âMichael! Hands off!â Rachel tried to yank me away from Michael.
However, she stopped for fear of accidentally hurting me.
During the ride to the hospital, Rachel kept on berating Michael.
âYouâre nothing but trash, just wasting air.
âMichael, why donât you go die? Didnât you say you wanted to be buried with Stephie? Just go die.
âYouâre such a waste even in death. Change Stephieâs tombstone for me! Youâre not even fit to be her husband.
âYouâre disgusting.â
Throughout the journey, Rachel kept on talking. She did a great job speaking up for me, cursing with gusto.
Meanwhile, I struggled to wake up. I badly wanted to see Steven.
âMr. Ford, youâre still out on bail, so I suggest you donât wander around,â Zion warned Michael.
Michael remained silent for a while before speaking up, âSheâs Stephie, isnât sheâ¦â
Rachel was stunned, and her face darkened. âMichael, whatâs gotten into you? Just after Stephie passed away, there were rumors about you going crazy.
âAt first, I didnât believe it. But now, it seems there might be some truth to it.â
âYou know⦠Sheâs Stephie.â Michael, with reddened eyes, said to Rachel with a questioning lilt in his voice.
Rachel felt somewhat guilty. âI reckon youâre really losing it,â she said.
âWhether sheâs Stephie or not, she belongs to me.â Michael said sternly. âI wonât let her get close to that lunatic, Steven.â
âI think Steven seems fine. But you, on the other hand, you look more like a lunatic,â Rachel quipped.
Then, she whispered to Zion, âHe was locked up for a few days. How did he come out even crazier?
Did you guys brainwash him?â
âWho knows, he went on a hunger strike in there just to get bail,â Zion muttered, 212 The doctor gave me a thorough checkup and said that there was nothing wrong.
But for some reason, I just couldnât wake up.
My mind was clear, and I desperately tried to open my eyes. But for a moment, it seemed like this body was beyond my control.
Then, I felt a sudden rush of panic as I struggled to open my eyes.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldnât snap out of it.
It was like I was having sleep paralysis.
âNo problems at all? Then why isnât she waking up?â Michael nervously asked the doctor.
âPerhaps sheâs just exhausted. Letâs keep an eye on her a bit longer,â the doctor suggested.
âSteve!â I panicked, calling out Stevenâs name.
Why was I unable to wake up?
âSteveâ¦â
Then, I recalled meeting Steven at the orphanage when I was young.
Steven ended up getting locked up by Mr. Hanks because he stood up for me and fought the boy who was bullying me.
But as for what happened next, I couldnât recall.
My memories were scattered. And among the fragments, the only clear memory I could recall was the first time I met Steven.
Even from the photo at Carolâs house, it was clear that Steven and I had met when we were around eight or nine years old, and our bond remained strong throughout adolescence.
Why did I specifically forget about everything related to the orphanage, including Steven and Simeon, after the car crash?
âSteveâ¦â I kept shouting Stevenâs name.
Then, there was a voice in my mind that said, âSteven has always been waiting for you.â
âSteve!â Maybe because I was eager to wake up, I suddenly felt like I broke free from some restraint and opened my eyes wide.
âStephieâ¦â Michael was the first to rush up, looking panicked as he called my name.
However, I ignored him and tried to bolt from the bed.
Steven was waiting for me.
âStephie.â Rachel returned with the test results just as I was trying to make a run for it.
âStephie?â She tried to chase after me.
But in my panic, I simply dashed out of the hospital and hailed a cab back to the Lincoln residence to see Steven.
I wasnât sure why I wanted to see him so badly.
And now that I realized Iâd lost some memories, they were gradually coming back to me.