Cleo is gasping for air when she wakes up again. Her body is drenched in sweat and her long wavy hair keeps on sticking to her face. Cleo closed her eyes and put a hand on her chest and feels the fast beating of her heart.

When Cleo opened her eyes again, she was welcomed with a chandelier that has a dim light. She gently sits herself and the white blanket that is covering her body pooled around her waist.

Looking around, it seems like she is inside a luxurious hospital room suited for VIP patients. The only sound that she can is the soft voices coming from the outside of her room. The faint smell of antiseptic is lingering in the air and there is also dextrose connected to her right arm.

Cleo did not know what happened, but maybe she lost consciousness while talking with her grandmother inside the resting room? She must be really tired and stressed to lose consciousness during her wedding. She can only vaguely remember what happened in their conversation. Cleo can remember the part where she cried too much on her shoulder because of her massive guilt and regret.

'But where am I? Why is this place familiar to me?'

Before Cleo can think of the answer to her question, someone opened the door. Cleo froze in her place when she noticed who is that person. It was her brother, Herrace.

"B-Brother—"

"Wait. You're awake! Let me call the doctor first." Herrace said and quickly left the room.

"Brother, wait—Ahh!"

Cleo accidentally pulled the needle from the dextrose that is connected to her arm. A few droplets of blood spilled from her arm and stained the white blanket on her waist. Before Cleo can wipe the blood, another person entered her room and sees her paled face.

"Cleo!"

Cleo is suddenly engulfed in a tight hug. The woman who is hugging her is crying on her shoulder while rubbing her hand on her back in a circular motion. The familiar jasmine scent of her perfume is bringing her in a thousand vivid memories.

She did not dare to hug or touch the woman. Cleo is afraid that once she did, the woman will disappear in an instant and she will realize that all of it is just part of her dreams. She remained seated on the bed and let the woman cry on her shoulder. Soon, the woman noticed that Cleo is not speaking or moving so she put a short distance between them and have a good look on her face.

"Cleo, what's wrong? Are you in pain anywhere? Tell me." The woman asked in urgency although the hands that cupped her face is soft and gentle.

"Mom..." Cleo called her.

"Yes, sweetie. Mom is here. Are you hurt? Tell me."

"Mom." Cleo called her again.

"Yes, honey. I'm sorry if I was late. But I am here now."

"M-Mom..."

This time, tears continuously spilled from Cleo's eyes and it makes Jannica surprised and panicked. She quickly coaxes her daughter hoping that she will stop crying. But Cleo did not stop crying and it is making Jannica's heart to ache for her daughter. No matter how hard she try to wipe Cleo's tears, she continued crying while calling her.

"M-Mom, I'm sorry... I-I'm sorry. I was wrong... Please forgive me..." Cleo said in between her sobs.

"Honey, it's okay. I forgive you. You know that I will always forgive you, sweetie. Please stop crying now." Jannica said while wiping her daughter's tears with her thumb.

Jannica's eyes are starting to get watery too. She cannot bear to see her daughter crying like this. She feels like her heart is being torn into pieces because of the painful sobs that Cleo is making right now.

The door opens again and four people entered the room at the same time. The scene where Cleo is letting out a painful cry while apologizing is the one that welcomes them. Herrace is frozen silly on his spot while Dean is looking at his youngest child with worry in his eyes. The doctor and nurse try to approach them but Jannica is not letting go of her crying daughter.

When Cleo sees her father and brother, it brings more fresh tears to her eyes. She also apologize to them and admitted her mistake. She is also asking for their forgiveness for all the things that she had done.

"Dad... B-Brother... I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I was wrong. I did all the worst decisions... P-Please don't leave me alone... Mom..."

"Of course, we will not leave you alone. Sweetie, what's wrong? Tell us. Please don't suffer like this." Jannica said. She did not notice that her eyes are crying too while soothing her daughter.

But no matter how much they asked Cleo, she is not saying anything. She just continue crying while asking for their forgiveness. Minutes have passed and Cleo is still crying. Her whole face is already red, her eyes are both swollen, and her lips are trembling. She is also starting to have a difficulty in breathing and she is slurring with her words.

Seeing that Cleo will cry again any minute, the doctor finally decided to inject her with sedatives to calm her down and make her sleep again. Soon, Cleo's eyes are getting heavier every second.

