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.

the only way he'd let Cassandra leave him was if he died.

Rufus! Don't 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 her. She dialed Rufus's number and hoped that the

Rufus just lay

up! Please! You're

as she tried futilely open the car. She was starting to get worried as Rufus had already stayed in an oxygen-deprived

with another idea—she used her keys to try

Eventually, the window started to show some cracks, but her hands were

When enough cracks had shown, she took a

open from the inside—all the while, her hand was shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body in an attempt to drag him out of

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

her energy and soon,

pumping his chest hard and fast with her hands, then blowing air into

her heart that Rufus would open his eyes to look at her. However, Rufus

she fought through the bitter taste in

starting to lose hope. She was

to you, I'm so sorry! Open your

cried in her heart that was

to break up with him. She thought she was doing the right thing. She'd been thinking over this break up for quite awhile—now she just wished she'd thought it over

Rufus! Stay with me, I'm

continued to breathe life

heaved. Cassandra froze.

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

cold, dark place. Everything about him felt stuck and frozen as

voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She was

that he could open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He wanted to tell her, 'Cassandra, I'm yours and yours only. Don't you

to do so

someone started resuscitating him. Someone was pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth.

Are you saving me?' Rufus thought to

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

that he loved her so much. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Hard

quickened when he sensed how

Don't be scared, darling. I'll protect you, I'm here, ' Rufus consoled Cassandra in his mind.

motivated him to push his body more—he wanted to speak to her, feel her,