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.

only way he'd let Cassandra leave him

do this, Rufus! Wake up!'

However, they were in a deserted area and no one was even passing by. She started to get desperate.

idea came to her. She dialed Rufus's number and hoped that the ringing

work. Rufus just lay

wake up! Please!

Rufus had already stayed in an oxygen-deprived

keys to try to break the window

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

hit the window through gritted teeth. When enough cracks 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

tall and big while she was short and

She gathered all her energy and soon, she was able to drag him out of the car in

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

that Rufus would open his eyes to look at her.

fought through the bitter taste in her mouth; she fought through the exhaustion—but to no avail, Rufus

hope. She

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

in her heart that was filled

knew 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 thinking over this break up for quite awhile—now she

with

continued to breathe life back

Rufus's chest heaved. Cassandra froze.

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

place. Everything about him felt stuck and frozen

see anything in the darkness but he could hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She was here and she was calling

could open his eyes and hold her in his arms. He wanted to tell her, 'Cassandra, I'm yours and

didn't have the energy to do so as he couldn't feel his body anymore.

was pumping his chest and blowing air into his mouth. Rufus could tell that it was

that you, Cassandra? Are you saving me?' Rufus thought to himself.

Cassandra's mouth. He couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the

He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Hard as he tried, he just couldn't make himself move. He felt disconnected from his body as if everything

beat quickened when he sensed how scared

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

motivated him to push his body more—he wanted