Stuck in you

Rachel tried to keep herself together. She placed a hand on her head and then closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself. She poured a glass of water and drank, willing the water to wash away the heavy emotions filling inside her.

'You knew something was wrong, but you did not ask,' a faint voice said in Rachel's mind. She had always maintained an aloof and professional demeanor, distancing herself from other people's businesses. For the first time, Rachel chastised herself for not reaching out.

An emotional turmoil of grief and regret weighed heavily on her chest. Remembering the last time they spoke, Rachel wondered if there was something else Wendy hoped to talk about that evening. She recalled their last conversation gloomily. Sadly, there was no going back and no rewinding time.

Rachel almost took the initiative to call Jack. It was a first, but she was too bothered to notice. She wanted to know what happened behind the party.

The news traveled fast and surprised everyone. But why? People were bewildered. It was unthinkable how the girl ended in such a tragic way.

At the time of the incident, Cole Wen, Vincent's father, was still under investigation while Vincent was busy running errands. Vincent's mother was rooted to the spot when she heard the news. Her face distorted, and her strength gradually drained from her body. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor, her anguish flooding in tears.

She and Wendy were not biologically related. Wendy was adopted, which explained why the old woman didn’t like her very much. Still, the tragic event affected her deeply.

The people surrounding her did not know why she suddenly reacted the way she did. They were startled to see her run, her sobs filling the hallway.

Jack was walking when he noticed a commotion. He first heard her cries before he saw the woman rushing and about to collide with him. Subconsciously, he stretched out his arms in anticipation of the hit. The woman didn't notice him until after the blow, grabbing his arm in shock. Just then, her sobs became fainter, her eyes gradually closed, and her tired frame fell.

"She fainted!" someone beside Jack exclaimed. He caught the woman reflexively.

He looked carefully at the frail woman in his arms and then realized that it was Vincent's mother. What a coincidence, it seemed.

Wendy’s body was still at the hospital. The secretary stayed to accompany Francis while the others left quietly. Francis sat in a daze. He failed to comprehend the piece of paper the doctor gave him. His hands tightened as he read the death certificate, the paper creased in the process.

Hospitals were places where birth and death often happened. Every day, multiple and different emotions remained commonly seen.

Today, only an air of pity prevailed, a silent reminder of how fickle the world was.

Rachel was in the middle of her shift when she decided to visit the mortuary. It was lunchtime already. As she looked around, she saw a man guarding Wendy’s body.

She stood by the door and observed him. His thin face was drained, pale as a ghost. From a distance, she noticed his eyes were staring blankly in a trance-like state. He sat still as a statue, totally oblivious of Rachel’s presence.

She cleared her throat, making her presence known. Hearing her, Francis turned his head slowly.

"Why did she commit suicide?" Rachel pried.

A pair of dispirited eyes fell on the door. He had not accepted yet that Wendy was gone. He muttered distractedly, "Why did she...commit suicide?"

Francis tried to come up with a reply but he couldn’t grasp a particular reason either. Suddenly, he laughed bitterly. "Because I...didn't treat her right...I didn't treat her right..." His voice was pained, the reality dawning on him.

was about to speak but stopped. She turned and left without

woman who met a cruel fate?’

to be an option. If you die, who would feel sorry

more to happen, but the next day was as eventful as the

her duty when she chanced upon some nurses huddled together. She inadvertently heard about someone who jumped off a building. Her curiosity was

in surprise to the doctor who

the woman yesterday?" she pursued. It was out of character for her to gossip, which

about the woman who jumped off the building," one of the

"What about that?"

interested, another nurse whispered, "Her

Rachel raised her

medical incident but about the man who claimed to be the husband of the deceased.

"Her family?" Rachel asked.

nurses looked at each other in confusion. "I'm not really sure. It seemed the woman was her mother while the

brother. Do you think he

coming. She knew it might be Vincent.

conversation again. She asked in a low voice, "Then, is the girl's body still here in

we were talking about. Dr. Shen, don't you get it?" The nurses

She wore a

fighting over the body. In the end,

heard they were an affluent

head was spinning in confusion. She excused herself and said, "I have to go back to

right, let's go back to work. We can talk after duty." The nurses swiftly

dialed her number. After listening to Rachel, Lea responded

crap,"

family were mourning. She knew

I get

would the thought of taking her own life ever cross her mind?

words. "We don’t know what happened. Maybe it wasn’t about the man. Please don’t be so…" She halted, trying to find

you mean. Well, I won't say it anymore. When are you free? How about we grab some

tomorrow would be

are you and Lucas?" Lea asked playfully. She jumped to another topic

talk nonsense." Rachel shook

rarely have such a long vacation.