Gillian.
Stunned and confused by her sudden appearance, Edison stared into the expressive eyes of his wife. The worry and concern written on her face could not out weigh his disappointment. A hopeful second ago, he had thought God had taken pity on him and returned his sister but alas, all has not changed.
His sister was gone, buried beneath the cold merciless earth.
A loud roar of thunder followed by furious droplets of rain crashed onto the glass panels. Then for the first time, he raised his voice to her. "What are you doing here? Go away!"
As best as he could, he fought off her warm embrace, returning to the stack of aluminum cans for comfort.
Edison Chen did not need pity from anyone!
Especially not from her.
"Edison," she called, her voice overflowed with shock and disbelief.
He fought hard to ignore her presence, pulling another can off the plastic holder, missing the pain in her sparkling eyes and the determination in her firmly pressed lips.
"Please don't drink anymore," she pleaded. "Please..."
Pretending not to hear, Edison lifted the can to his lips and poured the bitter liquid into his mouth, savoring the burning sensation as it slid down his throat. But his satisfaction was short-lived, for a slender hand began prying the can away. "Stop!"
But his wife did not let go; instead her grip grew stronger. In their heated struggle, bursts of beer splashed all over, soaking into their clothing before the can finally fell onto the ground. The uncomfortable feeling of his cotton t-shirt damply stuck to his chest radiated his anger. Despite the sluggish effects from the alcohol, he managed enough strength to push his wife onto the ground, away from him. "Get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving without you," she gritted, matching his tone. "I won't let you drink yourself to death."
"I said get out!"
"No!" Her eyes burned into his. "Not unless you leave with me!"
"I'm staying here!"
Ignoring her, he bent over to grab another can of beer but like a speedy cat, she beat him to the stack and protectively pulled them to her chest. "I'm not going to let you drink yourself to death."
"Give it back. I'm warning you," he threatened.
"You're going to die if you drink anymore!"
"Who do you think you are? Get out of my face." His tone grew more menacing, wanting the hurt her the same way he was hurting. Continuously reminding himself with the exception of his sister, all women were evil.
His mother.
Amanda.
They were all the same.
He hated the feelings that arose whenever his wife was present. Constantly struggling between love and hate, he needed to keep her far from him, from his heart. But at the same time he wanted her near, in his arms.
"No! I'm not going to let you drink yourself to death! You're going to wake up whether you like it or not!" As soon as the words left her lips, she threw the cans onto the ground and grabbed his arm, pulling him upwards. "Get up!"
"Get your hands off of me!" The alcohol made his head airy light but his body heavy as a boulder. He tried to struggle but to no avail.
*
All was quiet inside the richly decorated bedroom with the exception of his wife's soft breathing and occasional murmuring of their daughter's name. The only light source was a small lamp on the nightstand by their bed.
Andy Chen had not moved from the large cushioned chair where he sat down hours ago, absentmindedly staring into the darkness, into his past.
It was almost thirty years ago, during the Chen Corporation annual ball that his father announced his succession as the company's next CEO. The loud applauses that saturated the large ballroom still rang in his ears. It had been those applauses that gave him the strive to succeed, to exceed what his father had accomplished, to become a feared legend in the business world.
And in that, he had succeeded.
Yet, all that seemed so meaningless now.
For he had paid the ultimatum price.
His family.
Suddenly, a slight vibration came from his front pocket. Pulling out the small mobile device, he took a glance at the display before answering.
Nick Cheung.
"Hello," he greeted, his voice was void of any emotion.
On the other side, his brother-in-law spoke in a grave tone that he rarely heard. "Andy, this is Nick. How is Rosamund doing?"
He took a deep breath before answering. The guilt of having chosen pride over his own flesh and blood weighed him down. "She's asleep." His jaws unconsciously locked together before he continued. "Have you found Edison yet?"
"Yes, he's at the nursery. Gillian called me an hour ago."
For as long as he will live, the devastation in his son's eyes as he cried out for his older sister to awake from her eternal sleep will never be forgotten. His arrogance had been the cause of their pain. Had he not been so determined to uncover the truth that even his son could not sought evidence for, Karena would still be alive.
"I see," he said, still aching with remorse. "Nick, there is something I want to discuss with you."
"What?"
It was a rash decision but he knew it was the right choice. "I have decided to resign from Chen Corporation. I want you to take over temporarily."
"What? Resign? Chen Corporation is your life."
"It's been my life for too long."
His eyes unconsciously landed on his wife.
It was time to make amends.
*
Just outside the front doors of the botanical nursery, the rain continued to pour violently with seemingly no intention of stopping, much the same way the course of their emotions were soaring. It had only taken seconds for the cold liquid to soak through their light clothing, chilling their warm bodies.