Cleo sees her family looking at her worriedly before she closed her eyes and falls into a dreamless slumber.

When Cleo opens her eyes again, it is already nighttime. Unlike when she opened her eyes that morning, Cleo is calmer and quieter this time. She carefully sits herself on the bed while thinking about the dextrose attached to her right arm. When she looks around, Cleo sees her older brother sleeping on the sofa placed next to her bed.

Herrace probably moved it there so he can watch her closely.

Cleo looks around again and observes her surroundings. She is still inside a luxurious hospital room. Unlike earlier, the atmosphere around the room is too quiet and serene. It also gives her a melancholic feeling that makes her sentimental.

After observing her room for a few more minutes, Cleo turns around and stares at the almost unfamiliar face of her brother. When did she last see him? Three years ago? Or probably more than that?

Herrace looks haggard right now. His hair is a bit longer compared to the last time she had seen him years ago. His suit is also crumpled and it smells like his favorite brand of cigarette. She also noticed that there is now a stubble growing on his chin too.

When Cleo noticed that the blanket covering him had already pooled around his waist, Cleo carefully moved closer to her brother. She tried to put the blanket on his shoulder when her brother moved his arms and stirred in his sleep. When he blinked his eyes and sees what his sister is trying to do, Herrace suddenly jolt in his seat and carefully hold Cleo's stretched hand.

"Are you okay now, Cleo?! Let me call the doctor first! Don't cry again, you hear me?"

When Cleo did not react immediately, Herrace blabbered once again.

"Do you want me to call mom and dad now? They go home in the meantime to take a shower and get a few clothes for you. Wait! The doctor said to call him immediately if you wake up again. I will bring him here. Just wait for me!"

But before Herrace can stand up to call a doctor, Cleo grabs his shirt to stop him.

"B-Brother... Just stay. Please?" Cleo said in a whispered voice.

Cleo really feels awkward calling her brother again. Years had already passed since she last saw and talked with him. After their huge fight, the sibling relationship between them was completely broken and they walked on their separate paths. After that, Cleo steeled her heart and never tried to reach out to him again.

The last news that Cleo has heard about her brother, Herrace was officially named as the successor of their father. She saw it from a business magazine where Herrace had an exclusive interview in it. Inside the magazine, there were also a few photos of him and their parents. Cleo carefully read each word of his interview and she felt heartbroken when Herrace never mentioned her even once.

It was like she never existed in his whole life.

Cleo knows that she has no right to complain about it. She will never blame him for doing it. After all, she was the one who first broke their good relationship. But she also cannot deny the pain it brought to her heart. The big brother who take good care of her since childhood had completely turned his back and decided to move on with his life without thinking about her.

"Hey, Cleo. Shh, it's okay. Stop crying now."

Cleo did not notice that she is crying again until Herrace wiped her tears with his thumb. Trying not to break down just like what happened earlier, Cleo bite her lower lip and pulled her brother closer. Seeing that she is silently asking for a hug,
Herrace sits on her bed instead and gently gives his little sister a hug.

"Shh, it's okay now. You must be scared, hmm? Don't worry, Jann. You are now safe." Herrace said as he softly rubbed his hand on her back.

"Brother, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry." Cleo cried while burying her face on his shoulder.

"Shh, it's okay. No one is blaming you. Stop crying now. If you do that, then I will buy your favorite strawberry-flavored candies. Okay?"

Although Cleo is crying, a soft chuckle still escaped her lips when she heard those childish words again. Those are the words that her brother always say to stop her from crying when they were still children. Herrace is older than her by five years and he is always taking his role as an older brother seriously.

After Cleo cried on his shoulder, Herrace stands up to get a bottled water and a box of tissue from his bag. This time, he decided not to leave his sister and pressed the call button near her bed instead. He pulled a few sheets of tissue from the box and use them to wipe Cleo's face. He did not try to make her drink water until the doctor confirms that it is okay now for her to drink or eat.

"You must be really scared from that accident, huh?" Herrace said while wiping the tears in her eyes.

He did not dare to put pressure on his hands thinking that he can hurt her.

"Once you get out of this hospital, I will hire a driver for you. No matter how much you pester me about it later, I will not let you drive a car again. I will also confiscate your driver’s license. You hear me?”

"Huh? What accident? What are you talking about, brother?" Cleo asked in confusion.

"Why? You cannot remember? You got involved in a massive car accident this week."