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CHAPTER 11

It's been a few days since they saw each other. Earn gone before Lada awake and she slept before the other came home- or she wasn't sleep but didn't go outside of her room either. There was no text messages, no phone call, none.

Lada hated it that she must eat alone, she hated it she had to go to work without saying goodbye to her, she hated come home without Earn waiting for her.

She hated not having Earn around. At the same time she hated it she wasn't able to apologize and made it up to her.
She had a lot in her mind and the issue with Earn made it all worse.

Often she wanted to knock on her door or call or text her but she just can't do that. What if she redo what she did? She wasn't sure about herself- or what Earn her to do for that matter.

"Okay, drop it Lada. What the heck happen?"

"Nothing."

"I don't buy bull."

"...."

"You've been moping around for weeks now and you think I don't see the board schedule? Four- five surgeries for a day, are you insane? We hardly see you recently. What is it?" Bow pressed again.

"Nothing, mind your own business." She snapped.

"Something bothering you?"

"Wow, you really are stupid," She mid sarcastically. "I said nothing."

"And you're a jerk who happen to be jerkier when you had something bugged you." Bow spoke, unaffectionate.

Lada threw herself on the couch and took a sip form her cup. She gulped the water and let the cold slipped down to her throat.

"In a few days, it'll be three years since he's gone." She said quietly.

"Oh... you're right. So you've been thinking about that?"

Lada nodded.

"I miss him too, you know. We all do."

Lada kept silent.

"It's gonna be alright, Lada. You have to let him go. He's happy now."

"Well yeah, easy for you to say. You're not the one who witness it." Lada spoke absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry. But it'll be okay, Lada. It'll be okay." Bow patted her back.

______

Lada came home that night greeted by the stillness like the other night recently.

She went straight to her office without removing her shoes.

She opened a blue carton box and drew out a certain frame photo. It was taken few years back; the photo of them and Tan together in front of their University monument. It was their graduation day.

She was grinning proudly towards the camera. It was the day the world acknowledged her as a doctor, all her hard work paid off. Sam wasn't graduate yet, she was at her last year meanwhile and Tan skipped his work at hospital to come to the event.

They were all close.

The key was- were. Because there was no more Tan. She missed the brother she never had. She stopped herself from crying then put the frame back to its place.

The sadness overflowing her.

"Damn you," she whispered broken
heartedly.

*****

"Flashback"

"If you're ever going to back home, what would you do?"