My Darling I am no More

chapter 22 A Haunting Dream

While Hazel was napping, she had a nightmare. In her dream, she saw someone beating her and locking her in a dark room. There were no lights, windows, or any sound. It felt like she was sleeping in a dark, cold grave. The feeling was strange. Then suddenly, the scene changed. She saw herself in a hospital gown, but she looked like a skeleton. She saw herself from a third-person perspective, looking sad and constantly glancing in one direction. When she turned, she saw a room that looked like a hospital room. Inside, an old lady sat in the bed, and a woman sat in a chair beside her. Hazel couldn't see the woman's face clearly. As Hazel got closer, she saw that the old lady was her mother, calling someone "Hazel." The woman in the chair made her mother sleep, then ran out of the room, closing the door behind her. She sat on the floor and started crying, repeating, "Mom, I'm not Hazel, I'm Eliza."

Hazel was shocked. She looked at the woman on the floor. Half of her face was unrecognizable. She seemed to be between 30 and 45 years old, but on closer look, Hazel noticed a mole under her right eye, just like her little sister Eliza. When the woman turned, Hazel saw her looking at Eliza with a sad face. Hazel didn't understand this dream. What happened to her, her mother, and her sister? Where were her brother and father? Hazel started crying. She didn't want to see this anymore. She closed her eyes and screamed, wishing someone would wake her up. Suddenly, someone shook her shoulder.

When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother, father, and brother in front of her, all healthy. She kept taking deep breaths and asked, "Where's Eliza?" Her mother hugged her and said, "Did you forget Eliza is at her university in the Capital City?" Hazel slowly came back to her senses, but she couldn't stop her tears. Her father and brother's faces kept changing. Both Mr. Wilson and Adam felt pain seeing Hazel in this condition. Hazel wouldn't let her mother go anywhere, so Mrs. Wilson put her to sleep and lay beside her. Adam and Mr. Wilson came out of the room.

Then Adam received a call from the police station saying they had captured Mark Walker and his Uncle. Adam wanted to rush to the station, and Mr. Wilson wanted to go too, but Adam told him it might get complicated if he came. So, Mr. Wilson stayed home, taking a day's leave. He went to the kitchen to cook Hazel's favorite dish. He believed that even if Hazel didn't want to eat, she would when she saw her father making something for her.

When Adam reached the police station, he heard the shouts of Mark and his Uncle claiming they were innocent and that the police should arrest Edward Wilson for beating Mark so badly. Adam confronted them. His juniors backed away. Adam told the Walkers they still hadn't learned their lesson and grabbed Mark and his Uncle's collars. He reminded them of the CCTV footage from the day they met his mother and sisters, and how Mrs. Wilson told them they had nothing to do with them. He demanded to know why Mark went to meet Hazel and for what reason. It was complete harassment.

Mark defended himself by saying he just saw Hazel by chance and wanted to clear up a misunderstanding. Adam became furious. He asked what Mark had to do with his sister, if she ever talked to him, or if she had anything to do with him that required an explanation. Hazel had never even met Mark before. So why was he disturbing his sister's life, and why did he need to explain anything to Hazel? There was no reason. Adam pointed out that he knew Mark was following his sister, and he had proof. This shocked Mark.

Panicked, Mark stammered. Adam pressed on, giving him one chance to tell the truth about why he was following Hazel. Otherwise, things wouldn't end at the police station; they'd go to court, and Mark would be arrested for harassment. Adam also threatened to destroy Mark's reputation.