Chapter 133: It Won’t Happen Again...

~~~~~ Third-person POV ~~~~~

Sylvia reached out and patted Amelia’s head gently. Her fingers moved slowly through Amelia’s hair, almost as if she was afraid of disturbing her.

She sat up straighter and moved closer to Amelia.

The hospital room was quiet. The only sounds were the soft beeping of the machines beside the bed and the faint hum of the air conditioner above them. The lights had been dimmed, leaving the room covered in a soft, pale glow.

Amelia looked at Sylvia for a moment.

She didn’t say anything. Instead, she slowly leaned closer to her and rested her head against Sylvia’s chest.

Sylvia’s body became still for a second, and then she smiled. Her hand continued patting Amelia’s head gently, each movement slow and comforting.

Amelia could hear Sylvia’s heartbeat beneath her ear.

It was strangely calming.

She didn’t know why. She didn’t understand why being this close to Sylvia felt so natural when she couldn’t even remember who Sylvia was supposed to be.

Amelia’s eyes slowly became heavy. The warmth of Sylvia’s body made her feel safe. The gentle movement of Sylvia’s hand against her hair made it even harder to stay awake.

After some minutes, Amelia fell asleep again.

Sylvia looked down at her.

Amelia’s breathing had become slow and peaceful. Her face no longer carried the confusion and fear she had shown earlier. She looked completely relaxed.

Sylvia’s eyes softened. She gently made Amelia rest her head on the pillow.

She moved carefully, making sure she didn’t wake her. Once Amelia was comfortable, Sylvia sat there and stared at her.

There was something painful in the way she looked at her.

She remembered everything.

Every argument, every misunderstanding, and the last time they had spoken before the accident.

Sylvia swallowed hard.

She wished she could turn back time. She wished she had listened. She wished she hadn’t allowed her anger to speak louder than the love she had for Amelia.

Sylvia reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair away from Amelia’s face.

Her fingers lingered against her cheek for a moment.

"If only I gave you a listening ear," Sylvia whispered quietly, her voice almost breaking. "This won’t have happened."

She lowered her head and leaned closer. Her lips touched Amelia’s forehead in a gentle kiss.

It was soft and careful.

Sylvia pulled away slowly.

"It won’t happen again. I promise," she said, brushing her thumb gently across Amelia’s cheek.

She stayed like that for a few seconds. Her eyes remained on Amelia’s sleeping face.

She didn’t know whether Amelia would ever remember everything. She didn’t know if the memories would return tomorrow, next week, or months from now.

But one thing was certain.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

She wouldn’t allow anger to make her push Amelia away. She wouldn’t stop listening, and she wouldn’t leave her alone.

Just then...

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

The sudden sound of Sylvia’s phone vibrating on the bedside table broke the silence.

Sylvia’s eyes moved toward it immediately.

She stared at Amelia for a second.

She didn’t want the sound to wake her. She carefully reached for the phone and picked it up.

The screen lit up, and Sylvia stared at the caller ID.

Venny.

Sylvia looked at Amelia once more before standing up. She stepped away from the bed and walked quietly toward the door.

Her footsteps were almost silent against the hospital floor.

She pulled the door open and stepped outside.

The hallway was brighter than the room.

The white lights above her made the walls look even paler. A nurse walked past at the other end of the hallway, pushing a small cart, while the faint smell of medicine filled the air.

Sylvia leaned back against the wall.

She looked at the phone in her hand before swiping to answer and bringing it to her ear.

"Hello, Venny," she said slowly.

"Hey, little sister, you didn’t tell me that you went back," Venny said, pretending to sound angry.

Sylvia lowered her eyes. She could already imagine the expression on her brother’s face.

"I’m sorry," Sylvia said quietly. "My girlfriend had an accident."

There was a silence, then Venny’s voice suddenly became loud.

"WHAT? ACCIDENT? HOW?" Venny screamed.

Sylvia pulled the phone slightly away from her ear. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Venny..."

Her brother’s panic was obvious now, and she understood why.

If someone she loved suddenly told her that their girlfriend had been involved in an accident, she would probably react the same way.

"It’s a long story, Venny. I will tell you all that happened when she recovers," she said as she looked at the door before looking away.

Her eyes remained on the closed hospital door.

Behind it was Amelia.

The girl she loved. The girl who had looked at her earlier and asked who she was.

That thought still hurt.

Sylvia tightened her grip around the phone.

She didn’t want to think about it. She wanted to focus on Amelia getting better.

For now, that was all that mattered.

