Day Forty-Two...
~~*****~~
Dave was caught off guard by Nathan's last remarks. How come he became one of the suspects on his list?
"Are you serious?" Dave asked him in disbelief.
Nathan nonchalantly bobbed his head before taking a sip of his coffee.
"Why ME?" Dave asked once more.
"Because you were suspicious. You didn't visit her in the hospital nor even show up for a month. You haven't called her or communicated with her. People were talking that you cheated on her and you broke her heart that's why she committed suicide."
"I've never cheated on her. I went abroad for my mission. Due to my work, I was prohibited from contacting anyone, including her. Because of that, I never knew that something terrible happened to her." Dave didn't conceal the guilt he was feeling right now.
"I won't do anything that might harm Abi," Dave added, clenching his fists.
Nathan just shrugged his shoulders. "Why are you overreacting? I just told you that you are one of my suspects... but it doesn't me you are the real culprit."
Dave was stunned for a moment, just staring at Nathan.
"Do you think... I will let you get closer to Abigail if I'm convinced that you are the real culprit. If I do, I will not allow you to get near her... like this," Nathan uttered meaningfully.
Dave finally smiled when he heard that. "Do you trust me? Let's work together in catching the real culprit!"
"Okay. I will cooperate with you," Nathan responded.
The two men were still talking when Nathan's phone rang. It was a call coming from Stephen. He immediately pressed the answer button.
"Nate. What happened? I've been calling you since last night. I also called the mansion but Butler Li had no idea where to find you." Stephen's worried voice could be heard from the other line.
"I'm here in the hospital... I brought Abigail last night. I didn't notice your calls." Nathan stood up and excused himself from Dave. He distanced himself from Dave so that he could have privacy with Stephen. He didn't like Dave overhearing their conversation.
"Is Abigail okay? Is she sick?" Stephen wanted to know first if Abigail was just fine before informing Nathan about Phantomflake's health condition.
"The doctor said she might be overfatigue. But overall, she is just fine. She just needed a good rest."
Stephen heaved a sigh of relief. He was glad that it was nothing serious. Abigail was just fine.
"So why were you calling me last night?" Nathan asked Stephen curiously.
"Phantomflake showed a sign that she was going to wake up soon. Nate! Her fingers moved last night! My Dad examined her. Phantomflake is recovering well. She might regain her consciousness one of these days." Stephen shared the piece of good news with Nathan. He just hoped that Nathan would get the closure he wanted and move on from the past once he got the answer from Phantomflake.
Phantomflake only had to tell him the mastermind, the person who called the hit to assassinate Monica. Stephen planned to convince Phantomflake to cooperate with them and he would ask Nathan to release her.
For Stephen, Phantomflake was just a tool used by Nathan's enemies to make him suffer. Nathan's resentment and hatred shouldn't be directed only at Phantomflake. He should target the people behind Phantomflake, not her.
Meanwhile, Nathan's mood changed as soon as he heard Stephen's good news. He had been preoccupied with Abigail lately that he almost forgot about Phantomflake's existence. This reminded him that he had revenge to fulfill.
Without saying a word, Nathan left Abigail's VIP ward. He wanted to see Phantomflake. He couldn't wait to see her waking up. And just like that, Nathan's attention was back on his revenge. He had to leave Abigail for a while.
Dave could only watch his departing back. He wondered why Nathan suddenly dashed out of the room.
'Is there another urgent matter he has to deal with?' Dave thought to himself.
Taking a deep breath, Dave stood up and traced his steps toward Abigail's sickbed. He sat down on the vacant chair and grabbed her hand. He caressed her face and fixed the strands of her hair, tucking them behind her ears.
"Abi..." Dave felt like there was a lump in his throat as he watched her face. Last night, he accidentally overheard Abigail's confession to Nathan. Though he was drunk, her words hit him so hard. His heart was crushed into tiny pieces when he heard that Abigail loved Nathan.
"I wish... that once you wake up... you will remember me. Abi... I don't want to lose you. But I can't blame you if you fell in love with someone else. I was not around when you needed my protection. This is my punishment for neglecting you."
