A month later, after Regina was released from the hospital, she begged her father to allow her to go back to work. She had been living with them since her release from the hospital and was getting bored doing nothing. She tried to go out for a run, and they stopped her, giving her some excuse about her condition, even though she knew they were afraid Arthur had an accomplice. Her brothers unhooked the video consoles from her condo and installed them in her childhood bedroom, bringing all her favorite games. She was grateful, but after playing the games continuously for a couple of weeks, she got bored. Her parents did not force Regina to socialize with her siblings, spend time with her friends, or do anything else other than the things she wanted. They were just happy she was okay. But she was not happy, because Regina was used to giving out help, not needing help. She liked the fact that her patients looked to her for comfort when they were in pain, albeit temporarily at times. S

Weeks passed, and Regina was surprised at Owen’s change in attitude. He was still under home confinement due to his head injury, and though he was functioning normally, his doctors wanted him to stay home to prevent him from exerting himself. Regina surmised Owen was just bored because he had minimal control over the ongoing projects. They were nearing the last phase of the island project, and though he wanted to be there, Gerry stayed in his place. Owen joined his mother more frequently during breaks, discussing multiple topics with her, some from the news, but mostly from his business. Mrs. Bennet appreciated the company but did not fully cooperate. Her mind wandered elsewhere most of the time. But Owen stayed anyway. Sometimes they would include Regina in their conversations, and she would answer based on what she knew, but most of the time, like Mrs. Bennet, she just listened. It was Owen’s way of letting Regina know more about him and his life, to warm her up. He wanted her

When Regina did not report for work the next day, Owen came to visit her place with his mother. He knew something was wrong when Raffy called him the night before to let him know his sister needed a day off. It was wrong to use his mother, but Owen knew Regina would not let him into her apartment if he came alone. Jeffrey, the doorman, had announced that Mrs. Bennet and her son came to visit, so Regina tried to tidy up her place and fix her appearance as much as she could, without exerting too much effort. The hospital gave her an IV bag to take home, and it kept her up the entire night because she was afraid her blood would flow back into the bag when the IV drip was completed. Without makeup and any color on her cheeks, she looked sickly, and Mrs. Bennet immediately took action when she saw Regina standing by the door, looking like she was about to pass out. “Owen, carry the poor girl and bring her back to bed. It was a good thing we came. It’s our turn to take care of you.” “N

After all the guests left, Owen invited Regina to come out of the bedroom, so she wouldn’t think that sending them all home was a ploy to get her alone and restart their relationship. He wanted them to leave her alone because he could see that Regina was getting overwhelmed by the amount of people in her house. “So now that I got rid of all those noisy people, you can do whatever you want.” Owen left Regina standing in the middle of the living room. He brought their dishes to the sink and began loading them into the dishwasher. The maids informed him earlier that there was enough space for the added items, and all he needed to do was start the machine. “Everything in the kitchen is clean. I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Regina.” Owen was heading to his designated bedroom when Regina called to him. Now that everyone was gone, the house was too silent. It made her lonely. “You want to play video games?” “Video games?” “Yeah, I got the new game called

Owen looked at his watch after Regina left the office. He had several hours before dinner, so he went to work and called his brother, Myles, to come to him as soon as he got home.Myles had just passed through the front doors when he got the message, so he went straight to Owen’s office.“Brandy, so early in the day?” Owen was pouring himself a glass when Myles walked in. “This must be something big,” he added when Owen did not offer him any.“Regina wants to leave.”“Leave, Mom?”“She wants to go on a vacation on her own.”“And this bothers you.”“I am afraid she is pulling away, and she’d never come back.”“Afraid… that’s a word I’ve never heard from you before.”Owen just sighed. He’d been using big relationship words he’d never uttered in his life, just to convince Regina to stay, but all his efforts were fruitless.“Do you think if I let her go, she’d come back willingly?” He downed the glass in one gulp. “What do I have to offer her, anyway? Nothing… I’m such a disappointment to