What Separates Me and You

"You may leave." Lewis glanced at the person on the bed who was writhing in pain and added, "Give her some painkillers."

Dr. Halliday took a bottle of painkillers from his bag and handed it to Lewis. "She should take less of this. It works wonders but induces overdependence."

Lewis took the bottle and sat beside Josephine. He helped her sit up and fed her one pill.

She barely had any strength left by then. She lay limply in his arms, her teary eyes focused on him.

Her hair was damp from sweat and messily plastered to her face. She looked so pathetic.

Lewis swept her hair away from her face and said in a low voice, "It's alright now. You'll feel better in minutes."

Josephine's eyes started losing focus when she heard his persuasive voice.

She leaned on him and sniffed his scent; it felt familiar.

He patted her back and caressed her head.

Slowly, the pain subsided. Her eyelids struggled to stay open, but she soon fell asleep in Lewis' arms.

When she was sound asleep, he put her back on the bed, tucked her under the blanket, and left the bedroom.

He instructed Conrad to get the medications Dr. Halliday prescribed. Dr. Halliday gave him a few more, and Conrad casually stuffed them into the drawer of the coffee table. Once Lewis opened the drawer, he was surprised to find a wide array of medicine inside.

His face changed as he stared at the numerous bottles in the drawer. He had never realized when Josephine started to take so many different pills. Lewis took them all out. He could understand the need for every one of them except for one. Why was there a tocolytic drug?

Before he could mull over it, he received a call from Seth. He glanced at the medicine and stuffed it back into the drawer before he went upstairs.

Josephine woke up in the middle of the night. She clambered up from bed and scanned her surroundings. The silence was deafening. Clutching her sleeves nervously, she walked out of the room. There was no one outside too.

Josephine was scared. She descended the stairs and searched the living room, yet no one was there. Without hesitation, she immediately walked toward the front door. She opened it and bolted out, the darkness engulfing her figure in the blink of an eye.

In the study, Lewis had just gone through the work accumulated over these few days. Pinching his brows, he went to the bedroom just to find the door wide open. His eyelid twitching, he entered the room. It was empty. "Mrs. Larson!"

Mrs. Larson came out from another room while rubbing her eyes. She looked like she had just woken up. "What is it, Master Lewis?"

"Where is she?"

Mrs. Larson snapped awake when she heard Lewis' query. She briskly jogged to the bedroom door and looked in. What she saw scared her out of her wits.

Her face paled at a remarkable speed. She stuttered, "I-I was sure the madam was sound asleep before I entered my room."

Lewis' face darkened, and his eyes seemed to burn into Mrs. Larson. "That's why I'm asking. Where is she now?"

"I'll look for her!" She dared not dawdle. She searched all the rooms on the second floor and everywhere downstairs but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Lewis had already drawn his phone to check Josephine's location. She was in a dark place, and the image was shaking violently. He couldn't make out where Josephine was at that moment. Neither did Josephine. She darted through the cold night in her pajamas. Her feet were bare, and her toes were red-numb, even-with frost.

However, she was unaware of that. She only had one thought-to run toward where there was light. No matter how hard Josephine ran, it always seemed brighter ahead. So she kept running, hoping to see a living soul.

This neighborhood was extremely remote, and it was rare to see anyone strolling about at night, less so at this hour of the night. There weren't even any dogs around, let alone humans.

After who knew how long, Josephine was finally out of energy and flopped on the roadside limply. The chilly wind nipped at her ears, cheeks, hands, and legs. She hugged herself as her stomach started to ache.

Burying her head between her knees, she couldn't restrain herself from weeping. At that moment, she felt a sense of deja vu-like she had experienced the exact situation before.

But when she tried to remember more, she couldn't.

Loneliness and fear enshrouded her like the inky night sky above her.

She couldn't help but contemplate her identity. Where was she from, and where was she headed? Who were her family? Why did her presence seem abrupt, like a being the world had shunned? She knew no one, and everything she laid eyes upon was unfamiliar. She felt like a lone traveler on earth whenever she opened her eyes.

The more she tried to remember, the further her memories seemed. Her head started aching alongside the physical pain she was enduring. She hugged her head as the excruciating pain was too much to bear However, she fell off the step she was sitting on and curled tightly into a ball on the ground.

Suddenly, a glaring light shone on her and into her line of sight.

She opened her eyes after some struggling and vaguely saw a car stopping before her, from which a tall figure got off. She slowly reached out toward that figure, but her hand eventually drooped as darkness swallowed her consciousness.

In the dark, she dreamed an everlasting dream. She saw many scenes that were foreign yet strangely familiar but mostly incomprehensible. She also detected that blurry figure standing in the light, which her fingers never touched though she extended her arm. That figure was exceedingly familiar. She tried her best to go nearer, but the distance between them was constantly the same-not too far, yet not too near. Regardless of her efforts, she couldn't reach that figure.

The glaring light appeared again, stabbing her in the eyes as they snapped open.

An entirely white ceiling welcomed her. She was about to sit upright, but the pain was so overwhelming she fell back helplessly.

The bedroom was silent, and she was still alone.

This time, Josephine didn't dare to run out again. She could only grab the blanket and pull it over her head to feel safer.

Today was the day of Daphne's trial.

Lewis wasn't at home. He was at court, attending the hearing. Only Layla insisted on proceeding with the lawsuit after Derek withdrew. From the start, Layla looked listless and weary, as though she knew her chances of winning were slight. As expected, the judge's final verdict was to sentence Daphne to three years of imprisonment.

Daphne was relieved to know the results. It turned out her brother was on her side, after all. He must've done his utmost to achieve this result.

It was an important day today. Many, including Nancy, were there. Nancy looked toward Layla, who was also looking at her. Their gazes met, and Layla didn't even bother to hide her hatred, allowing it to show on her weary face. She would've charged toward Nancy and torn her to pieces if circumstances permitted. Nancy saw her and gave her a provocative smile, irking Layla so much that her knuckles incessantly popped as she cracked them with all her might.

"Lewis, let's go home," said Nancy, withdrawing her gaze.

Everyone was dispersing. Lewis didn't stay any longer. He got up and left the court with Nancy. When they arrived at the parking lot, he seemed to recall something and said to Nancy, "You go back first. I have some matters to attend to."

"What matters?"