Promise
She looked back, only to see the man she didn’t want to have anything to do with again. “What are you doing here?” She asked, but she didn’t hear any reply from him. She looked back at her mother and asked, “What is he doing here, mom?” She knew that it was only her mom who could call him.
“Calm down, Ellie. I called him.” Louise said to her before turning to Alex, who was still standing beside the door. “Please come here, dear.” She said with a smile, and Alex also walked slowly towards her. “I’m so happy you came.” She said again with that same smile.
Alex did not say anything; instead, he shifted his gaze to Ellie, who was just sobbing quietly. He wondered what was going on. He was surprised and scared when Ellie’s mother called him to come to the hospital, and even more surprised to see Ellie weeping profusely. He knew something was wrong.
“You must be wondering why I called you here urgently. I’m sorry. I need to do this before I run out of time.” She said, holding her daughter’s hand and rubbing it lightly before placing it on Alex’s hand. Hearing what she said, Ellie’s tears became louder.
“It will be my greatest joy to see my daughter get married to a man I can trust.” Before she could finish, Ellie caught her off guard with her loud sobs. “No, mom. Please don’t do this.” She already knew why her mom called Alex, and she was not ready for anything like that, but her mom did not listen; instead, she continued until a drop of tears fell out of her eyes, but she quickly cleaned it off.
“Remember the promise you made. You will take care of and protect my daughter. It’s now time for you to do that. Please, dear.” At this rate, Louise also couldn’t control her tears anymore; she kept holding Ellie, who was just crying and shaking her head.
“Mrs Loren.”
“No. Call me mother. I know it’s too early, but I’d be happy if I could hear such things.” She said with a smile filled with pain and, at the same time, love. “This woman is getting old and sick. Who knows, death might even come knocking tomorrow.
“No, mum. Please stop saying that. You won’t die. I… I will go back to the doctor and ask her again what she can do. Please stop talking about death.” Ellie cried, but her mom did not listen to any of her cries.
“Just promise me. A last wish from you, Ellie. That you will marry Alex and forget about all this feud.” She wanted the best for her daughter, and she knew that was the only way.
“Please mom.” Ellie begged, but her mother just kept smiling and cleaning her tears, while Alex was just standing in the room like a lost puppy.
*****
They both sat down in the lobby, leaving one chair space in between each other. None of them said anything to each other. Each of them has their own thoughts. Ellie was staring deep into space with no emotion on her face, while Alex looked towards her side once in a while.
The silence enveloped between them for some time before Ellie broke it. “She was going through a lot, and I didn’t know. I can’t believe I even stopped her from associating with the neighbors because I thought it would stress her, but I was just depriving her of a little happiness.” She tried not to say anything or cry, especially in front of Alex, but she needed someone to vent to.
Alex kept looking at her until he tried to stop her from blaming herself, “Ellie,” but Ellie quickly stopped him.
“She had been battling with cancer for a long time, and I didn’t know because I was too busy with my own life.” She sniffed with tears running down her face, but still continued. “She has always been there for me. She is the best person in my life. She never made me know or feel like I was an orphan, and now she’s going to leave me like everybody else.” She cried.
Alex looked at her. He was so sad to see her this way; he wished there was a way. “Ellie.” He called out as he tried to touch her, but as soon as his hands touched hers, Ellie suddenly stood up.
She cleaned her face and said, without facing him, “You should leave. I need to be alone.” She suddenly put herself back together as soon as his hand touched hers. It was as if his hand had woken her.
Ellie, please… Alex could not finish his words before Ellie caught him. “Please, leave.”C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.
He sighed before standing up. “Whatever happened wasn’t your fault, and you shouldn’t keep blaming yourself. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.” He said this before walking out. He knew that persuading her to go home would get her even more angry, and he wasn’t looking forward to that; instead, he let her be.
He left the hospital, but not before going back to the doctor to do some things. He was driving home when he suddenly remembered when he had made a promise to Louise.
Flashback
So, do you like my daughter? The woman whispered with a smile. She made sure her voice was low so that Ellie would not hear from the kitchen.
Alex also looked at her. He did not know what reply to give to the human. “I’m… her boss,” he answered with a weak smile, not knowing the best reply to give Ellie’s mother.
“You didn’t answer my question correctly, but it’s fine. I know you like Ellie.” The woman said with a smile before continuing. “But she just needs a little time. She’s not sure of her feelings yet. Just promise me you will always take care of her and protect her with all your might.”
Alex kept looking at her before nodding his head. “Yes. I promise.”
“Hmm OK. Maybe after then I might approve of marriage,” she said with that same smile, which Alex also returned.
End of flashback.
“Did she already know that she had cancer when she asked me to promise her?” He asked himself before sighing. He really wished he could help, even if it meant flying her out of the country, but it was already too late. It was at a late stage.