None of us expected AcadM to fall as quickly as it rose. It was hard even for me to witness its fall, and I couldn't imagine how Matthew felt. But I was at least happy that he didn't go to prison. Mr. Wolfe kept his promise.
It had been weeks since I last heard from Matthew. All my calls and texts were left unanswered, which made me wonder if he was truly alright. But eventually I stopped contacting him, as I felt he was better off without me or my presence in his life. He might have lost everything that he once dreamed of, but at least he could start a new life in another city and live peacefully.
However, it kept hurting my head and heart as I lost my contact with him. Months back, I expected a beautiful life with him, but before it even started, everything ended. I kept telling myself that he was totally out of my life, but some part of me couldn't accept it. Not the part of love or care or affection, but something else.
Something more than guilt kept haunting me even in my dreams, and numerous what-ifs for which I had no answers started to kill me from inside. Strangely, it felt like I lost feelings for him a long time ago, and the only thing that kept me walking towards him was my guilt.
"Your lunch." One of the maids entered with my favorite food and left it on the table. "Mr. Wolfe specifically told us to cook this for you. Since you didn't come to have your lunch, I brought it for you. Hope you enjoy your food."
The entire tray was filled with nothing but my favorites, and I tried to suppress my emotions so hard, but I failed.
As if everything was not enough, when I tried to picture the emotion love or passion or home, Mr. Wolfe's face kept flashing in front of me, which started to multiply my guilt. I couldn't possibly have feelings for the man who destroyed Matthew's life, but if only there was no Matthew, I would've fallen for him a long time ago despite starting our relationship with hatred, and with all my life, I hated to admit it.
I only wanted to escape from Mr. Wolfe as soon as possible before my emotions towards him heightened because I couldn't live happily with him after destroying an innocent man's life. One way or another, I was also the reason for everything that happened. But I saw no escape. The contract got extended, and by Mr. Wolfe's words, it was not going to end unless he wanted it to.
And also, I had no idea when his anger towards me would end, how far he'd take everything, and what was going on inside his manipulative mind. I had neither the intelligence nor the guts to handle people like him. The only thing I could think of was running away from him as far as possible, which unfortunately couldn't happen.
Keeping my thoughts aside, I went to the hospital to visit Mira. She was totally cured, and whatever the amount I needed for her treatment, Mr. Wolfe provided me with it only if I served him at Hydes. I expected him to stop being angry with me and help Mira, but it didn't happen.
"You don't have to worry anymore. You are totally fine now." I smiled at Mira.
Instead of returning the smile, she held my hand, asking, "Elira! Are you seriously okay?"
I let out a frustrated sigh. "Why do you always ask that? Of course, I am fine."
"Is it?" She gritted her teeth and held her palm against my forehead. Then she touched my hands, saying, "You don't even realize that you are sick and burning with fever. Also, you don't talk about yourself anymore. You used to at least tell me how your day went, but now… you don't talk about anything as if you are tired with yourself or trying to erase your existence."
"Mira! I am fine…"
"Yeah, go ahead. Continue with your lies." She looked at me furiously. "Do you think your sick sister can't even share your problems? Or do you disregard me as your sister?"
"Mira!"
I couldn't show her my sadness and worry her. I tried with all my might to suppress my emotions. I didn't want to lose control before her, so I only avoided looking at her, repeating the sentence, 'Don't cry,' in my mind.
"Elira! We may have lost everyone and everything, but we are here for each other. I am here for you."
She pulled me into a gentle hug. The warmth in her hug took me back to the old days when I hid in my mother's embrace whenever things felt difficult. As I shut my eyes, tears started to roll down my cheeks while my once-perfect family flashed in front of me. We were so happy back then.
"Elira! I am totally fine now. As soon as I get discharged, I will search for any jobs that are available. You don't have to struggle so much. I will share your burden and… I never told you this before, but… thank you so much for being my sister." Her voice quivered, making me realize she started to cry. "You are not a sister to me. You are my mother, and I love you so much."
I bit my lips hard, trying to not make any sound, as I didn't want her to find out I was crying. Quickly, I wiped my tears away and took a deep breath before breaking the hug.
"When did you grow up this much?" I wiped her tears. "It's just that… things have been rough these days. Matt and I made some mistake that resulted in AcadM's end, so the guilt inside me wouldn't go easily."
When she looked at me worriedly, I let out a small smile and said, "But that's fine. I will figure things out. It's just one rough phase."
Before she spoke anything, I said, "And you?" I raised my eyebrows. "What did you mean by you'd take up a job? You need to study. You are going to study until you become a doctor, just like you've always wanted. Don't worry about anything. You have your Elira with you."
"I don't want to be a burden…"
"Promise me." I looked at her seriously. "Promise me you'll not stop your studies despite whatever happens. Promise me you won't end up like me."
I was beyond serious about it. I knew the struggle of lacking education. The world had always been cruel with women, and only with a degree and proper education could we stand on our own feet. I didn't want my sister to face whatever difficulties I had been facing.
"I promise." She said, crying.
Then I kissed her forehead and walked to the doctor's cabin to talk about the next steps, but he didn't say anything except, "She is ready to be discharged. You can take her home today itself, or since the payment for the whole month is done, Mira can stay here until the end of this month. It's your choice."
A shaky laugh slipped out of my mouth in happiness before I tried to stop it. It felt like sunlight breaking through the heavy clouds, providing me with rays of joy.
"Thank you so much, doctor."
However, my happiness was short-lived. I promised Mira about her education when the fact was that we didn't even have a proper shelter.
After she moved out of the hospital, where would she stay?