Dave gripped her hand tightly. His heart was in so much pain right now. He was trying to hold his tears but he failed. His tears began to fall from the corners of his eyes. Some droplets hit Abigail's hand.
"I won't give up on you, Abi. I will wait until you remember me. I will fight for you. If you will still love me then I promise that I will never leave your side ever again. But in case you will choose someone else over me... like Nathan... then I will accept it and let you go. My love for you isn't selfish. All I want is for you to be happy and fulfill your dreams."
Dave was talking from the bottom of his heart. After letting it all out, Dave leaned over, planting a soft kiss on Abigail's forehead.
? Ring! Ring!
Dave's train of thought was interrupted by the ringing sound of his phone. His sponsor called him from overseas. Dave proceeded to the lounge area of the VIP ward to answer the phone call.
The moment he left, Abigail slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly at the ceiling. She had conflicting thoughts right now. She heard everything. She just pretended to be asleep.
'I'm in a sh*ttiest situation right now. I'm hurting an innocent man. This is what I'm afraid of... ruining the relationship between Dave and the real Abi. But I can't tell him that I'm not Abigail. Dave will just think that I am just making excuses.' She didn't know how long she had to put up with this complicated situation.
'Sigh. My conscience began to affect my emotions... as well as my decisions. I don't know what to do anymore. Where are you, Bam-Bam?'
Abigail was feeling helpless. She felt sorry for Dave. She didn't expect that Dave would cry because of her. She had just proven that Dave truly loved the real Abigail. Instead of getting mad, he tried to be patient, understanding Abigail's current situation. He was not giving up.
Abigail took a deep sigh before closing her eyes once again. She felt like every ounce of her energy was drained. She has a lot of things on her mind at this moment. She was thinking about Nathan, Dave, the real Abigail, and the incident last night.
She couldn't understand what happened to her last night. She experienced something unusual. When she blacked out, it seemed that she was transported somewhere else.
'What a strange dream! I dreamed of me returning to my real body for several seconds.'
Meanwhile, Dave was still talking over the phone.
"Mr. Levitsky... sir, why did you call me? Are you giving me another mission?" Dave asked him, puzzled.
"How many times do I have to remind you that you have just to call me by my name?" The man on the other line sounded very friendly. He even chuckled upon hearing Dave's formal tone. "Just call me Vincent or Vince."
Dave could only smile while scratching his face. "Okay. Si-... Vincent."
"Good. Don't worry. I don't have a mission for you. I'm just checking out if you had already returned to your country."
"Yes. I returned safely. I am currently on my vacation," Dave respectfully responded.
"Hmm. Good to hear. How's your girlfriend? Is she with you?" Vincent promptly asked him a follow-up question.
Dave was taken aback for a moment. He was surprised since Vincent suddenly asked him about Abigail. "Yes. She is with me. Why?"
There was a moment of silence from the other line. Vincent didn't utter a word for five seconds. Dave was about to check if the call got disconnected when Vincent had spoken again.
"Oh. It's nothing. Helena mentioned to me that she saw your girlfriend a few days ago. But it seemed that she didn't remember Helena. Is she just fine?" Vincent asked Dave inquisitively.
Dave felt disheartened. He was reminded again that Abigail had amnesia which dampened his mood. "Yes, my girlfriend can't remember nor recognize Miss Helena. She lost her memory. I was supposed to call you. I want to inform you that I won't be accepting any mission for now. I have to take care of Abigail, myself."
"Alright, Dave. I understand. I will not bother you for a while. But please, can you check on Helena? She is currently in your country right now." Vincent made a request.
Dave could only say yes. "Okay, Vince. I will check her whereabouts. Just tell me where to find Miss Helena. I will pay her a visit."
"Okay. I'll send you the address and the name of the hotel where she is staying. You can bring your girlfriend with you for them to bond."
"I'll consult Abi first. Vince, I'm sorry but I have to go now." Dave said goodbye to Vincent when the doctor arrived to check Abigail's vital.
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