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

Don't do this, Rufus! Wake up!' Cassandra shouted in her

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

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

work. Rufus just lay there, unmoving.

up! Please! You're

futilely open the car. She was starting to get worried as Rufus had already stayed in an oxygen-deprived space for too long and his legs had been stuck for

up with another idea—she used her keys to try to break

just kept trying and trying. Eventually, the window started to show some cracks, but her

she took a deep breath and landed a clenched fist through the window. The window shattered into

inside—all the while, her hand was shivering. She reached inside the car and grabbed Rufus's body

was short and slim—she wasn't

gathered all her energy

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

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

rolled down her cheeks and into her mouth; she fought through the bitter taste in her mouth; she fought through the exhaustion—but to no avail, Rufus

was starting to lose hope. She was crying, scared

those things to you, I'm so sorry! Open your eyes and look

that was

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

Stay with me, I'm

she continued to breathe life back into

chest heaved.

chest and blow air

dark place. Everything about him felt stuck

in the darkness but he could hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was Cassandra's voice! She was

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 only. Don't you

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

him. Someone was pumping his chest and blowing air into his

saving me?' Rufus

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

hair, and tell her that he loved her so much. 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 was too

heart beat quickened when he

be scared, darling. I'll protect you, I'm here, ' Rufus consoled

his body more—he wanted to speak to her, feel her, and hold