Chapter 55 The Dream

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Cassandra's dream was so surreal that it lasted unbelievably long.

In her dreams, the sky was clear and a gentle wind kissed her sun-bathed face. Luscious grasslands extended over the horizon and fragrant fumes from the budding petals were dispersed by the wind. The peaceful scene was perfected by zestful laughter and sweet words of love whispered on her ears.

She was lost in Rufus' embrace; she had never felt such love and passion overflow in just a simple gesture of affection. The way he held her made her feel that no storm could harm her as long as she was with him. His arms were such a stronghold and she couldn't ask for more.

The dream was overwhelming, but the reality was harsh. No matter how elated the dream was, eventually Cassandra had to wake up and continue with her real life which was the exact opposite of her fantasies.

She managed to open her heavy eyes and tried blinking for several times. Once, twice, thrice...she was playing with her eyes to test whether she was still dreaming or she was already back to reality. Rufus who was silently observing her and fascinated by her actions.

Steadily, Cassandra held her eyes open and stared blankly at the ceiling. Lifting her head, she caught sight of Rufus who was just sitting by the sofa beside the bed. It surprised her to see him and she couldn't avert her eyes from staring at his attractive face.

'So I must still be dreaming, ' Cassandra thought as he had exactly the same emotions in his eyes, tender and caring.

She gazed up at him, not before long the tenderness in his eyes seemed to subside.

"Well, you sleep like a baby. It's been almost 20 hours. Are you playing the Sleeping Beauty?"

His eyebrows creased with discontent, and his eyes emitted impatience, waking her up from her reveries.

His words made her gather herself and drift away from her daydreams. She suddenly realized that she was in a hospital, after noticing the bare white walls and the familiar smell.

Pieces of what had happened flashed back in her mind, and the last thing she could remember was being taken into the emergency room, then everything went blank. What happened after...? She didn't have a clue.

The reverie was broken by the screeching of the door as it was pushed open. Cloris walked in and her face was filled with excitement seeing that Cassandra had been conscious.

"Cassandra, my dear sister! I'm so glad you are awake now!"

She giggled excitedly as she rushed towards the patient. Cassandra wanted to say something in response to her sister's excitement but she didn't get a chance. Cloris kept throwing out questions and just couldn't stop herself from talking.

"Cassandra, do you know that you were still in a coma when I came this morning...The doctor said that you had a fever and you would need some good rest, so I went back...Now you seemed much better. Finally, you have regained your consciousness! Are you hungry? You haven't eaten for so many hours. Do you want me to buy some food for you?"

When finally Cloris paused to give Cassandra some time to respond, Rufus coughed intentionally to let his presence be acknowledged.

"I've already asked Victor to buy some porridge. It would be good for her empty stomach, as it is noting going to cause any irritation."

Cloris's attention was grabbed by Rufus. For the first time of their many acquaintances, she was dazed at the handsome features of Rufus' face. He looked different at a closer view - there was something in his eyes that attracted her. She couldn't stop her heart from palpitating and found it hard to breathe.

Cassandra, on the other hand, started to wonder, 'I remember it was Lionel who brought me to the hospital, but why is Rufus here attending to me now?'

Enjoying the infatuations she felt towards Rufus, Cloris searched for the appropriate words she could address to Rufus. With her face blushed, she put on a warm grin and asked, "By the way, Rufus, why are you here with Cassandra?"

Rufus was not showing much emotion on his face. A slice of fatigue flashed across his dark brown eyes.

"I happened to be visiting a friend here, and figured I should drop by to check on her."

Finding an easy excuse, he carefully concealed his deep concerns for Cassandra. Upon hearing his reason, a cute grin appeared on her face, and Cloris blurted out, "Oh, I see. So that was the reason why you were here when I came just this morning! Since you are still here when I'm back now,

"Do you know what you did wrong? It's alright if you just wanted to own me. But you should not have helped Molly leave me!"

When Brian learns the truth, there is no chance for Hannah to win his heart.

Molly, who wants to run away from Brian, seems to be the only one to blame for Hannah's misfortune...

lped clear some of his distress away. In a much more relaxed mood, he began to explain, "All this time I'm bothered by my son."

Cassandra reached out her clenched fist and started unfolding her fingers as if counting one by one.

"Not a family man? Unwilling to marry? Refusing to have a child? Or not getting along with his wife? Which one of those about your son is bothering you? Would you mind sharing it with me?"

Though her question was so direct, the old man didn't feel offended and replied straight forward, "My son doesn't want to follow my path to take over our family business. He just wants to follow his own way of life. Tropical rainforests, plains, and deserts, are the places he love. He would take his camera with him and stay there for months without returning home. My wife and I are always worried about him and his future."

Cassandra held an envious expression.

"Wow, he has been to so many interesting places! In my case, the only place that I have been to is Rome. I haven't got a chance to go to other places even if I want to."

The old man, however, was not totally excited as Cassandra was. Instead, he put on a helpless smile.

"My wife and I used to lose contact with him for a couple of weeks. After all, he is my only child. Who knows what would happen to him when he is in the wild. All the family members want him to come back to take the responsibility for our family business. But he is so stubborn and just wants to play around with the animals and the plants," the old man complained.

The light in Cassandra's eyes now dwindled. On her mind raced the thought that…

Somewhere out there, there was someone who was so bold enough to pursue his dreams and live the life he wanted. He was living his life to the fullest disregarding the immense pressure from the family. Sadly, in her case, Cassandra was too weak to dare and she was never given the chance.

'I envy this man's son. I want to marry the person I love. I want to have a simple life with him and be with him for the rest of my life. I am willing to give up all the luxuries of life just to be happy with him, ' she thought to herself.

Ironically, in reality, she decided to give up her own life for the sake of her family. She didn't want her parents to suffer. Then she ended up with Lionel, the man whom she married without even the slightest affection.

Noticing that Cassandra was indulged in her own thoughts, the old man tried to console her back, "My fair lady, you are so young. What is bothering you? I can be some help if you don't mind sharing it with me."

She didn't know whether it was because of the lovely scent of the flowers, the gentle moonlight, or the cold wind which resembled her feelings, but somehow she felt a rare urge to express her thoughts to this strange old man.

"What has been bothering me all this time is...I have fallen in love with a person, who is not supposed be loved by me," she stated with a voice full of despair.