A mere foot away from her husband, as they stood face-to-face, Gillian felt as if they were standing on the opposite sides of the globe; their souls, millions of miles apart. Yet, she continued to cling onto the hope that the heavy cold droplets would revive his senses, returning him to her.
It hurt her to see him suffering.
So much that, she felt an overwhelming urge to hold him, to protect him.
There was a time she could have cared less.
There was a time she wished for nothing more.
But as days turned into months, she saw of him what she had never known before. Uncertain of exactly when, but one day he was no longer the ruthless man that had blackmailed her to marry him for revenge. Rather he was a lonely man that had suffered at her hands; humiliated by her actions. Yet, for a promise to her, he disobeyed his father at the cost of losing Chen Corporation.
She gripped his forearms tightly. "When are you going to wake up? Do you think drinking yourself to death is going to bring back Karena? Do you think she would want to see you like this?"
Her dear sister-in-law.
But he pushed her arms away and staggered backwards. "Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to hear it anymore!"
She walked closer, persistent to break his barriers. "Do you know how hurt she would be seeing you like this?"
"Go away!" He flung his arm out at her, keeping a distance between them. "Karena is dead. She doesn't see anything."
"That is where you are wrong. She lives within us. She sees every right and wrong we do. She sees our every smile and every tear," she screamed, sincerely believing in her own words. "I am certain she is hurting right now, seeing you like this."
"What do you know about hurt?" The effects of the alcohol seemed to have totally disappeared. His eyes were no longer dull and lifeless. "Karena was all I had in this world. Why did God have to take her away? How could He be so unfair? She never harmed anyone. All her life she suffered at the hands of others. Why did God have to take her life too?"
Those were the same questions that had plagued her mind since that night at the hospital. Her sister-in-law had a kinder heart than any person she knew and yet, God had chosen to treat her so cruelly.
Why?
She refused to believe there was no justice in this world.
Perhaps God had taken her sister-in-law to a better place.
Perhaps God had not wanted her to suffer anymore.
"I don't know," she said, her eyes reflecting the same angst and pain. "We can only pray that she is in a better place now."
His two hands rose over his head, forming tight angry fists. "Then I will join her."
"No, I won't let you do that," she said, fearing what he might do.
"What I do is none of your business!"
"The day you married me you made it my business!"
*
The whispering moonlight shone onto Carina Chung's sleeping features, revealing her distressed expression. A long buried memory had resurfaced. Although over twenty years had lapsed, that autumn night continued to haunt her, to torment her mercilessly.
There is no room in his heart for her.
Not years ago.
Not today.
The road was close to pitch-black. There were no lampposts near by; the only light was from the moon shining above. Inside a black vehicle, she discreetly followed the dark red car belonging to her husband, wanting to know where he was headed so late in the night.
And most importantly, whom he was headed to meet.
Uneasiness grew from the pit of her stomach, apprehensive of what she would see.
As the only daughter of a high-profile politician, she knew her marriage to the handsome charming Tony Chung was no more than an alliance. But she did not care. It was love at first sight for her; unfortunately she had been the only one that felt the sting of cupid's arrow. Her fiance at the time treated her with only politeness at best, not an ounce of warmth. At times he barely noticed her presence. She naivety thought with time, they would fall in love.
How wrong she was.
The first month after their wedding, her husband would leave the house every night after he thought she was asleep and returned early in the morning. Eventually that came to a stop. Carina thought all was well finally and soon they had two beautiful children. Her husband was incredibly delighted by their arrival, but now years later, he was mysteriously disappearing again.
For her family and for herself, she was determined to find out the truth.
Soon, her husband's car came to a stop by a lake. Not wanting to be discovered, she parked behind some trees and slowly walked closer. At first some distant trees had hindered her sight, but then she saw.
Her worse fears had come true.
Her husband was holding another woman in his arms.
Tears began to blur her vision. She raised her hand immediately to cover her mouth; afraid her cry would catch their attention. Faintly, she was able to hear them speak. Her husband asked the woman to leave with him but she refused, insisting that he return home to his family. He continued to protest but the woman's mind was made.
Unable to bear the sight any longer, she closed her eyes and tears ran down her oval face, feeling a mix of fear and betrayal.
Did their years together mean nothing to him?
Couldn't their family compare to this woman?
How could he be so cruel?
Carina's entire body jerked into sitting position. Her forehead was covered with sweat. Her breathing was heavy.
Why did she have to remember?
Why couldn't the past die with that woman?
In her fragile state, she wanted nothing more than a shoulder to lean on but alas; the other side of the bed was empty.
The covers were untouched.
Just the way they have been for years.
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