"Of course, we have to start practicing, Hailey." Kara sprang to her feet and held Hailey up. "That's why I put the closed sign outside. We won't receive any customers today, we'll only focus on improving our skills.""Okay."Hailey looked around the empty place. So that was why there weren't people here."How about we try out a new cuisine, Hailey?" Kara was literally jumping as she pulled Hailey into the kitchen. "Don't worry, we'll also try out the old ones. But who knows, we might invent a new meal.""Good idea." Hailey nodded. Although oblivious to everything that was going on, since Hailey stepped foot here, she felt at ease.Since she received that scolding from Rob's Mum this morning, her mind hadn't been at ease. She felt as if she'd done something wrong to deserve it. They entered the kitchen and her eyes wandered
By the time she got tired and decided to take a rest, Hailey's stomach grumbled and she held it. And now, she remembered that she hadn't eaten breakfast. "Hailey, taste this." Kara brought a plate of the dish she prepared and placed it in front of Hailey. "What do you think, is it delicious?"Hailey tasted the food, and as the soft meal melted against her tongue, her taste buds awakened and her hunger expanded. In a matter of minutes, she wiped the plate clean. She didn't remember that she was only supposed to taste it. She didn't even remember Kara's question."Hailey!" Kara exclaimed. "I only asked you to taste it and you ate it all. What the hell is wrong with you?" Kara put on an offended look and Hailey gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I won't repeat that.""Urgh, I don't care." Kara removed Hailey's pot from the fire. She checked the meal she was preparing and after making sure it was done, she served it to herself and ate it all. "Now we're even, Hailey."Hailey didn'
Apart from that, Hailey was also able to recall a lot of dishes she'd been cooking here at the diner. That was strange. Was her memory improving? She also had a feeling that her memory had shown this kind of improvement before. Would she be lucky this time not to keep on forgetting things? Would it also be possible that she might start recalling things from the past soon? That would be great. If she could remember things early, she could prove to Rob's mother that she wasn't suffering from an eternal illness. She would also remember what she'd done to his mother in the past. And she would be able to apologize. Because they left the diner early, the sun was only orange in the sky when they left the place. And while Kara happily skipped to the pink car in the parking lot, Hailey waited in front of the diner after giving Rob a call. Rob told her that he would come there immediately to pick her up. He also told her not to wander off.So Hailey stood obediently in one spot and faced t
...Hailey wished the peaceful ride could go on. She wished that they would remain on the road for a few long while.But the chaos was inevitable. The moment they arrived home, Hailey was plunged into war. Rob's mother was waiting outside with both hands on her waist and an angry expression. Her father was standing beside him and his sister was also with them.Hailey knew she was in trouble.The couple's glare was directed at her and not Rob or both of them. There was no doubt she might have done something wrong already. But what was it?"Rob." She looked sideways at Rob and she could hear the fear in her own voice. "Is anything wrong? Why are they standing outside in the rain?""Nothing is wrong," Rob replied and rubbed her shoulder. "Maybe they need something, let's go and see."But Hailey didn't want to go, she was apprehensive. Rob's parents didn't need anything. Maybe what they needed was her head."You are finally back!" Rob's mother was the first that spoke. She was yelling
"Mum." Rob held the woman gently. "I'm not trying to say that." Then he paused and glanced in Hailey's direction. "Actually, there's something I have to tell you." As he said that, he gave the woman a helpless look. "Something you want to tell me?" The woman raised a skeptical brow. "Yeah," Rob answered. "It's cold here. How about we discuss inside?"Hailey stared between Rob and his mother. She couldn't understand what was going on. What did he want to discuss with his mother? And wasn't he going to deny that she didn't do any of those horrible things his mother accused her of, or accept it? "I hope it's not anything to defend this girl." His mother pointed at Hailey. "And you'd better make it fast, Son. Because I can't wait to punish her. I gave her a chance to tell me the secret she's been hiding, but she didn't. She will know not to disrespect me again.""It's alright," Rob coaxed. "I'll only take some minutes."His sister was the first one that turned around and went back into