I shouldn’t go, after all. Hayden would kill me if he found out and I didn’t want to get into another argument with him.


    "If he finds out…" Harvey said before he giggled like a little boy.


    "I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t go. I can’t go without getting Hayden’s permission first…he’ll be mad, and I don’t want him to worry either," I said, having made up my mind.


    "I see. Then let’s do that," Harvey said as he nodded in understanding.


    Do what?


    Harvey pulled out his phone before tapping at the screen and then he ced his phone next to his ear. He’s not doing what I think he is doing, is he?


    My eyes widened in pure disbelief at what I was seeing. Before I could find my tongue and words to protest or stop him, the line connected.


    "Hayden! Yup, it’s me…your dear brother," Harvey said enthusiastically through the phone.


    How can he sound so carefree about this?


    "Don’t be so cold towards your dear brother, please. Oh, right. I was calling to let you know that I’m going out and I’ve decided to take Malissa out for a date," Harvey said animatedly.


    "You can’t take her out!" Hayden’s voice shouted so loudly through the phone that even I could hear him from where I was standing.


    Harvey, who had probably anticipated that, conveniently held the phone at around an arm’s length away from his ear. He turned and winked at me before he smiled like a mischievous kid who was about to steal candy from the supermarket.


    "Oh, I’m allowed to take her out? Great…amazing. Sorry, the signal is bad now. You’re cracking up and I can’t understand a word that you’re saying. I know, I love you too. Goodbye, Hayden!" Harvey said gleefully before he hung up.


    Harvey then turned to me and held his thumb up while he beamed a wide smile at me like some toothpaste advertisement poster.


    Was that his idea of getting Hayden’s permission?


    "Shall we head out now?" Harvey asked but his hand was already around my wrist as he started pulling me after him.


    The way he seemed to take control of everything as well as the way that he was already pulling me towards the door truly reminded me of someone…


    "Umm…I know Hayden might be overreacting by keeping me locked up inside but is it really that dangerous for me to go outside?" I asked, feeling quite worried about leaving the mansion.


    "Oh, it’s dangerous alright. Your face doesn’t stand out or anything. Maybe if you just wear some simple disguise, it’ll solve the problem," Harvey suggested as he turned to stare at my face.


    "Ok…" I muttered.


    "Don’t worry. I don’t intend on letting you die out there…" Harvey said with confidence.


    "Thank you…I guess…" I mumbled as I followed after him.


    …


    Fortunately, we didn’t run into anyone on our way out of the mansion. Even if we did, everyone would probably just see it as me walking along with Hayden and that was nothing unusual at all. Harvey truly looked and acted like Hayden. He seemed at ease, and he had the key to one of Hayden’s car as well.


    The drive to Amelia’s mansion was smooth and uneventful. I was frankly excited just to be in a car after having been cooped up indoors for so long. It was great to see the view of the outside world go by through the window of the car. Harvey filled the time with small talk that helped to ease my mind.


    "Master Hayden, we are happy to have you here. Thank you for visiting Miss Amelia," a staff member at Amelia’s mansion greeted Harvey warmly.


    Clearly, she couldn’t distinguish between them at all. Maybe she was used to seeing Harvey as Hayden as well. The person who had been visiting Amelia a lot was Harvey and not Hayden after all.


    "Of course. Thank you for having me here again," Harvey replied smoothly.


    Just like thest time that I was here with Hayden, we were led to Amelia’s bedroom. A feeling simr to sorrow filled me up inside as we stood in front of the door to her room. After thanking the staff, Harvey pushed the door opened and invited me inside. I wasn’t sure how to feel when I saw that everything in her room was the same as how I remembered it from thest time that I was here.


    Amelia wasying on her bed with the same machines hooked up to keep her alive. It was unfortunate but, in this room, it was as if time didn’t flow. Amelia and everything else in this room seemed to have been frozen in time as shey unknowing and unresponsive on her bed. I looked away to give Harvey some personal time with the woman that he loves.


    Instead, I focused my eyes on the things that lined the disy shelf in her room. Almost immediately, my eyes went to the photo of Harvey and Amelia, the one that Hayden told me he had taken. Why did fate have to be so cruel to them and to us? If only Amelia would wake up…


    If these two only had one month left together, how many more times could Harveye to visit her like this? The more I thought about it, the sadness just tore at my heart. I looked away from the photo before the tears that I had been desperately holding in would fall.


    "What did you want to talk about? You came to see me to discuss something specific, right?" Harvey asked.


    I turned around to see that he had taken a seat on the sofa. Strangely, I still remembered the conversation that I had with Hayden when we were seated on the same sofa as if it happened only yesterday. Slowly, I took my seat on the sofa before taking in a deep and calming breath.


    "Hayden told me about the deal that you made with him…" I said without bothering to beat around the bush. We didn’t have the time for anything like that anymore.


    --To be continued…