I found myself in a place that seemed to exist beyond the boundaries of reality-a realm of pure white, soft and ethereal like a canvas painted with clouds. It was as if I had been transported into a dream, a space suspended between the conscious and the subconscious. I felt weightless, adrift in a sea of tranquility, the worries of the world momentarily forgotten.
But the serenity was shattered when I saw her-the old woman. She materialized from the expanse of white like a specter, her presence both haunting and mesmerizing. My heart raced, the memory of our previous encounters filling me with both fear and fascination. I wanted to confront her, to demand answers, but something held me back-a force that seemed to grip my very being.
My emotions were a tumultuous mix-curiosity warring with apprehension, determination clashing with uncertainty. My surroundings remained a vast expanse of white, the clouds forming a backdrop that seemed both serene and unsettling. The old woman's presence was a discordant note, a puzzle piece that refused to fit into the tranquil picture before me.
As she walked towards me, her gaze fixed upon me with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. I could feel her eyes piercing through me, as if she could see into the depths of my thoughts and emotions. Her voice, when it came, was a haunting whisper that seemed to echo through the emptiness.
"It's just the beginning," she said, her words a riddle that hung in the air. "The beginning of something new. Happiness."
Her words were like a jolt to my senses, a paradoxical mix of hope and foreboding. The contrast between her eerie voice and the promise of happiness left me unsettled, my heart skipping a beat as I grappled with the conflicting emotions that her presence always seemed to evoke.
The old woman's words hung in the air, the meaning eluding me like a mirage just out of reach. Was this a message, a warning, or simply the ramblings of a mysterious figure? Her enigmatic demeanor only added to the confusion, leaving me torn between seeking answers and fleeing from the unknown.
First it was tragedy. Now it was happiness. What the fuck?
And then, as quickly as she had appeared, the old woman began to fade, her figure dissipating into the expanse of white. A feeling of disorientation washed over me, and suddenly, the tranquil surroundings gave way to a disorienting sensation of movement. My body felt weightless, as if I was being drawn into a vortex of light and shadow.
And then, in an instant, the white room returned, and I was jolted back into the reality of the hospital. The transition was disorienting, like being pulled from a dream and thrust into wakefulness. My heart still raced, my senses heightened from the encounter with the old woman.
"Lily." A familiar voice broke through the haze, grounding me in the present. "Lily, it's Cher."
The name registered in my mind, and I turned my head to see Cher's concerned face hovering over me. Her presence was a lifeline, a connection to the real world that seemed to blur and fade in the aftermath of the surreal encounter.
Cher's voice held a mix of worry and relief, her words a lifeline that pulled me back from the depths of my thoughts. I tried to respond, my throat feeling dry and scratchy as if I had been talking for hours. "Cher… I… what…"
"It's okay," Cher's voice was soothing, her hand gently squeezing mine. "You're safe. You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
The memories rushed back-the pain, the blood, the emotional turmoil that had consumed me. The old woman's haunting presence and her cryptic words-they were all a part of a puzzle that seemed impossible to solve. My baby. Where's my baby?
I took a deep breath, the reality of the hospital room around me serving as an anchor in the storm of my thoughts. "I… I fainted. There was pain… and then I saw her again, the old woman."
"Where's my baby?!" The words tumbled out of my mouth, a desperate plea that carried the weight of all my fears and uncertainties. I turned to Cher, my gaze locking onto her, searching for any sign of reassurance or explanation. She looked behind her, and I followed her gaze, my heart sinking when I saw Ace and Alex standing there.
But what caught my attention was Alex's face-covered in scratch marks. My confusion deepened, and a wave of concern swept over me. "What happened to your face?" I asked, my voice trembling with both confusion and worry.
Their expressions shifted, a mixture of hesitation and concern passing between them. I could sense that something was amiss, a secret that hung heavy in the air. Cher's words were barely above a whisper, and yet I heard them clearly. "Should we tell her?"
The question ignited a spark of panic within me, a realization that they were discussing something that concerned me. "Tell me what?" I demanded, my heart racing as I braced myself for the truth.
They exchanged glances, and I felt a surge of anxiety build within me. "Tell me what?!!" I screamed, the urgency in my voice reflecting the intensity of my emotions. My heart thudded in my chest, the dread of the unknown sending tremors through me.
"Calm down," Ace's voice cut through the tension, his words a soothing balm that sought to diffuse the mounting panic. "Please calm down."
But I couldn't calm down, not when the weight of their unspoken words hung in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst. "Don't tell me to calm down! Where's my baby?!" I shouted, my voice cracking with the raw edge of my emotions.
Cher's eyes met mine, and they were filled with an unbearable sadness. It was as if the truth was etched in her gaze, a truth that I wasn't yet ready to comprehend. "You had a miscarriage," she said, her voice carrying the weight of a truth that was impossible to escape.
The words landed like a hammer blow, the impact reverberating through every fiber of my being. It was as if the world had been wrenched out from beneath me, leaving me suspended in a void of disbelief and agony. My hand shook uncontrollably, and I clutched at the sheets, as if seeking an anchor in the midst of the storm.
No. No. The denial surged through me, a desperate plea for the truth to be anything but what I had just heard. My lips trembled, and I felt my heart fracture within my chest. The room seemed to spin around me, the reality of the situation incomprehensible and cruel.
As the truth settled in, a guttural, primal scream tore its way out of my throat-a scream of anguish, loss, and despair. The sound was loud, piercing, carrying the weight of all the emotions that words could not contain. I heard the beeping sounds again, the noise mingling with the echo of my scream.
Louder this time. The beeping grew more insistent, a dissonant rhythm that seemed to mirror the chaos within me. And then, as if my body could no longer bear the weight of the emotions that flooded through it, everything went black again.