C18

At the hospital:

'We are very sorry.' The doctor free himself from the man who is holding onto him and begging to save his wife. *sigh* 'Sir we want to save her more but there's nothing we can do. As her doctor the best we can do is to free her from sufferings as soon as we can.'

*sob* Hearing the doctor's words Joss's father cried his heart out once again, eyes blurred with tears, heart heavy with sadness and pain, feelings of helplessness just keeps on increasing. The helpless man is quiet pitiful for even though he's in pain, scared and hurt there's no one by his side to console him and share their warm to his warmless body.

She whom he love the most in the whole world, whom he considered his breath, the reason behind his living is now leaving him behind. She who love his inner child, healed his once shattered heart and painful childhood full of bad memories. She who was there for him when no one was. She who would hold him tight whenever he breaks down. Now all he will be left is the memories they both shared.

This thoughts shattered his heart and nothing could ever mend it anymore. His only reason for not giving up in life, his motivation to keep moving on, his inspiration to carry on with life is now going to vanish from his life.

The doctor pulls him up and make him sit on a chair. 'Sir please calm down. We can let her pass away naturally if u want that way.'

'But she...she's...suffering isn't she doctor?'

'Yes but please take a day if u want. Think about it when u calm down Sir.'

'Thank u.' He gets up and slowly walks out and without knowing he's in front of her room. He could see his life lying there motionless. A tear runs down from the left eye slowly on his face. But he wipes his face before going inside putting on a smile. He sits down beside his wife's bedside.

'Honey, I'm here.' His voice shakes a little bit. 'Is it... very painful honey? Should I let go of u?' He starts sobbing once again holding up her hand gently. 'But u know what darling, if I let u go then I feel like I won't be able to carry on in life anymore. What should I do?*sobs* I also can't leave the world yet cause what about the children? They only have us but I think I can't carry on no more. Should I become selfish and just follow u instead? Would u nag me then?'

He slowly puts her hair behind her ear and takes out a slightly withered red camellia flower from his shirt pocket and puts it on her. 'Do u remember when I proposed to u with the bouquet of red camellia and u pluck one and told me to put on u so I did? Ur smiling face that day was even more beautiful and colorful than the flower. U are still as beautiful as u was more beautiful then the flower more beautiful then the beautiful itself.' He rubs her face gently. 'Back then on our wedding day, I felt like the luckiest man alive in the universe. To get a woman like u and to be loved by someone like u, I can't even thank god enough for that.' Even though the tears never stop falling for a second, a faint smile forms on his face, reminiscing the past sweet memories they shared together. 'U promised me that u wouldn't leave me first so I guess that's why I'm having to let u go like this. When u reach heaven, don't waste ur time waiting for me ok. With me the only thing I could gave u was the promise that I will be by ur side through health and sickness and that too in couldn't even fulfill. Maybe after death I will likely end up in hell but am I too selfish if I say that maybe I could get a little bit of warm there?'

In the big room, only he is talking alone, sobbing alone, smiling alone. The heart of a grieving lover, a grieving husband, a grieving partner not everyone would understand. When the only way to protect her is to let go of her what can be done other than crying. The money he earned all his life, the luxury, the comfort nothing could make him feel happy anymore when he lose the reason behind it all.

'Who would have thought that while trying to chase everything with the thought of giving u the best comfort, at the end I would end up losing u? Forgive me for everything I failed to do. I hope in ur next life u don't find a partner like me. Find someone who would give u all of the things I couldn't give. I'm sorry honey.' He hugs her body while he cries. 'Can't u stay with me forever? I don't think i will be able to let u go.'

The sobbing of the grieving husband echoed upto the sky but no one console him and the only one who consoled him before is now lying in front of him. Tears flow down non stop.

'I love u darling. I love u with all my heart. Please know that u are my one and only love. Sorry for not being able to save u but I can't bear to see u suffering like this silently. How much pain u must be going through yet can't utter a word of pain. I also couldn't help u in easing the pain.' He puts his head down tightening his hold on his wife's hands.

Shift of scene:

'Please carry on with the procedure.'

Shift of scene:

'Dad! Stop them! Mom!!! Please stop! Mom! Let me go!! Please! Let me go.....! Mom!' Joss struggles to free himself from his father's bodyguards as he see his mother slowly being injected with the unknown substance. Joss just shouts his vision slowly blurring by the tears forming in his eyes. 'Mom...' Joss just stares blankly at his mother's direction.

He came to the hospital hoping to hear some good news but facing something terrible. Now he understood why his father ask him to talk to his mother. His hatred towards his father increases every second throughout the whole process.

'Why are u so cruel? How can someone be so cruel to there own wife!?'

'Before being ur mother she's my woman and I know her better than anyone. She hates pain and silent suffering. I did what's best for her.'

'Best for her? Killing her is what's best for her!?'

'Or do u want to see ur mother die a slow and painful death?'

Throughout the conversation between the father and son, it is only the son who's shouting. The father remains calm and unwavered which makes the son even more angry.

'Don't u feel even a bit sad? She's ur wife for God's sake!!!'

'Take him away.' He orders his men to take Joss away.

'Thank u for all ur hardworking doctor.' He thanks the doctor coming out the room. The doctor just bows down and left leaving him alone. He slowly walks inside closing the door behind him gently. He walks near to his wife's bed and kneel down beside her.

'Now u can rest well. U have gone through a hard time so sleep now.' He gently rubs his wife's hair. 'I'll also follow u soon so have patience and wait for me ok. I'll join u soon.' He place a kiss on his wife's forehead. The last time he did something like this was when they had Joss. Many years had passed since then.

We don't value the presence of the people around us until we feel their presence. This happened exactly to him. In search of happiness for his family he forgot to give them their share of happiness from him.

He stayed there hugging his wife's lifeless body crying to his heart content again. 'I'm sorry. Oh god....oh...baby...I'm so sorry...what do I do....oh....' He puts his wife's head on his lap and continues crying looking at her. 'Why her? Out of all the cruel people out there why her!? She didn'teven do anything wrong.' He holds his wife tight and cries resenting the whole world.

Only if the son had seen his cruel father's current state then he wouldn't have hated his father to the core. But what can be done when he makes sure that doesn't happen. He needs to make sure his son is strong enough, cold hearted enough and cruel enough to be able to carry on the empire he built for them. In this process he doesn't care even if he hates him or despise him as long as they are safe it's all that matters to him.

Someone might say his way of loving his children is wrong but it's his own way of protecting what he loves. Everyone has different way of showing love and this is his way. His children might be deprived of motherly love but surely other than that there's no deprivation in anything cause he makes sure of it. But how can material things fulfill the love they want from parents so both of his child grew up with a void inside their heart that no one can fill.