Valentina Was Gone

In the villa, there was no shortage of maids to take care of Valentina, but other than bathing and changing her clothes, most tasks were taken on by William. Even when the maids were helping Valentina bath, William would stand guard outside the bathroom, fearing that the maids might not have enough strength or accidentally cause her harm. He was attentive to the smallest details, and Valentina, lying on the bed, was taken care of much better than he was - despite him being fully capable of self-care. The tail-end of summer passed quickly, and the weather started to grow cool. William carried her to the wheelchair, positioned her in front of the balcony, and then turned around to bring back a hairband and comb. When they were escaping at the end of last year, William had washed her hair, and Valentina said that her hair was getting too long, She wanted a haircut but never had time to get one William didn't want to cut her hair though washing it was quite troublesome every time. Now, her hair had almost reached her waist. William combed her hair for her, gathered it all to one side, and began to braid it for her. Valwill and the robot William stood side by side. Valwill squatted and watched them for a while, then lost interest and fell to the ground. The large villa was always so quiet, and in the past half year, it was clear to see that Valwill was becoming increasingly depressed. It was often spiritless, a mere puppy of two, yet behaving like an old dog of ten, losing interest and hope in its dog life. William would occasionally be kind-hearted and bring out a ball to play with it, trying to prevent it from falling into actual depression. However, Valwill would only carry the ball to Valentina's bedside, but no matter how much it barked, Valentina wouldn't respond. William braided her hair into a rope-like braid, tidying up her hairstyle neatly. Today, Valentina adorned a floral long dress and a beige knit cardigan over it, and her braided hair made her look gentle. Even if William didn't plan on walking her out, he'd still have the maid change her into pretty clothes. As she was particular about the details and had high standards for the quality of life, he naturally wouldn't let her spend the whole day in her pajamas. In his eyes, she looked good no matter what. William knelt down in front of her wheelchair and tidied her braids. The ribbon on her hair had a cute cartoon pattern. William touched it and smiled. "You probably would have disliked it but I think it looks good. You wouldn't have let me use this if you were conscious, so I had to seize this opportunity." He tidied the collar of her cardigan and saw the protruding clavicle underneath. He felt a pang of sorrow. Despite his attentive care, Valentina, who was relying on nutrients to maintain her bodily functions, was losing weight under his watch, and she was getting skinnier by the day. Swallowing his feelings, William began to massage her legs. "The Christmas is coming again soon, Val, I think I'm really getting old." He said slowly. Autumn was a season of melancholy, and with his sensitivity heightened, he was somewhat affected by this desolate season. He looked at her, feeling a bit pained. "Will you really wait till I become old, full of wrinkles and white hair, to wake up?" Each time he thought about how long it might take, he became enveloped by despair. He murmured, "What will I do if you find me repulsive by then?" Clearly, that was not what he was worried about. He then gently said, "If it takes that long, and you continue like this... what will you do..." His voice choked up slightly. Time seemed to drag as he counted the days, each passing day felt like a year. "How can I help you..." William gently rested his head on her lap, seeking a bit of solace, and as if trying to encourage her. Euthanasia was practiced, particularly with comatose patients holding the highest rate. It was easy to imagine the kind of pain they endured. This fall seemed unnaturally long. William's mood swayed between depression and frustration all throughout. Tim had noticed his offbeat mood a few days ago. To prevent any psychological issues, Tim had spent a few days with the Felton family. Thankfully, William was fine, or at least he was not at the point where he needed Tim to provide psychological counseling. Tim spent a whole night drinking with William, recalling some old stories about Victoria and then William felt better. Biddeford had its first snow which was earlier than the previous years. The snow was unusually heavy, covering the entire city in a blanket of white. Excited college students engaged in snowball fights outdoors, their thick winter clothing failing to curb their youthful energy. At the prime age of life, some were freely enjoying their school life, but Valentina was laid up in bed. Snowmen built by students could be seen all around the campus. In their casual conversations, they occasionally mentioned Valentina who hadn't been to