Chapter 4

Arthur went quiet on the other end of the line. It was hard to tell how long the silence stretched before he scoffed. "Sylvan, did Cindy tell you to go along with her little charade?" Sylvan was seething, his voice broke with emotion as he shouted, "Cindy—" But before he could get another word out, a frail hand tugged at him. He glanced down and saw Cindy, who had been out cold just moments before, now awake. With visible effort, she shook her head, her lips moving soundlessly. "Don't let him come." Just then, the heart monitor beside her started to tick upward, slow but steady. Arthur's raspy voice crackled through the phone. "What's wrong with her?" But Sylvan had no time to explain. Relief flooded him as he watched the numbers climb on the monitor. He hung up the phone and bolted out the door to find the professor. After a thorough examination, the doctor removed his mask, sweat glistening on his face, and exhaled deeply. "Her vitals are leveling out. Get her to the observation room, now!" With that, Cindy was wheeled away, the doors of the observation room closing behind her. On the other end, after Sylvan hung up on him, Arthur stared at his phone for a long time. Annette noticed how distracted he was—again, because of Cindy—and a flicker of envy and resentment crossed her eyes. "Arthur, they're obviously conspiring to deceive you. Cindy's just trying to get your attention. Hasn't she gotten tired of these mind games after all these years?" She reached for his hand as she spoke, but he stood abruptly, leaving her grasping at air. "I've got work to finish. You should head back for now," Arthur said quietly. Annette had been sure she'd finally get to stay the night, but now, frustration and anger boiled inside her. Reluctantly, she had no choice but to leave. Alone in his study, Arthur sat in front of his computer. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't concentrate. Finally, he dialed his other assistant, Kevin Ackerman. "Get me Cindy's location now," he directed, hearing the quiver in his voice. Kevin assured him he'd take care of it. A little over ten minutes later, he called back. "Mr. Forsyth, Ms. Tessier was in a car accident a few hours ago. She's at Luminova Hospital, but she's stable now." Arthur held his phone, his silence stretching on for what felt like forever. The stillness lasted so long that Kevin couldn't help but ask, "Do you... want to go see her?" The pause dragged on until Arthur finally said, "Don't let her know I asked about her." Startled, Kevin agreed anyway. Then, the call ended abruptly. Arthur said nothing more. That night, the light in his study remained on, glowing through the hours until dawn. … The next day, Cindy's spirits had improved slightly in the hospital. Sylvan, who hadn't left her side, spoke with a note of desperation in his voice. "Cindy, you can't put this off any longer. You need to be admitted and start chemotherapy immediately. Otherwise, you're not going to make it much longer!" But Cindy just smiled and shook her head. "That's fine. I've been looking forward to that day for a while now." Sylvan was utterly stunned. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and his voice shook as he asked, "Do you really have to punish yourself like this?" "Death isn't a punishment for me. Sylvan, thank you for staying by my side all these years. If you truly care about me, let me make this choice on my own, please." Five years ago, her soul had already died. Now, it was finally her body's turn. A few days later, despite Sylvan's protests, Cindy was determined to leave the hospital. All because Winter's death anniversary had come around. Cindy carried a bouquet of lilies as she made her way to the cemetery. She stood before the tombstone, her eyes fixed on the black-and-white photo of Winter—so young and beautiful. Winter had been vibrant and kind, but her life had been cut short, frozen forever on that day. "Winter, you probably don't want to see me, do you? All these years, I've dreamed of you every night. And in those dreams, I keep telling you how sorry I am. I wish I could go back to that day. If I could, I'd never have run away." She sank to the ground, leaning against the tombstone, just like she used to when they'd sit together and share secrets. "Do you know? I'll be with you soon. But I'm scared. I'm scared that you'll hate seeing me. I'm scared you'll hate me, too..." As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks. The biting wind cut through the cemetery. Cindy traced her fingers over Winter's photo, a wave of indescribable pain rising in her chest. Her voice cracked with emotion as she said, "I'll come for you, whether you hate me or not. We promised we'd be best friends forever."