Chapter 420 An Illusion Of Happiness (1/2)

That night, Emily missed the boat that would have been her escape. She tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to sleep because of the things that she could not help but think about.

She could not forget about Jacob's face that was covered with blood; he had looked like he was an ember to a flame. Every time she closed her eyes, the violent image would replace the pitch black. At this point, it was impossible for her to calm down.

It was getting very late. The worried woman had begun to wonder if he had gone to the hospital looking like a crimson nightmare. Emily's mind did not rest; she kept wondering how seriously hurt the man was because she had done her hardest to hit him with all of her might.

It was tiring to worry and think about Jacob all night, but one of the contributing factors to the utter heaviness that Emily felt was her unrelenting heart that was still beating the same way it did when she had witnessed what had happened. She was completely out of rhythm until her body chimed in and gave into a slumber that could only be granted by a body and mind that were both equally worn out.

When she had fallen asleep, Jacob, whose forehead was covered in bandages, walked into the room quietly. He was careful not to wake her up, almost tiptoeing around her to keep his silence. When he had reached the side of the bed, he looked at the woman whom he loved most—it was impossible to look at her any other way except lovingly, let alone to look at her for a brief moment only; he always had to linger.

However, the woman who looked like a dream was having nightmares. The past that she no longer wished to remember had come to lambast and haunt her. Fortunately, each time she woke up she would forget about what she had dreamed of. It always seemed like the universe had to set her reality and her memories apart from each other—they're always at a safe distance where they cannot hurt her.

”Mommy,” the voice of a young child quietly echoed the cold room. The child's voice was a stone that had been thrown into a serene lake, causing thousands of ripples. She was all that could be resonated in such an uncomfortable silence as the one that had covered the room.

Emily opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling that was engraved with vintage patterns, thinking that what she heard must have just been an illusion caused by her longing for her loving child, Beryl. She missed her so much that he had auditory hallucinations about her daughter. After all, this was not the first instance; she had suffered a history of hearing things that weren't there.

”Mommy,” Beryl called out again. At this point, Emily had to check if her daughter was actually there, reaching out to her.

She sat up in the bed and followed the sound with her vision. By the time that she had reached the end of the map, she also found her little girl that was standing at the door of her bedroom. She could not help but cry when she saw her daughter innocently waiting for her to find her.

”Beryl!” she exclaimed.

She came running to her child immediately, shoving the quilt aside so that she could get out of bed. She scooped her daughter into a tight embrace; there was not a single night she did not crave her child's presence, as it was the most comforting thing to Emily in the whole wide world.