school for a long time... William, driving with the car window down, was constantly smoking on his way home from the office. He watched as the young ones on the street hopped and skipped in the snow, carelessly, akin to children. Leonard, who was driving, didn't dare to utter a word of advice. Snow was falling, and the ground was covered in it, making the car move rather slowly. William's patience was wearing thin, and his mood was becoming increasingly unstable. Yet, he managed to keep his temper in check. He resorted to smoking as solace against the pressure. Upon returning home, William first removed the smell of smoke from his body before approaching Valentina's bedside. The sight of her instantly eradicated most negative emotions he harbored. The frequent exposure to the cold wind seemed to have given him a slight cold. His body hadn't been feeling quite right since the suspected chill a couple of days ago. William was in particularly bad spirits today. Perhaps it was due to the inclement weather, or perhaps due to his heavy smoking, deteriorating his health. Alternatively, it could be the accumulated stress over the past six months reaching critical mass, and signs of collapse starting to show. William found it hard to calm himself down. The wind and snow battered the window outside. He sat by her bedside for a long time, continuously talking to her without being able to adjust his state of mind. As darkness fell, he finally swallowed his pride and proposed, "Can I sleep with you tonight?" William had given Valentina his room. He then moved next door. Valentina had been unconscious for quite a while, and for the same amount of time, William had been living next door. "If you don't respond, I'll take it as a yes. Thank you." He outrageously kissed her, expressing his gratitude joyfully. "I'll go take a shower first, then come over." William suddenly seemed to regain his strength, rising to take a shower. After taking a bath, William got into bed, turned off the light, and pulled her into his embrace, pressing his face close to hers. It took a while before they parted. He gave a soft sigh. "I don't know why, but my mood has been off today." Worried that she might overthink it, William hurriedly added what was in his heart, "But it got better when I saw you." Though he wasn't sure if she could hear him talk. "My mother went to the church to pray for you again the day before yesterday. Last time, when I had a Taoist call your soul back, it scared her. "Thankfully, I'm her son and you're her future daughter-in-law, otherwise my dad would've given me a thrashing." William chuckled. He continued talking to her as if he could never run out of topics. He talked about recent events, about the company, about Biddeford University, about the people they both knew, about the time in Akenlin... His voice filled the vast room. "Gabriel came again today and even tried to climb over the wall. He was nearly shot dead by the hidden guard. "I wonder if that kid dares to like you. He used to be terrified of me, but now he would even dare to break into my family for you. "Why do so many people like you?" William felt grieved. "Still not waking up." William looked at Valentina, who was ignoring him, seemingly a bit annoyed. He punished her by biting her cheek, albeit lightly, not having the heart to exert force. After a moment, he released her but feeling guilty, he passionately kissed the bite mark, the smacking sound audible. Finally, he felt sleepy. He switched off the light. "Goodnight." Shadows from the tree outside the balcony swayed. William spent the night plagued with dreams. In his dreams, Grey had taken Valentina away and no matter what he did, he couldn't get her back, never seeing her again. He dreamed that Raven never died, and Valentina was with Raven from start to end, and he was just a bystander, watching the two of them. He dreamt Valentina's soul had left her body, and all he was taking care of all this time was a soulless body. In another dream, Valentina woke up but could not recognize him. She was utterly cold towards him. He wanted to explain their relationship but couldn't find his voice. He even dreamt Valentina was married to someone else. Who she married, he didn't know. He never saw the groom's face, but he was certain that the one she was marrying was not him. In the end, his dreams led him back to that cliff. Valentina fell over the edge, and he couldn't save her from the sea. An explosion resounded, and Valentina was blasted to pieces. In horror, William opened his eyes, awaking from the nightmare. He felt utterly drained, lifting his hand to press against the throbbing temple. He blinked his eyes open to find that the daylight was already bright. Suddenly, the hand pressing his temple froze, his eyes sprang open wide in an instant, pupils unmoving, awakening him. Something dawned on him and he realized something. Consequently, he whipped his head vigorously towards his side, only to see emptiness beside him.