Page 79 of Sixty Meters Under

“Can I go with you?”

“Thanks. But there’s no need,” Lennart said and pulled the handle of the door. “See you later. Okay?”

Lennart stormed into the hallway and ran. He used the stairs, and when he got to the desired level he searched for the right door and pushed it open. Doctor Olsson leaned over his mother with the nurse on the other side of the bed. Hugo stood at a safe distance and locked eyes with him when he entered.

“How is she?” Lennart asked, catching his breath.

“She’s stable,” Hugo informed him, and Lennart sighed in relief. He stopped beside the old man and kept his voice even. “What happened to her?”

“I found her passed out on the floor in her private room.”

“How could that happen?”

“Doctor Olsson said it’s most likely a reaction from her medication. They pumped out her stomach just in case she overdosed,” Hugo explained.

Lennart’s eyes widened.

Hugo shook his head and sighed. “She didn’t answer my calls, so I went to check if everything was okay. I found her face down on the floor beside the bed.”

Only now did it occur to Lennart how bad things could have ended. His insides squeezed and he held his breath.

“The doctor will monitor her now. He said she should be out of danger,” Hugo added.

Lennart looked at the doctor’s and nurse’s hunched backs.Thank goodness! I really hope so.

?

“You have such a handsome fiancé.” Ryosuke heard Scarlett’s voice and felt her fingers running through his hair.

“Don’t touch him!”

“I can touch whoever I want.”

“Whore!”

Scarlett’s white tight dress was covered in red. Ryosuke gasped when he saw the liquid soaking through the material and grabbed a napkin from the table. He pressed it to her chest, but it wasn’t enough to stop the spread.

“We need to wash this!” he breathed out and looked at Scarlett’s horrified face.

He tried to wipe harder but to no avail.

Scarlett took his hands in hers. “Come with me, dear,” she whispered, and he followed.

Suddenly they were in the restroom, and she handed him paper tissues. Ryosuke took the stack with shaky fingers and pressed them to her cleavage. The tissues were soon soaked, making Ryosuke jump and pull his hands away.

Scarlett smiled and tilted her head to the side. “What’s the matter, Ryosuke?” She grabbed his hands.

Ryosuke looked at his hands stained with blood.

“What are you afraid of?” She brushed off a strand of hair from his forehead.

“I… I…” Ryosuke struggled to choose the right words. There was something he wanted to say; it scratched the back of his mind, but he wasn’t sure what it was.

Out of nowhere, Scarlett pressed him against the sink and connected their lips. Ryosuke’s eyes widened, and he wanted to push her away, but he didn’t have enough strength. His body flew forward when he pushed as hard as he could, and he opened his eyes with a scream.

Ryosuke gasped and sat up, his whole body drenched in sweat. His mind overflowed with memories, and he looked around the dimly lit room trying to recall where he was. When he spotted the shadow of the bars, he shivered and a new wave of sadness overwhelmed him.

He cupped his head with both hands and shut his eyes tight. While his mind rumbled, he began to recall some forgotten details from the party.