Haru lay motionless on the hospital bed, his body surrounded by machines. A VR headset was attached to his right arm, while the pulse oximeter rested against his left finger, monitoring his steady, rhythmic pulse.
Despite all the technology, he remained unmoving, a heavy silence hanging in the room.
"Doctor Hannoi, he's been asleep for two days! Why aren't you doing anything?" Sakura's voice cracked as she pleaded for answers, her eyes desperate.
Doctor Hannoi looked at her calmly, his face impassive. "Miss, I understand your concern, but please try to remain calm. We've run several tests—"
"Calm?!" Sakura interrupted, her voice trembling with frustration. "You say you've run tests, but you can't even find a cause for his condition? You're telling me he's healthy, but he's still not waking up!"
Aoi, who stood beside her, shot the doctor a sharp glare. "You've had two whole days, and nothing has changed. What's really going on here?"
Doctor Hannoi's neutral expression didn't shift. "We are doing our best," he said, the words almost robotic.
Sakura's patience was wearing thin. "Give me something! Any indication of why this is happening to him!"
"Doctor, what would happen if Haru doesn't wake up?" Sakura's voice cracked under the weight of the question.
"I assure you, Miss, that won't happen," Doctor Hannoi said with an unsettling calmness.
"You assured me he'd wake up two days ago," Sakura shot back, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Sakura," Kei finally interjected, his voice low but firm. He hadn't spoken much today, but now his voice carried a sense of finality. "Let's step outside and get something to drink. Please."
Kei didn't wait for her to respond; he gently, yet firmly, pulled Sakura away from the tense atmosphere of the hospital room, guiding her down the hallway. Her steps felt heavy, the weight of worry for Haru pulling at her chest with every move.
They reached a nearby café, the familiar scent of coffee failing to soothe Sakura's frazzled nerves. Kei handed her a cup, his eyes soft but filled with an emotion she couldn't quite place.
"Sakura, please," he said, his voice edged with concern. "You need to drink something."
She stared at the coffee, her mind elsewhere—on Haru, on the strange distance between her and Mia, on the sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong. Without speaking, she took a sip, the liquid barely registering on her tongue.
Kei watched her, his jaw clenched. "Sakura… I think I know what might be causing Haru's condition."
Sakura's head snapped up, her heart racing in her chest. "What? What do you mean? Did you tell Doctor Hannoi?"
Kei glanced around quickly, lowering his voice. "We can't talk about this here. I need you to come to my house first. I'll explain everything."
…
The tension in the air was thick as they arrived at Kei's house. The door creaked open, and a child's high-pitched voice pierced the silence, making Sakura jump.
"Kei!" the voice screamed, and a small figure dashed into view.
"Yuki," Kei smiled, his face softening for a moment. "Is Mum home?"
"She's sleeping," Yuki said, blinking at the unfamiliar face in the doorway. "Is she your girlfriend, Kei?"
"No," Kei said quickly, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Sakura, "she's Haru's girlfriend."
Sakura's mind barely registered the conversation. Her thoughts were consumed by Haru, by the nightmare of seeing him unconscious in the hospital bed. She forced a weak smile as she introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Sakura."
"I'm Yuki, Kei's little brother!" Yuki chirped, looking up at her with curiosity.
"I can see that. You look exactly like him," Sakura managed a small smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.
But Yuki's innocent question caught her off guard. "Sakura, why do you look so sad?"
A sharp, painful pang gripped her heart. It was as if the weight of everything she was trying to hold together had suddenly shattered in that moment.
Kei quickly ushered Yuki upstairs, his tone firmer now. "Yuki, go to your room. We need to talk."
Once they were alone, Kei turned to her, his expression unreadable. "Sakura," he began quietly, "I know you remember."
Sakura's heart seemed to stop in her chest. "Remember what?" She had no idea what he meant, but a terrible unease began to creep up her spine.
Kei's eyes softened, but his next words made her blood run cold. "Everything that happened before we went back nine years."
Sakura's breath hitched, her mind reeling.
"Kei… you remember?"
His simple nod felt like an explosion in her chest. "Yes," he said quickly, his voice tight with tension.
The words hung in the air, and Sakura's pulse quickened. Her head spun, dizziness clouding her vision. Her heart thudded painfully, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.
Sakura felt her body go cold as realisation crashed over her like a tidal wave. "D-d-does Mia remember too?"
Kei's eyes darkened, his expression tight with barely contained fear. "No," he said sharply. But the lie didn't escape her.
Her body trembled with rage and disbelief. "Don't lie to me," she breathed, her voice dangerously low. The pieces were clicking into place. Everything Mia had done, every cruel action—it was all becoming clear now.
Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she recalled the wedding. Mia never believed her, had never stood by her side. Instead, she blamed her for everything, and it didn't make sense. Until now. Mia had been orchestrating this from the start, everything with Ryo and Kenji, the argument with Katy and Himari Sakura had for Mia's supposed 'bullying' … it had all been a carefully crafted act of revenge.
And what about the mixer? Ryo and Kenji had targeted her specifically, while Mia hadn't even been in the picture when her drink was spiked. Why hadn't Mia been part of that scene? It was all so deliberate—so calculated.
"She doesn't care about me. She's only after Haru," Sakura whispered, her voice breaking. "It was all a set up. Mia's trying to get him back. She's been lying, using everyone."
Kei's heart raced as he watched her fall apart, the realisation dawning on her in a way that left him speechless.
"D-did you know?" Sakura demanded, her voice trembling with fury.
Kei nodded solemnly, but couldn't meet her gaze.
"You knew everything," she whispered, her voice full of betrayal. "You knew what Mia did to me, to Haru—and you didn't say anything?"
Her words hit Kei like a slap. "Sakura, I—"
"You knew, and you said nothing," Sakura's voice broke. "You're just like Mia! I trusted you both, and you betrayed me! Two peas in a pod!
Tears streamed down her face as she took a step back, her knees buckling beneath her. The emotional weight was unbearable.
"Sakura, please," Kei's voice was raw with regret, but she didn't want to hear it anymore.
She spun away from him, her heart shattered. "I don't care," she cried, her voice rising with a fresh wave of anguish. "You're just as bad as her!" She was shouting now, her chest heaving with anger and sorrow. "I don't care what you have to say!"
Kei reached out, grabbing her wrist in a desperate attempt to stop her from walking away. "Sakura, you have to listen to me!"
"Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to wrench her arm free.
But Kei's grip only tightened. "I think I know what happened to Haru!" His voice cracked, his breath shallow with panic.
Sakura's eyes flared with fear as she tried to pull free, but his grip tightened, cutting off the air around her. "You're hurting me," she cried out, a wave of terror rising in her chest. The panic in her chest felt suffocating.
Kei's eyes widened, realising his mistake. He quickly released her wrist, but it was too late. Sakura stumbled backward, her breath coming in sharp, desperate gasps. Her wrist was bruised from his grip, and the sight of the marks sent a jolt of pain through both of them.
Sakura's mind flashed to the horrors of her past—Kenji, the terror, the helplessness. It all rushed back in a tide of overwhelming emotion. And with a scream, her body went rigid, as if her trauma had come to life.