"Look, you're hesitating." Christine was like an invader. She pursued further and didn't let Gloria go. "I just asked you if you still loved him, but you hesitated. Do you really know yourself?
"Gloria, in my opinion, you are running away from him. Three years ago, you tried everything you could to escape. Now, you have made no progress at all. You are still escaping. Will you really be at peace at Waikiki Beach? I will be blunt. If you can only remain calm on Waikiki Beach, it means that you have never been calm."
Gloria trembled, and her face paled. "Stop it! Enough!"
Christine's words echoed in her mind. She wanted to press the pause button but there was simply none.
"Gloria, Waikiki Beach is not a pure land. The peace you think is just your escape," Christine said seriously.
Christine should not have said this, but she saw some things that the people in the police station did not see.
She saw Gloria's hesitation.
During the three years, she watched Patrick search for Gloria. Everyone asked him to stop.
However, Patrick wouldn't stop. Other than his worry for her, his career was all his life was about.
Christine saw that Patrick, who had been insufferably arrogant, let go of his pride for the sake of Gloria.
The happiness that Christine could not have might have been obtained by Gloria. She was once in a similar situation, and those terrible experiences might end with Gloria.
Christine admitted that she was biased.
But more importantly, what she saw was not Gloria's peaceful mind but her escape.
Otherwise, she would forever hide these words in her heart.
However, that was not the case.
Gloria covered her ears. "Please stop talking. Just stop."
Christine pulled Gloria's hand that was covering her ears by force. "He is very sick. He is dying."
In an instant, the world fell silent.
Christine didn't need to pull Gloria's hand off her ears. Gloria was stunned.
"I am going to the airport, or I'll miss the flight," Gloria repeated this sentence.
"Something has been growing in his brain for more than a year. He is now at the critical stage," Christine said to herself.
"I have to go." She wanted to leave.
This time, Christine did not stop her. She shouted at her, who was walking away, "He chose surgery. Brain surgery is complicated. His condition is critical and the success rate is less than five percent."
"That's enough!" Gloria stopped. "This trick again? Did he ask you to come here? How many times does he want to play dumb? Only a fool would fall for it again!"
Christine heard this and smiled. "That's right, you are not a fool! Just go!"
She added, "Anyway, you always choose to run."
"Gloria, just run and run as far away as you can. I want to ask you, is it him or your own heart that you dare not face? Don't worry. This time, Patrick will never disturb you again. Gloria, you are so good at running away. So, just run!"
After that, Christine turned around and left.
She did not know what she was angry about. Or perhaps, she was not angry but felt regret.
She was not afraid of what Patrick would do, but that one day, Gloria would wake up and immerse herself in regret for the rest of her life. Perhaps Gloria would not say it out, but if she chose to be silent, she would live a bitterer life.
Gloria's life was bitter enough.
Gloria got into the car.
She didn't want to hear it, and she didn't want to think about it.
Her relationship with Patrick was a mistake. Since they started with the wrong beginning, she would correct its ending.
She just moved the wrong path back to the right place. She did not do anything wrong.
She did not run away.
She was fulfilling her promise to Mica. She was just repaying Mica, who had saved her life.
Gloria sat on a chair.
The airport announcement said that her flight was about to take off.
In the announcement, it was the third time Gloria's name was called. She was urged to board the plane.
Gloria was sitting quietly and looking ahead blankly.
Finally, her name was no longer mentioned in the announcement.
The sky was dark, and the bustling crowd in the airport gradually left.
Gloria was still sitting on the chair.
Her flight had long taken off and had arrived at the destination.
The airport was getting empty as the crowd walked past her.
Gloria pushed her luggage and slowly walked out of the airport. Deep in the night, she looked up at the sky.
She slowly took out her phone and dialed Christine's number. The phone beeped only twice before someone picked it up.
Gloria said in a low and hoarse voice, "I hate him so much, so I have to see how sick he is. Christine, take me to him."
On the phone, Christine was stunned for a moment. The next moment, she smiled. "Where are you? I'll pick you up."
"Airport."
"Okay, wait for me there."
In the hospital, the door of the ward was pushed open. This time, Hank did not act as the messenger.
When Sean rushed over, he saw Gloria.
He did not say anything. Christine pulled Sean into the corridor. The door closed again.
Patrick was lying on the bed, dreaming.
Gloria did not know what was in his dream. His tightly knitted eyebrows showed that he was not sleeping peacefully.
He put his hand that had the wedding ring on it on the quilt.
Gloria slowly approached him and stopped in front of his bed.
Her gaze fell on the ring on Patrick's finger.
No one knew what she was thinking.
She just stared at the ring for a long time, lost in thought.
After a while, Patrick opened his eyes and saw the person in his dream.
He smiled at her weakly. "I'm in a dream again."
"That's great. You're willing to be in my dream," he said in a soft voice, as if Gloria was his long-lost friend.
Gloria stood by the bed and shifted her gaze to Patrick's face. In less than a month, he had become so thin.
Perhaps it was because of his words or the gentleness in his eyes that she had never seen before...
She did not want to show her hatred for him.
She understood what she was thinking and kissed his forehead. "Is it a dream?"
Patrick looked surprised and delighted. He smiled. "It is a dream."
Gloria also chuckled. She seemed to have forgotten everything that happened between them. They were like good friends who had not seen each other for many years. She reached out and pinched his arm. "Is it a dream?"
Patrick woke up from the sudden pain. He was surprised. He didn't dare to close his eyes. He was afraid that if he did that, Gloria would disappear.
"It hurts," he said. "But it's not so real. Pinch me again."