Bus 732

Chapter 30: Lost and Not Found

Alina kept herself occupied by listening to En's playlist on her tablet. As she sat in the hospital, she focused on interpreting the music, finding solace in its rhythms and melodies. She patiently waited for En to return, where she had gone to quickly retrieve something from the bank.

"Come back as quickly as you can, okay? I'm going to miss you," Alina pouted as En prepared to leave the room.

"I'll be back soon, baby. I always come back to you," En responded with a smile, amused by Alina's childish display.

"I love you, baby," Alina said cheerfully.

"I love you too, baby. Always," En replied with a serious, sincere tone as she lifted Alina's face to meet her lips.

A long, passionate kiss was shared by the two women, as if they were reluctant to part and wished to remain in each other's arms forever.

As Alina continued to listen to the music, she felt another sharp twinge of pain in her chest. This time, she struggled to breathe and her vision began to blur. Desperate for help, she reached for the nurse call system beside her bed and pressed the button urgently.

The nurse rushed to Alina's room and found her on the brink of passing out, clutching her chest. Seeing the severity of the situation, the nurse immediately called for additional help.

Alina was rushed into the ICU as her heart condition worsened. The assisting doctor, explained to Alina's mother, who was waiting outside the operating room, that her daughter was in critical condition and needed immediate surgery. Fortunately, her heart donor had arrived, allowing the procedure to begin without delay.

After 8 long hours of waiting, Dr. Zhao emerged from the operating room. The surgery had been a success, but Alina would need to remain under observation until she regained consciousness. Her mother, overwhelmed with emotion, burst into tears of relief at the glimmer of hope from the doctor.

The bright rays of sunlight streaming through the window woke Alina, though the intensity made her eyes hurt as she opened them. It had been three days since her operation, and she slowly became aware of her surroundings. Her gaze drifted around the room, eventually landing on her mother, who was resting on the couch.

"Mom," Alina murmured.

Her mother jumped up at the sound of her daughter's voice, overjoyed to see her awake.

"Oh dear! I'm so happy you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"En. Where is En?" Alina asked, her voice weak.

"I'll call the doctor first, dear. Please don't try to speak too much yet. Hold on," her mother replied, rushing out of the room to summon the doctor.

It has been 5 days since Alina woke up, yet she still hadn't seen En. From what she had heard, Posy had also undergone emergency surgery on the same day as hers. However, En hadn't responded to any of Alina's messages or answered her calls, leaving Alina deeply worried about Posy's condition. As she was frantically calling En's phone, a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Hello, Alina! How are you?" Lou, a friend and neighbor, peeked through the door and greeted her.

"Hi, Lou! Please come in," Alina invited her.

Lou, one of the few who knew about Alina's relationship with En, had come by to visit after hearing about Alina's condition.

As Lou settled in, she began to recount an incident she witnessed from the restaurant a week ago. While dining with her boyfriend, she had seen En and Alina's mother sitting at a table behind her. Lou overheard the tense conversation where Alina's mother demanded that En stay away from her daughter and offered money to cover Posy's surgery.

Lou recalled how, after En received the urgent call from Sasha about Posy's surgery, there was a moment of silence before En abruptly stood up and rushed out of the restaurant. Shortly after, Alina's mother also received a call from the hospital and hurriedly left. When Lou looked behind to checked, both women and the envelope had disappeared.

Alina was left at a loss for words, her shock evident as she absorbed what Lou had shared. The idea that En might have decided to leave her was too painful to accept. Alina knew how stressed En had been over Posy's condition but couldn't fathom that it would lead her to stay away from her.

Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to understand how En could do this. After Lou departed, Alina remained speechless, her mind troubled and her heart aching with heartbreak.

Alina had to remain in bed rest for a month to fully recover from her surgery. Gradually, she was allowed to move around the house with the assistance of an in-house nurse her parents had hired. Throughout this time, Alina received no updates from En or about Posy's condition following the surgery.

Two months had swiftly passed, and Alina walked along the busy streets of town. Her thoughts were constantly on En. Having fully recovered from her surgery, she was now free to leave the house. Alina had planned to visit the farm in a few days to see En and check on Posy's condition. As she sat at a table outside a coffee shop, listening to En's playlist, she heard someone call her name from a distance.

"Jiejie! (older sister)"

Posy waving at her from a distance.

Alina's face lit up with joy as she saw Posy, radiating a cheerful aura, running towards her. Behind her, Bian chased the little girl.

"Posy! Oh dear! I'm so happy to see you doing okay," Alina said, her eyes welling with tears as she embraced Posy in a heartfelt hug.

"I'm so happy to see you too, jiejie!" Posy responded with a bright smile.

Alina's gaze searched the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of En.

"Where is big sister, Posy?" she asked the little girl.

"She left, jiejie. And I miss her already," Posy answered, her eyes filled with sadness.

At that moment, the reality that En had truly left hit Alina hard. Her heart ached as she absorbed the weight of Posy's words, feeling a profound sense of loss and heartbreak.

"Hey naughty kid, I thought you and Bian are going to the flower shop right now?"

Sasha uttered as she approached Posy and Alina.

"Oh! Sorry Sasha."

Posy answered her.

"Jiejie, I have to go now!"

Posy says to Alina. She grabbed Bian's hand and walked with her towards the flower shop.

"Let's talk."

Sasha asked Alina who still is a little bit dazed.