The Day Our Promise Breaks

The taxi pulled up to the hospital entrance. In a whirlwind of panic, Evelyn flung the car door open, stumbled out, and made a beeline for the hospital. She was in such a rush that she lost a slipper along the way but didn't even pause to pick it up. She charged forward with one bare foot straight to the morgue.

This was her second time here. As she reached the door and caught sight of the room, Rosa lay on a gurney she recognized all too well. Her head was covered with a white sheet. Evelyn's knees wobbled, and her lips trembled as she whispered, "Rosa..."

She moved closer, her hands shaking as she reached out. With painstaking slowness, she pulled back the sheet to reveal Rosa's lifeless face. Evelyn gently caressed her cheek. Cold. Rigid. A feeling all too familiar to Evelyn. It was like being thrown back in time to when Charlie was wheeled out of surgery. Having lost her battle for life, Charlie grew stiff before Evelyn's eyes.

Rosa was really gone. The tears Evelyn had been holding back surged forward, unstoppable. Overcome with grief, her legs buckled, and she collapsed to her knees with a heavy thud, crying out, "Rosa..."noveldrama

"You promised me nothing would happen to you. How could you break your word?" she sobbed. "Please wake up. Don't leave me alone; you're all I've got..."

Evelyn clung to Rosa's hand, and her heart shattered. She couldn't wrap her mind around how someone who had been perfectly fine just hours ago was suddenly gone. Marian stood nearby, tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed down the hospital hallway. It was Charles. He appeared at the door still in his hospital gown, looking pale and frail. Tony, who'd been alerted by a call from the bodyguard, had informed Charles first. But Charles had been unconscious and didn't hear his phone. Tony had to send someone to wake Charles and bring him to the hospital.

Now, seeing Rosa covered by the

white cloth, Charles' eyes filled with trembling sorrow. His hand clenched the doorframe, his knuckles turned white, and his eyes reddened. After a moment, he slowly relaxed his grip. He moved to Rosa's side with heavy steps, his voice raspy and choked as he softly called, "Grandma..."

He hadn't yet recovered from the heartbreak of losing his daughter and now faced the death of his grandmother, who had cherished and protected him his whole life. Charles held Rosa's other hand. His lips were pressed tightly together, and his heart was burdened with immense sorrow.

The morgue was steeped in

profound grief. After what felt like an eternity, Charles approached Evelyn, who was nearly fainting from crying. She had rushed over so quickly that she hadn't even changed out of her on a

pajamas. She had just t

coat before dashing to the. hospital. The thin fabric of her pajama bottoms offered little protection against the chilly morgue, but she barely noticed the cold tile floor beneath her.

Concerned she might hurt her knees from kneeling too long, Charles reached out to help her up. But before he could touch her, Evelyn

swatted his hand away. His handet

hung there, frozen mid-air. Instead of trying again, he gave Marian a look Marian's face was streaked With tears, and her voice broke as she moved to help Evelyn. She said, "Miss Evelyn, Rosa adored you. Seeing you like this would break her heart."

Finally, Evelyn stood, still holding Rosa's hand with tears streaming down her face. Charles' eyes were red when he turned to Tony. "What happened? Grandma was fine this afternoon. How could this happen so suddenly?"

"Mr. Charles, I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep her safe. She took bodyguards and went out in the evening to see Ms. Dahlia," Tony replied, his eyes red with emotion. From what the bodyguard had said, they had a rough idea of why she died. She didn't want anyone to intervene if things got out of hand.

"I don't know exactly what happened. By the time I got the call from the bodyguard, she was already..."