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 him was if

leave you anymore, Rufus! Don't do this, Rufus! Wake up!' Cassandra shouted in

call then continued to look for a way to break inside the car. However, they were in a deserted area and no one

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

just lay there, unmoving.

wake up! Please! You're scaring

to get worried as Rufus had already stayed in an oxygen-deprived space for too long and his legs had been stuck for a while now

used her keys to try to break

to show some cracks, but her hands were already red

to 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 into

the inside—all the while, her hand was shivering.

was short

anyway—this was an emergency after all. She gathered all her energy and soon,

him—she tried pumping his chest hard and fast with her hands,

her heart that Rufus would open his eyes to

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

lose hope. She was crying,

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

in her heart that was

to break up with him. She thought she was doing the

with me, I'm so

bawled as she continued to breathe life back into him.

heaved. Cassandra froze.

to pump his chest and blow air into his

place. Everything about him felt stuck and frozen as

darkness but he could hear a familiar voice. Cassandra! It was

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

have the energy to do so as he couldn't 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.

Cassandra? Are you saving

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

wanted to gaze into her eyes, reach out to touch her hair, and tell her that he loved her so much. He wanted to tell her that everything was

quickened when he sensed how scared Cassandra

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

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