~~~~~ Amelia’s POV ~~~~~

I turned to my side and instinctively reached out to Sylvia’s side. My hand moved across the mattress.

My fingers touched the cold sheet, and I frowned slightly.

I didn’t feel anything at all. The warmth I had felt beside me earlier was gone.

"Sylvia," I mumbled slowly.

There was no answer.

I waited. But the silence remained.

I opened my eyes immediately, and sleep left me.

I looked at where Sylvia had been lying, but she wasn’t there.

My eyes moved around the room.

The sofa was still there.

Camila was still sleeping, and Daniela was still lying down on Camila’s lap, her body curled comfortably against her.

Everything looked almost exactly the same as before, except Sylvia wasn’t there.

My heart suddenly began beating faster.

I looked toward the bathroom.

Maybe she went there.

That had to be it.

I stared at the bathroom door, waiting for it to open.

Maybe she was washing her face.

Maybe she was using the bathroom.

Maybe she would walk out in a few seconds and look at me with that same gentle smile.

I waited.

One minute passed, and then another.

The bathroom door didn’t move. No footsteps came from inside, and no sound came from the bathroom.

I continued staring at it.

"Where’s she?" I whispered to myself.

My voice sounded small in the quiet room.

I didn’t understand why I was so worried.

She had only been gone for a few minutes, maybe even less.

But somehow, those few minutes felt longer.

I looked toward the bed.

My body still felt weak. My muscles felt heavy, almost as if I had just woken up from a very long sleep.

I tried standing up. The moment I moved, I felt the weakness in my legs.

I stopped and looked down.

The machines were still connected to my body.

Thin wires ran from me to the machines beside the bed. The screen continued displaying numbers I didn’t fully understand. The sound suddenly felt louder than before.

I swallowed.

"Sylvia..." I called a bit louder. But my voice didn’t come out the way I expected it to.

It sounded weak... almost like a whisper.

I frowned.

Why couldn’t I speak properly?

I tried again.

"Sylvia."

Still nothing. My eyes moved around the room.

I looked at the bedside table.

Maybe there was a phone there that I could use.

I searched the table with my eyes. There were a few things on it, but I didn’t see any phone.

I looked toward Camila and Daniela.

I didn’t want to wake them. But at the same time, I wanted to know where Sylvia was.

Something inside me felt unsettled.

I couldn’t explain it.

It wasn’t just curiosity. It felt deeper.

I looked toward the door. My fingers tightened around the blanket.

Why was I feeling like this?

Why was I worried?

I didn’t remember that woman, yet when she wasn’t there, I felt like something was missing.

I looked at the empty space beside me. A strange ache appeared in my chest.

I almost thought seeing her was a dream.

Maybe my mind had created Sylvia because I was confused.

Maybe the kiss earlier had never happened.

Maybe the warmth of her chest against my head had only been something I imagined.

But then I looked toward Camila and Daniela. They were still there, which meant everything was real.

Sylvia was real too.

I had seen her.

So where was she now?

I looked at the door again.

My restlessness grew. I didn’t like the feeling. I didn’t like not knowing where she was.

I slowly shifted my body. The movement made the wires pull slightly.

I stopped immediately.

I looked at the machines.

I knew I wasn’t supposed to touch them, but my worry was becoming stronger than my fear.

I wanted to find Sylvia.

How could she disappear from me just like that?

I looked toward the wires. My hand slowly moved toward them. I reached toward the wires, my fingers hovering just above them.

I didn’t know what I was thinking. I only knew that I wanted to get out of bed.

I wanted to find her. I wanted to know where she had gone.

Just as my fingers were about to touch them, the door suddenly opened.

I froze, and my hand stopped in the air.

Sylvia walked into the room.

She immediately noticed me sitting up. Her eyes moved from my face to the wires and then back to my face.

For a second, she looked surprised, then her expression softened.

She closed the door behind her and walked toward me. Her footsteps were quiet.

I stared at her, and the moment I saw her, the strange tight feeling in my chest disappeared just like that.

I didn’t understand it.

I didn’t understand why seeing her made me feel relieved.

Sylvia stopped beside the bed. Her eyes moved to my hand, which was still close to the wires. Then she looked at me.

"Were you looking for me?"