EMPTY SHELL

It's been days since Blanche was worried sick about her cousin. It is unusual for Sumire to skip breakfast and became silent. She doesn't even eat the hidden snacks in the big fridge inside her room. She no longer touches her favorite unnamed dessert, like her cravings for fruit and ice cream, marshmallows, and milkshakes she dearly loves.

It's also rare to see the maiden never fights Narco when she is the one who consumed her own food. Though Sumire was no longer crying than the last time, she can be seen hugging the hotdog pillow while staring into the nothingness. She doesn't utter even a single word and just stays in the same position.

Blanche sighed heavily as if Sumire was like a broken living doll now. Her eyes freeze. She doesn't bother to blink. Those orbs seem like a hole of dark abyss; dull and dead. No sign of emotions cruising in her beautiful pair of midnight orbs. She no longer cares to fix her messy hair. Sumire used to put on light makeup to make her babies look handsome and beautiful when they were born. But now she doesn't groom herself anymore or dressed properly. She seemed to abandon herself to longing and despair.

"Dad, can we make Mort's standee for her? Or what, uhm...replace Sumire's body pillow with a plushie pillow with Mort's face on it." Blanche suggested to his Dad standing next to him with arms crossed on his chest.

Both were at the doorstep, watching Sumire with a somber look and engulfed with sadness. Chadwick turn to his son and eyed him in disbelief. He was also worried about his niece, but the maiden had not been through a day like that, and his son was worried sick as if Sumire had been like that for a whole month.

"Call the maidservants. They will tidy and clean Sumire up. Let them prepare the food for her." Chadwick said turning his back and leaving the maiden's room to go to his hospital.

Blanche obeyed his command but the maiden doesn't want to be touched and refused anybody around her. One of the maidservants attempted to touch her when Sumire cast a dangerous glare at the poor servant who quickly withdraw the hand.

"Don't touch me," Sumire said menacingly, emphatically, and coldly, almost killing the maidservants around through her piercing stare.

She glared at them to make them stay further away from her. Sumire manage to strike fear in their heart and all the maidservants left the room in a hurry without her saying anything. Blanche just sighed at what he witnessed. Facing her back, he was about to approach Sumire when the maiden spoke.

"Leave me alone, please," Sumire begged, not throwing a single glance at her cousin who was worried about her. Head lowered, Blanche could do nothing but follow what she said. He decided to go back to her later.

When Blanche left her alone in the room, Sumire broke into tears and began to sob as she buried her face in the soft pillow. She badly misses Mort so much. She can't help it. Her mind tells her to eat but her body is not agreeing with her. She is like an empty battery. The twins in her tummy don't want to feed either. It shouldn't be but her body and muscles don't want to move right now. Mort was the only thing on her mind. She longed for him, his warmth and embrace. Her hand was shaking earlier, stopping herself from calling him. She wanted to hear his voice but due to the circumstances, she couldn't. Sumire didn't want to ruin everything she had planned.

"What should I do?" Sumire said between her tears streaming down her cheek, soaking her pillow. She picked up the phone on the nearside table and stared at Mort's pictures saved on her phone.

Laughter and cries are all she did as she scrolls through her gallery. With every picture, she can vividly recall what happened on that day when it was taken. The sadness and happiness now mixed all together in her chest. Sumire keeps on scrolling through the picture until she succumbs to deep slumber with an empty stomach.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Narco arrived at the manor. He headed straight to Sumire's room and entered inside. He found Sumire asleep and holding her phone with a picture of Mort who was topless with icing on both cheeks. Though the stolen shot of photos was a little blurry, Narco could see the joy in his father's eyes. Even if Mort wasn't smiling on the camera, the expression on his face was so light that if he didn't know him well, Narco wouldn't think he was a Mafia King.

Narco took the phone from her hand and scanned more of the pictures. Mort was cruel and without pity, and rules the Underground with just and fair. His dad was a known cold beast, pitiless and strict, he is unreactive to prayer or pleas of mercy. He is disliked and feared by other mafias, elites from the surface world alike for his fierce and unrelenting personality. Despite his dark personality, he was loved by his wife, Sumire. Seeing him with the maiden, his Dad seemed to be madly in love with the only woman who warms his frozen heart.

Narco cast a glance at the sleeping beauty yet beast before he placed the phone back on her side table. He gently shake her shoulder to wake her up and Sumire groaned with a slight frown.

"What?" Sumire grumpily asked with her eyes half closed, eyeing him brazenly. She knew right away it was Narco who woke her up even if her eyes were tightly closed. Her bed hair was so messy that it covered her face.

"Damn, you are ugly." Narco answered and made Sumire sit on the bed properly. Kneeling on the bed, he combed her hair and the maiden don't bother to complain.

