What Separates Me and You

Lewis hugged her while resting his chin atop her head and listening to her gentle voice. He didn't say a word the entire time.

Josephine shut her eyes. She didn't have the strength to speak anymore. The chilly breeze against her cheek made it feel like it was really the wintertime.

The snowfall had lessened by then. Little to no snowflakes fluttered in the air. Eventually, all that remained was the cold air.

"Let's never see each other again in our next time, Lewis."

That stunned Lewis. Then, he suddenly stood and looked down at Josephine to ask, "Are you regretting everything?"

"I regretted things long ago. In fact, I regretted it right after we got married." Josephine opened her eyes to meet Lewis' gaze.

His features had tensed up by then, and he stared at her with a grim expression. Still, she continued, "I regretted my decision during every night I spent alone in my room. I regretted meeting you and having all those wishful thoughts against you-"

"Stop talking," Lewis interrupted to prevent her from going on.

Josephine pretended not to hear him and resumed, "You keep acting like you don't understand or know anything-like you can't hear or speak up about the situation."

Lewis' lip twitched as he flashed a bitter smile.

Josephine did the same. She realized how pointless it was to say those things now. Plus, she was too tired to explain things to him. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap."

That was when Lewis tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He moved with the utmost tenderness. "Let's get home first. Then, you can nap, okay?"

Josephine shook her head lightly. She couldn't resist the urge to sleep anymore. Her eyelids felt heavier by the second.

That made Lewis stiffen. He instantly lifted her face and murmured, "Josephine ..."

To Josephine, the former's voice sounded vague. She couldn't understand him because her tiredness had taken over. Josephine forced herself to stay awake for a second more. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, but she didn't have the strength.

As her arm fell, Lewis caught it and brought it to his cheek. His face was cold yet had a hint of warmth.

Josephine suddenly recalled sneaking into Lewis' room when she was younger. She couldn't help but caress his face. She retracted her arm when Lewis awoke and realized it was her. Yet, he pinned her hand down.

She remembered it had happened on a sunny afternoon. Lewis smiled at her then, and she saw a dazzling light in his intense gaze.

A smile curved onto Josephine's face just then. It felt like the Lewis in her memories was always dreamy, like a charming scene in a movie. All those moments became engraved in her heart.

Sadly, memories were only memories. Lewis had changed with time and was no longer the person in her memories.

She shut her eyes while her arm weakly slid out of his hold.

Lewis grabbed her hand again and placed it back against his cheek. His voice trembled and sounded more frail. It was as if the cold had affected him. "J-Josephine? Josie ..."

It had stopped snowing all of a sudden. Even the space fell into pure silence. As the wind blew, speckles of snow flung into the air. They darted around like wild beasts before landing on the ground again. Everything around them had gotten coated in white.

It was nighttime when they returned to the villa.

Yannis had been at unrest when he heard Lewis brought Josephine outdoors. He rushed out to intercept the two once the car's engine settled. Yannis panicked as he watched Lewis carry Josephine out. Josephine's face had burrowed into Lewis' embrace, so Yannis couldn't tell how she was doing. Even so, her limp arm that weakly dangled was enough to make Yannis pale.

He ran up, frowned with concern at Lewis, and asked, "Why have you brought her outdoors, Mr. Alvarez?"

He knew Josephine's body was weak, so no good would come from taking her out into the cold.

Lewis ignored Yannis and headed into the villa.

Yannis had no choice but to follow after the former. Once they were inside the bedroom, Yannis instantly checked Josephine's pulse. He remained silent for the longest time while doing so. "How is she?" Lewis asked while standing aside.

Yannis quivered as he tucked Josephine in. He then cautiously turned to face Lewis. The latter's gaze remained on Josephine's face.

Not once did Lewis spare Yannis any attention. His eyes had dulled as though all the colors in his life had vanished. In truth, he didn't need Yannis to tell him what had happened. He knew Josephine was already gone.

Yannis hesitated but instinctively tensed up when he noticed Lewis was looking at him.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Lewis asked.

Yannis gulped, then flashed a forced smile at the former. "M-My sincerest c-condolences, M-Mr. Alvarez ..."

He had just spoken when Lewis suddenly stood and kicked him. It sent him crashing against a wall before he fell onto the ground.

Pain overwhelmed his senses. Before he could process it, Lewis grabbed him by the collar and forced him back to the bed.

"Examine her again." Lewis sounded calm, but his actions proved he felt otherwise.

Yannis leaned against the bed while gulping the mouthful of blood he had coughed up from the impact earlier. His hands trembled as he reached out to feel for Josephine's pulse again.

Yet, the results were the same. He couldn't detect anything. Although he struggled to find her pulse before, he would still feel some slight twitches to indicate she was alive.

He had felt around for five minutes, yet there was no sign of life. Yannis even placed his fingers against Josephine's neck and used a stethoscope, but he still couldn't find anything to prove she was alive.

Lewis stood behind and focused on Yannis.

Yannis felt like he was being held at gunpoint. After several minutes, Lewis gripped the back of his collar and yanked him backward. After staggering briefly, Yannis crashed into the wall.

A cold smile was on Lewis' face as he sullenly asked, "How is she?"

Yannis gulped upon seeing the former's terrifying grin. "S-She's asleep."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Y-Yes. She fell asleep from being too fatigued," Yannis explained with a melancholic expression. He could only play along with Lewis, who knew the truth yet refused to accept it. Lewis was determined to remain in denial.

Only then did Lewis release Yannis. He even smoothed out the creases on the latter's collar. "That's good to hear."

Yannis wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. Before he could let out a relieved sigh, Lewis' voice rang out again. "It's time for dinner," Lewis said.

"I'll bring the food over!' Yannis exclaimed with wide eyes. Then, he crawled before getting onto his feet and running out of the room. He was so frantic that he slipped and tumbled down the stairs. "What's the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Mrs. Larson asked.

That was when Yannis grabbed her arm and muttered, "You need to get away from here at once, Mrs. Larson! You'll be in trouble if you don't!"

"What's all this about?"

"L-Lewis has gone mad..." Yannis was so terrified that he even said Lewis' name. The more he thought about Lewis' frightening glare earlier, the more his scalp tingled like he had seen a ghost. Mrs. Larson frowned. "Why don't you try it and tell me if you manage to flee? Didn't you previously get caught during an escape attempt?"

Yannis' shoulders slumped when he heard that. He weakly sat on the ground as he uttered, "There's nothing we can do now, then. We can only wait for our deaths."