Ceo's favorite idol (open Ending )

Chapter 47

2 years later..
The first few months in the hospital were hell. I had a few broken bones in my fingers, a broken nose, busted lip, and 2 broken ribs, along with several bruises. Max, recounted the events that led to my injuries. After he went to the warehouse, he immediately called an ambulance when he saw me on the security cameras, clinging to Nhu's leg while blood pooled around us. It took days for the police to locate Toss, the man responsible for the attack, but it took months to find Anna. She had help from her father, who was involved in shady underground businesses. As the police investigated Anna's disappearance, they stumbled upon her father's money laundering schemes and other criminal activities. He was arrested for fraud and aiding a fugitive among other charges.

Two years later, I finally decided to visit Anna in prison. Toss had acted out of vengeance—his ego bruised when I called him out during one of our trips to Korea. The darkness consumed him, leading him down a destructive path. But Anna? Her actions puzzled me. She had feelings for me once, but I had made it clear that my heart belonged to Nhu. We couldn't be together. At some point, she seemed to accept this reality. So what changed? Why did she take it so far? I even considered her a friend. Now I'm required by my therapist to see her. I really don't want to.

I arrived a bit earlier than my scheduled time to the prison. I just wanted to get it over with. I couldn't stop fidgeting with the small silk scarf that belonged to Nhu. I brought it to my nose and sniffed his scent, helping me to calm down a bit. I put it on my face and closed my eyes.

"Mr. Pruk," I heard the prison guard call for me. He ushered me to the security check, and after confirming that I was safe, they took me to meet Anna.

I saw her through the big one-way glass wall. She looked the same but with no makeup or her famous long nails. They let me into the room and closed the door behind them. Anna beamed as she saw me.

"Zee, you came to see me," her voice filled with both joy and sadness, she tried to reach out to me, but her chained hands stopped her. I sat down and fidgeted more with Nhu's scarf. She saw it, and her face dropped. Of course, she recognized it. He wore it to 'secretly' meet her once.
"I'm... sorry," Anna said, her voice trembling.
"Mhm," I responded, not knowing what else to say."I'm glad you came—" she began, but I interrupted her."My therapist requested I come," I admitted, feeling the need to be honest.
"Oh... I'm glad you listened, I don't get vistors" Anna replied, her tone filled with both gratitude and regret.

Silence hung in the air as we sat there, waiting for the visiting time to end. It was only supposed to be 30 minutes, but I had told my therapist that I could handle no more than 10.

"The images of that night still haunt me," Anna whispered after a moment of silence.

"Good," I said sharply, unable to hide the bitterness in my voice.

"Being here for over a year made me realize that I was a nasty person," she confesses, her voice barely audible. "The friends I thought I had never came to see me. Not even once. I tried calling them, but they don't answer. I like lying to myself by saying they are probably busy or they changed their numbers."

I shift uncomfortably in my chair, unsure of how to respond. "It's tough when people disappoint us," I offer cautiously.

She glances up at me, her eyes hollow. "It made me realize that you were the only one apart from my dad there for me." Her voice wavers. "When I was relapsing, you were there to help me without judgment, and all I did was get nhu-"

"Don't call him by his nickname," I say firmly. She doesn't deserve to say his name.

Her shoulders slump, and she looks defeated. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, her gaze dropping. "I hope you forgive me."

I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "We all make mistakes," I reply gently. "And forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves as much as others."

She nods, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispers.
I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. Maybe this time, forgiveness can heal more than just old wounds.
I was glad that I got that over with. I did kind of lie though. I haven't fully forgiven, but I had to lie so that I would not be called by her every other day asking to be forgiven. I couldn't block her because you can't block landlines, and I couldn't change my number because that's more troublesome. I've had this number for years, and it's connected to a lot of things—my business associates use it to call me.

Talking about business, my father handed the record label to me. He said that he wants to retire and told me about his dreams of traveling for a while. It was weird having insightful conversations with my dad. He has always been closed off, but he has been close to me since I was admitted to the hospital. He would sit next to me every time I would scream my lungs out for Nhu. He would comfort me. He was the one who got me Nhu's scarf.

Nhu's landlord needed new tenants, so Nhu's things had to be moved. My dad helped with that and got me Nhu's scarf and perfume. I guess the best people to help you with sorrows are the ones who have lived through them.

"how was meeting Anna?" my father asks me carefully . I rearrange Nhu's stuff for the millionth time. I do this every time I feel stressed. "Fine," I say, pouring out his neatly picked vests and refolding them. "It doesn't look like it went well," my dad points out. I ignore him. Why point out the obvious? After I'm done refolding his vest, I move to the next box filled with opera vinyls. I open it and shift them so that I can put them in alphabetical order again. I look up, sensing my dad's eyes on me. He isn't really looking at me; it's more like through me, with sad eyes.

"At least I can go outside without hearing about that night," I say, trying to break him out of his trance. When the incident happened, all I could hear for the past year and a half were conspiracies about what happened that night—from gossip blogs to YouTube vlogs to news reports. After Anna and Toss made their statements and the real story came out, more people thankfully lost interest in it. I'm also thankful that people find it too taboo to ask me about Nhu during interviews.

"I think you should hang out with Max some more," my father says. I want to, but my heart can't take it. Every time Max talks about his lover, my skin burns with jealousy, and I can't tell him to shut up. What kind of friend would I be?

"You know, I feel like going over to his house," I tell my father, picking up another box of Nhu's stuff and pouring it out to rearrange it all over again.

My dad sighs, pats my shoulder, and is about to leave. He turns back to me. "Try to visit him, Nunew; maybe it will help, and I think I'll stay with you, helping you with the company and other things until you have fully recovered. " he says before leaving.

I pick up Nhu's shoes, untie and retie his laces. My dad is right. Maybe visiting Nhu would help with my recovery journey, but I'm scared. The guilt is eating me up. Should I bring flowers? What kind? Maybe his favorite flowers. But he won't really see them, so does it matter? It matters to me. What else should I bring? I have seen people bring stuffies and dolls for their loved ones. Some people bring things that the person cherished. But I want all of Nhu's things to stay here with me. They are safer here. 
....
I woke up feeling my stomach move around weirdly. It's probably the anxiety. I put on a white button-up and black trousers because Nhu has said he loves me in them. My dad has offered to accompany me there. I bought a huge bouquet of flowers and a family set of Sylvanian Families white rabbits. I walk to where Nhu is resting. Each step feels heavy, the Sylvanian dolls weighing down for the same reason. I try to turn back, but my father pushes me forward. I feel my throat close up. "I can't do this," I try to give my father the gifts. He shakes his head, "No, you must do this," he shoves me a little bit harder. "We are not leaving until you do this," he says, making me walk forward.

"Morning, sirs, can I help you?" a woman asks. Based on how she's dressed, you could tell she works here. My dad explains to her where we are going, and she offers to accompany us. "Here you are," she says kindly, smiling and leaving. My dad pushes me forward before he leaves. There lies Nhu, in a coma, looking peaceful...

Fin