Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Hart relived the moment where he was inside that very forest, where he found Milla. It was dark and eerie, but he continued running forward. He ran and ran, but when he reached the spot where he had found Milla, she was not there.

There was no corpse. No Milla. No, nothing.

He was all alone. Just silence accompanied him.

Then he turned around.

Milla’s eyes were bloodshot as she stared at him. He contained himself, but before he could say anything, he heard her voice. She sounded tragic.

“Hatta, have you moved on well now that I’m gone?”

No, this was not true, his inner voice screamed. He tried to open his mouth, but he could not find his voice.

“You love someone new?”

“Have you forgotten me?”

Milla’s grievous voice was harrowing. Her sudden questions pierced through him like countless arrows. He wished to answer her, that he would never forget her and that he was with Myra only because he thought she had come back in another form, but no words would come out. Finally, he gathered all his strength and forced out the words.

“Milla, I haven’t forgotten you.”

She just laughed coldly. He lunged for her, only for her to vanish in a cloud of smoke. As he found himself alone in the forest once more, his heart hurt.

………………………………………………………………….

Myra’s soft voice and gentle tap woke him from his sleep.

“Hart, Hart!”

Hart cracked open an eye to discover himself back in Myra’s bedroom in her apartment.

“You’ve been shouting,” she yawned. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Hart remembered the dialogue he had with Milla in his dreams. Guilt overpowered him, causing him to create a distance with Myra.

“Uh, I’m fine,” he muttered.

“Want some water?”

The more Myra was nice to him, the more he felt bad about having perceived her as Milla. He shook his head.

“I was just tired.”

He turned to face the other direction once more. Myra lay down and lifted her long hair on top of her pillow.

“If that is so, I’m going back to sleep, Hart.”

There was nothing more he could say to her. Hart felt like a criminal after the dream. If he loved Milla, why was he in a relationship with Myra?

Everything now seemed so absurd. He thought of the smiling girl on the street, Milla’s lifeless body in the forest, and his initial meeting with Myra. What should he do now?

Closing his eyes, he compelled himself to return to sleep, but this time, he didn’t dream.

Myra woke up hours later in an empty bed, expecting Hart to have left for work. Last night was awkward. Part of her felt she was cheating with Jake because of her feelings, but Hart acted bizarrely. She didn’t understand why he had shouted in his dreams, nor why he avoided her kind offer. Her instinct suggested it had something to do with meeting the girl on the streets that resembled Milla, but she wasn’t sure.

She didn’t have the energy and time to think about all this. Dragging her feet, she entered the bathroom and stood in the cold shower for some good fifteen minutes to wake her up to her senses. On the top of her head, she wondered what lecture she was having in the morning.

Time passed as she jotted down her notes hurriedly, distracted by all the worries on her mind. Her father’s condition and whereabouts were again a question mark in her head. She didn’t see Sierra today, so she sauntered about the rooms until she reached the cafeteria. Still no sign of her sister.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump. Her heart beat harder upon realising that it was Jake who had tapped her.

Again, what was he doing on her campus? Still, he might hold news of her father from his father, so she smiled to greet him despite her nervousness.

“Didn’t see your boyfriend around, so thought I would have the honour of inviting you to lunch.”

Boyfriend? After last night, she didn’t even know if she could call Hart, her boyfriend, in the future. She didn’t want to think more about her relationship, so she just shrugged.

“Sure, I’ll be glad to have lunch with you.”

“It’s not just lunch,” Jake stated once they were inside his sturdy car. She secured her seat belt before turning to look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“My father would like to meet you tonight. So, would you like to have dinner at my place?”

Uh, he was indirectly asking her to have dinner at his place? Then what about Yuna, was she going to be upset seeing her?

‘Calm down, Myra. This isn’t about you and Jake’, she instructed herself. ‘It’s about your father’.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw Uncle Marc. Does he have anything to tell me about my father?”

Jake adjusted his collar while observing his reflection in the rear mirror of his vehicle. “Yeah, you can say that. But there’s more to it than that. I’ll explain it to you during lunch.”

“Sure,” she fidgeted with the bottom of her dress. He scrutinised her closely, giving her goosebumps as she felt his breath. Her heart thumped hard against her chest, sending her into a flustered state.

‘Jake, why do you have this effect on me?’ She ranted in her mind. Fortunately, the man switched auto gears instead and the sports car zoomed through the empty streets. There were just so many restaurants in the city, but he chose this quiet place away from the busy streets of V City.

The journey took only half an hour, and Myra was nervous throughout the entire trip. Being in proximity with Jake in the narrow spaces in his car made her jerky. And as if he knew what was on her mind, he smiled sinisterly.

“We’re here.”

She heaved a sigh of relief as she unbuckled her seat belt and hopped off. Jake had driven all the way downtown to end on the outskirts of the city. The restaurant in question was a very homely one, unlike the posh restaurant he had challenged Jake at. She glanced anxiously at Jake as she followed him through the simple doors.

He requested a private room, which he booked for two hours. Myra didn’t suspect something as she entered, sitting down opposite Jake on a tatami mat. She assumed they would be having Japanese food today. A waitress entered momentarily to take their orders. Jake announced the orders in an audible voice, marvelling Myra by how well he remembered her favourite food. It made her think of their limited days in Bali.

“I hope I got everything right,” he told her as he charmingly folded his sleeves. This CEO attire of his was just too handsome; compared to how she had seen him in his coarse yet trendy look in Bali, his current look just drove her wild. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and diverted her thoughts. No, this wasn’t right.

He must have something important to tell her, otherwise, he wouldn’t have invited her to dine with him at this place. Coolly Jake poured her a cup of brown rice tea, which he laid before her and poured one for himself.

“You remembered.”

“I forgot nothing about you.” He eyed her with a deep and emotional look. “However, I can’t say the same about you. Your handsome boyfriend has seduced you to the extent you forgot who I am.”

“No, it’s not like that at all.” She shook her hands in a panic. “Hart, he….”

Her feelings convoluted her. The answer was obvious in her mind. She was with Hart for over two months, yet it was nothing compared to just a few hours with Jake. Her heart still fawned after Jake. Even then, she was unwilling to admit her true feelings.

“You still have feelings for me, don’t you, Myra?”

She was speechless, but afraid for the worst. Jake stood up calmly and took his seat beside her on the tatami.

“Myra, your eyes tell me the truth. Since you still like me, why are you with that poor guy? Give me a chance, and give yourself a chance, Myra. I told you, I’ll make things right.”

She opened her mouth to answer him she couldn’t, but his hands were all over her in an instant, giving her that sense of security she had never seen in him before. His lips clamped over hers, conquering her with hearty kisses, that she wished the moment would never end. His fingers slid down to her hips, exploring every curve of her body with no resistance from her. She stifled a moan, forgetting she was in a private room in a public spot.

A knock on the door quickly halted them in the heat of their actions. Jake released her promptly and opened the door. The server earlier entered the room carrying a tray of their orders, leaving the door open.

Out of the corner of her eye, Myra saw a familiar face. But who was the female figure next to him?

Before she could spot more, the server closed the sliding door as she left the room.