Chapter 189 - Sweet dreams, Katherine

It was half-past eight in the morning of August 25th and Hillcrest Hospital was having a busy Saturday.

Inside Dr. Evan's clinic, Katherine laid comfortably on a chaise lounge while Jeffrey sat in an armchair across her. He leaned slightly forward and gave her some instructions but unlike the last time, her consciousness remained though she kept her eyes closed.

The room was quiet and still, only Jeffrey's voice could be heard while Damien sat on the sofa, keeping his gaze locked on Katherine. "Think of your memories as… storages. Every memory is locked up inside a storage box. Try to see if there is anything that catches your attention."

In her mind, Katherine pictured herself walking inside a dark room with nothing but rows and rows of filing cabinets. "How do I do that?" she mumbled. 

It looked endless as though there were many contents inside her brain but when she tried to pull one drawer out, she found it empty. She kept doing so as she walked forward but all of the cabinets didn't have anything inside. "I don't see anything..."

"Look for something that's not like the rest. Take your time… explore the place," Jeffrey answered, his focus centered on Katherine.

She tried to keep herself calm as she followed what he said until there was this mysterious box at the end of the row. She sized up the box first before she attempted to walk towards it but the path seemed rather endless. No matter how much she tried to go near the strange box, she couldn't reach it. 

She almost gave up until she heard another man's voice…"Katherine…" Her head snapped to the side as though she was looking in the direction where the voice came from but she saw nothing. The dark room that was once filled with hundreds of filing cabinets suddenly became empty. And when she turned her head back, the only thing she saw was that strange box, sitting on top of a table.

"Katherine, look at me," the man said. " C'est pour toi 1  … this is for your own good. I should have done this the first time…" 

She didn't know whose voice it was but it sounded familiar. She tried so hard to make up a face that should come with the voice but she failed, making her even more frustrated than she already was. She kept walking… running… until she was breathless… 

The box on the table was so close that it was within reach. And as soon as she was able to get her hands on it, she opened it and found herself running on a long dark street. " Arrête 1 , Katherine," said the man with blue eyes. 

That was the only distinguishing feature that she could make up from the face of the man whose arms were wrapped around her. He was telling her to stop running. She couldn't speak in her thoughts — it was as though she was watching everything that's happening to her. However, in reality where Jeffrey and Damien were watching her, she detailed what she saw in her mind in a toneless voice as if she was in a trance. 

During the entire time, Jeffrey would ask her questions and she would answer naturally. When she mentioned a man's presence, he asked her who it was but as much as she tried to study the man's features, she couldn't see the face. All she knew was that the man had blue eyes.

In her memory, Katherine tried to get away from him. She struggled so hard that she could feel her body was so weak. She felt so weak that she could barely stand on her own feet and the stranger was the only one keeping her up. Feeling a prick on her neck, her body went limp and her vision went dark. Too dark.

It seemed like it took a very long time until she found herself strapped in bed. There were so many things attached to her like she was being monitored and her head felt heavy, making her unable to move it from side to side… not even lift it off the bed. She was helpless as she tried to scream but no sound came out. 

There were a few men in white lab coats around her, moving about the area. All this time, Katherine thought she was halfway through her escape with the restraints on her limbs but the realization hit her — she was paralyzed and there was nothing she could do about it. 

Endless tears streamed down her face. She was so scared… so heartbroken… so broken. She may have been paralyzed but she certainly could still feel the pain. And everything was unbearably painful. Though she could not see her body, it felt as if her entire body was covered with bruises. 

Footsteps were heard from the side. Katherine wanted to turn her head to see who it was but she couldn't move. Then, a man's large and rough hand held her own. It felt so strange how she felt both calm yet still scared just because of his touch. Her eyes scanned the dark room but the man's face couldn't be seen. 

"Katherine… Don't fight it," he said. 

As soon as she heard the voice, she knew that it was the same man from earlier. The man with the blue eyes. Her breathing became heavier. She didn't understand why but she wanted to raise her hand and strangle the man to death. But there was nothing she could do except to let the tears escape from her eyes. 

"You know I should have done this before I brought you to Shadow. I should have listened… I shouldn't have let you keep your memories back then. They just made you weak. I will correct my mistakes… You deserve another life away from this... mess."

The man moved closer, his gentle voice was right next to her ear. He wanted to make sure she could hear him… as if it could be the last time he was going to ever talk to her. 

"I regret raising you like this. You could have grown into a beautiful woman… but you do understand why I couldn't leave you then, right? You just have to endure it a little bit more. I promise when you wake up, you won't ever have to remember everything that broke you. And by then, you can live your life like a normal person…"

He breathed painfully as though he was trying to suppress his emotions. He sniffed before he continued, "But I wonder – If our paths cross again, will you ever remember me?"

Tears spill from her eyes like a waterfall. She wanted to scream and get out of confinement but her body won't listen to her. 

The next thing she knew, his cool lips pressed on her forehead — she could almost feel the reluctance when he pulled away. And just before he left, he whispered the most painful words to her ear, "Sweet dreams, Katherine. I love you." 

Before she could even process his parting words, the scary men in white lab coats came back into view, looming over her until another wave of pain coursed through the veins of her body. She was helpless… even her slightest resistance was futile.

It's for you Stop