A Graduation Gift

Cassandra stood at the side of the road, holding the phone in her hand and dumbfounded. She didn't know what had just happened.

She heard something loud. Where could it have come from?

Suddenly, she had a good guess on what had happened so she turned around and ran back to the Garden Villa immediately.

The wind blew across her face as she breathed heavily and quickened her pace.

Her heart was beating rapidly and she could only see darkness but she held on to the one person who was keeping her going.

It was Rufus! Rufus!

Rufus could feel his body aching all over when the terrible car accident happened. But nothing could compare to the ache his heart was nursing.

"Cassandra..."

Rufus murmured the little woman's name. A glimpse of a familiar figure was suddenly running towards him.

Was it Cassandra? Or an illusion?

Rufus couldn't tell who the figure was because he couldn't even open his eyes. Before he knew it, he had already fainted.

Cassandra saw Rufus's Range Rover crash into a wall from a distance—the front of the car looked quite damaged.

Her chest tightened at what she'd seen; her heart began to beat so fast that she felt it would jump out of her chest anytime soon.

She ran and ran until she'd closed the distance between them.

When she arrived at the car, she saw Rufus slumping over the wheel. His legs were stuck inside the car and he looked terrible. It was hard to digest the entire scene.

Cassandra felt as if someone had grabbed her heart and crushed it—she couldn't breathe.

She tried to ram the door open but it was locked and she couldn't break it from the outside.

She then tried to smack the window hoping that Rufus would wake up to the noise but he didn't even flinch. He wasn't moving at all. Did he just faint or was he...dead already?

Cassandra was crying and shrieking, "Rufus, wake up! Don't leave me! Rufus!"

What Rufus had said before came true.

said the only way he'd let Cassandra leave

do this, Rufus! Wake up!' Cassandra shouted in her heart.

to look for a way to break inside the car. However, they were in a deserted area and no one was even passing by. She started to get

Rufus's number and hoped that the ringing would wake him

didn't work. Rufus just lay there,

Please! You're scaring

worried as Rufus had already stayed

her keys to try to break the window open

kept trying and trying. Eventually, the window started to show some cracks, but her hands were already

had shown, she took a deep breath and landed a clenched fist through the window. The window shattered

hand was shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body in an attempt to drag

was tall and big while she was short and slim—she wasn't strong enough to

all. She gathered all her energy

down on the road and started to resuscitate him—she tried pumping his chest hard and fast with her

continued doing this as she wished in her heart that Rufus would open his eyes to look at

tears that rolled down her cheeks and into her mouth; she fought through the bitter taste in

She was crying, scared and desperate.

those things to you, I'm so sorry! Open your eyes and look at me! I won't leave you anymore, please don't leave

in her heart that was filled with regret.

that this would happen, she would never have attempted to break up with him. She thought she was doing the right thing. She'd been

Rufus! Stay with me, I'm

bawled as she continued to breathe life back into him.

chest heaved. Cassandra

his chest and blow air into his mouth. She had more

him felt stuck and frozen as if he

Cassandra! It was

with all his might that he could open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He wanted

to do so as he couldn't feel his body anymore.

it when he was dragged out from where he was and someone started resuscitating him. Someone was pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth. Rufus could tell that it was Cassandra's lips that had touched his cold ones; as soon as their lips met, Rufus felt his heart warm

Are you saving me?' Rufus thought

the bitterness of the tears that ran in Cassandra's mouth. He couldn't help but

He wanted to tell her that everything was going

heart beat quickened when he sensed how

scared? Don't be scared, darling. I'll protect you, I'm here, '

push his body more—he wanted to speak to