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.

let Cassandra leave him was if

you anymore, Rufus! Don't do this, Rufus! Wake up!'

made a call then continued 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 desperate.

her. She dialed Rufus's number and hoped that the ringing would wake him up.

work. Rufus just

wake up! Please!

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

used her keys to try to

show some cracks, but her hands were already red

a deep breath and landed a clenched fist through the

her hand was shivering. She reached inside the car

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

didn't stop Cassandra from trying anyway—this was an emergency after all. She gathered all her energy and soon, she was able to drag him out of the car in

down on the road and started to resuscitate him—she tried pumping his chest hard and fast with her hands, then blowing air into

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

mouth; she fought through the bitter taste in her mouth; she fought through

lose hope. She was crying, scared

I'm so sorry! Open your eyes and look at me! I won't leave

in her heart that

she would never have attempted to break up with him. She thought she was doing the right thing. She'd been thinking over this break up for quite

Stay with me,

she continued to breathe life

heaved. Cassandra

blow air into his mouth. She had more hope now.

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

Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She

wished with all his might that he could open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He wanted to tell her, 'Cassandra, I'm yours and yours

so as he couldn't feel his

did feel 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

you saving me?' Rufus thought

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

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

when he sensed

you,

more—he wanted to