141 CAN’T SEE YOU


    ARIEL’S POV


    After having a conversation on the phone with someone concerning business, I made my way back to


    the hospital, greeted by the doctors around me. The building was now bustling.


    I made my way back to Luke’s room, and the moment I opened the door, no one was inside. Luke’s


    bed was empty, like empty. I wondered where he had gone to. My conversation on the phone was


    really lengthy, no doubt about that. It went for minutes, and I was so lost in my business talk that I


    totally forgot how crazy this man could get.


    “Luke, are you here? Are you hiding, or something?” I asked cautiously. Well, it could be possible he


    was ying hide and seek. Literally.


    But no, he wasn’t in the room, so the question now here was: where had he gone? He couldn’t have


    left the hospital. If he had left, then I would have noticed because I was standing outside the building,


    making the phone call.


    I quickly made my way out of the room and down the hallway towards the nurse’s station. As I


    approached, I could see that they were all busy with their duties, but I needed to find out where Luke


    had gone.


    “Excuse me, have any of you seen Luke? He was in room 305, but now he’s gone, ” I said, trying to


    keep the panic out of my voice.


    The nurses looked at each other with a concerned expression on their faces. One of them, a kind–


    looking woman named Maria, spoke up. “I’m sorry, Ariel. We haven’t seen him since his morning


    check–up. Is everything okay?”


    I quickly exined the situation to Maria, who immediately called for a search team to be sent out to


    look for Luke. As we waited for them to arrive, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for not paying enough


    attention to Luke. I was so caught up in my business call that I didn’t even notice him leaving.


    “Thank you, Maria. I’ll go check the other floors; maybe he just wandered off,” I told her.


    And I went on to check the floor; the man wasn’t there. Ugh, this was definitely not good. Okay, so it’s


    my fault now for making such a lengthy call? I’m definitely not going to put the me on myself or feel


    guilty for anything. But I needed to find that man. I think I’ll just sit in his room and wait for him toe


    back. Yes, that was the perfect solution. So, I made my way back to the room, settling down on the


    bed.


    I hadn’t even taken a shower since this morning. No bath; I was just here, right with Luke, but it


    seemed like that man wasn’t relishing mypany.


    And still, settling down on the bed, I had to discern that it was kind of cozy. It was not thisfortable


    when I was sitting down with Luke, but now it was really different and actually nice. So with my phone


    in hand, I think I was ready for a well–deserved break. Yeah, it wasn’t easy searching for that husband


    of mine. I believed he was going toe back any moment from now on. It was only a matter of time


    before he would show up. Well, that was what I was thinking.


    And yes, the slight stresses of the morning stuff slowly dissolved as I scrolled through my favorite


    comedy video app. It was an app I got recently, and it really made me crack up like hell on several


    asions. It was useful mostly at work, when my head was about to go on fire. There were too many


    projects at hand, but someone needed a little rest. So what did I do those times? I just scrolled through


    thisedy app. It was quite awesome, and yes, I had introduced it to some of my workers.


    The first video popped up—a hrious cat wearing sunsses attempting to dance. I couldn’t help but


    chuckle at the feline’s clumsy moves, myughter bubbling up uncontrobly. Now, this was what I was


    talking about.


    The next video began with a group of toddlers engaging in an adorable, but chaotic, pillow fight. I


    grinned, feeling the tension in my shoulders release with each giggle. The innocence and joy of


    children never failed to lift my spirits. I tapped the screen, saving the video to shareter with my


    workers. Of course, they needed to see this!


    Another video featured aption of clumsy puppies taking stairs for the first time. My heart melted


    at the sight of the tiny furballs tumbling over one another in their earnest attempts to conquer the steps.


    It was a symphony of adorable chaos that left me breathless withughter.


    My phone screen lit up with a video of a prank gone wrong. A man, attempting to scare his friend,


    found himself falling victim to his own trap instead. I doubled over, tears all over her face, as I watched


    the man’s startled expression transform into a mix of shock and embarrassment. It was truly absurd


    that I began to cry because I wasughing so hard at the moment.


    Next, a clip of a baby’s contagiousughter filled the screen. I felt my heart swell at the pure,


    unadulterated joy radiating from the infant. The baby’sughter was infectious, and I found myself


    joining in without reservation.


    With each video, I felt this weight in me slipping away, reced by a lightness she hadn’t felt for quite a


    while now. Sincest night, actually.


    Laughter bubbled up from within me, a soothing balm to my weary soul. 1 nced at the time, realizing


    she had been lost in the world of funny videos for longer than intended. But at the moment, I didn’t


    care. The joy I had found in those short clips was priceless, a reminder that sometimes a littleughter


    was all I needed to brighten my day. And shit! Where the hell was Luke?”


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    LUKE’S POV


    I tread along the asphalt, the weight of my steps matched by the ache in my stomach. Every breath felt


    like a jagged edge slicing through my insides, a constant reminder of the bullet that had found its mark


    last night, from that worthless mother of mine. Oh crap, I shouldn’t even be calling her my mother. She


    was just a witch who hade back to wreck me. Apparently, she wanted me to go through intense


    pain.


    I clutched my side, trying to hold on to the pain. I had no idea how it had worsened in just a few


    minutes. This had me taking my mind back to when I got shot. When I was trying to stem the flow of


    blood seeping through my fingers, my hands were on my stomach, but the crimson stain at that time


    continued to spread across my shirt like a blooming flower of death. Oh, at that moment, we messed


    up.


    The pain was a tough one, so I think halting would be the best option, and perhaps I could head back


    to the hospital to get some rest. The nurse was actually right when she said I needed to stay in that


    ce for a few days. Now I couldn’t argue, because this pain was just too much. It wasn’t this stinging


    when I left the hospital. I didn’t know why it had to change all of a sudden.


    And while I was standing, my gazended on someone. Someone I was not expecting to see. It was


    Tiffany.