Sumire noticed the band-aids on Narco's hands. Each finger has a band-aid to cover his cut and a bandage was wrapped on both of his palms.

"I hate you. Why do I have to do this? I am supposed to kill people right now. There are many things on my hitlist but I can't do it because of you." Narco complained while rummaging through the maiden's closet for clothes. He took one of her oversized t-shirt, panty shorts, and a towel. He then pulled Sumire to the bathroom.

"Take a bath," Narco ordered calmly but the maiden just stared at him brazenly. With a deep sigh, he pulled her inside the bathroom and put her in the bathtub with her clothes still on.

"Sumire, you are not a cripple. Were you once a devil?" The young man added and motioned for Blanche, who was silently looking at them, to come closer.

"Help this ugly witch," Narco told him and Blanche gave him a thumbs up. Blanche didn't want to make noise and her cousin might kick him out again.

Narco tapped Blanche on the shoulder before leaving the bathroom. He then began to prepare the steak that Mort himself had taught him. They had a video call in the middle of the war in the Underground. Narco could hear a series of gunshots on the other line and the hiss of the bullet passing through the air. Mort was carrying a high-caliber gun while one hand holding his phone, teaching Narco to cook. They are in a difficult situation earlier while his Dad was on a video call with him. Mort almost got hit by a bullet when Narco made a mistake when putting the spice. Mort's focus was not on his enemy anymore but on Narco's cooking. He was already looking at the phone, face so close to the screen checking carefully if everything Narco did was correct.

"Son, are you trying to kill her?"

Mort asked in a serious tone when he put too much butter on the side dish he was cooking now. His finger slipped on the trigger, and the explosion came, deafening in its thunderous exultation, the bullet ripping the air.

"Throw it away and make another one," Mort commanded and Narco quickly obeyed. The young man already has a lot of burns and cuts on his hand. Narco didn't think that he would be wounded in the hand not by killing his enemies but by cooking.

"Why do I have to do this?" Narco complains under his breath and Mort's thick eyebrows squinted into a thin line.

"Say it again," Mort said in a warning tone, threatening him. Roll his eyes, Narco zip his mouth shut and continues what he is doing.

"Don't stir it too hard but not too slow. Why are you bad at this?" Mort said, now irritated. His visage was too close to the screen of his phone.

"Tsk-tsked." Narco responded with a shake of his head. When he finished cooking, Mort taught him how to do platter arrangements and all the food he serve on Sumire's table. The young man could do nothing but follow his Dad's command.

When everything was done, Mort ended the call and continued the battle without getting rid of the worries for the maiden. He just wanted to finish everything. Get the hell out of this hellish world and be back on her side again.

'Damn it.' Mort cussed on the back of his mind and shot one of his enemies right straight to his forehead. If only he knew that Fergus would destroy everything just because of the unnamed weapon that didn't arrive to him as Vladimir stole it, he should have killed him if he knew ahead Fergus was the one he would have next to battle with.

While Mort was fighting in the Underground, Sumire was crying while looking at the table. How everything is arranged, including the delicious aroma of the steak and other food on the table floating in the air is the same as Mort's. She felt the hunk was home. That he is the one who cooked and prepared everything for her. But she is not stupid enough not to know it was all Narco's efforts. He probably asked his father for help to prepare the dishes looking at the number of band-aids on his finger with a bandage wrapped around his palm.

"Stop crying. Just eat." Narco grumpily said and the maiden nodded while wiping her cheeks wet with tears with a tissue.

Blanche, on the other hand, blew Sumire's wet hair with a hair dryer and gently combed it. Sumire then digs into the delicious food in front of her. She skipped breakfast and lunch and only now did she feel hungry.

"What are you going to do after this? Do you want to wander around?" Blanche asked and seated opposite her after he has done combing her hair. Sumire replied to him with a shake of her head.

"I just wanna stay on my bed all day after eating this," Sumire said with food chewing in her mouth. Even if she goes out to distract herself, she will still think of Mort.

The hunk always visits her even in her sleep. He is the man in her dream, literally. Sumire decided to stay at home. She is surely safe and sounds here inside the manor.

"Okay. Just tell us what you need. Anything." Blanche responded. Sumire nodded and continued feasting on the food. She slowly began to lighten up.

Narco, on the other hand, watching them, received a message from Mort. The young man's eyes slightly widened when he read the content. Head shook in disbelief. 'Damn.' said Narco in his mind, cursing audibly at what he reads.

After Sumire finished her brunch, she had tea on the terrace of her room, looking at the garden that her uncle Chadwick made for her. It is said to be healthy for pregnant women like her. Blanche, on the other hand, now lost all his worry after seeing Sumire become lively again. Narco left the place without informing them. He just disappeared like a bubble popping in the air.

The night came, Sumire only ate fruit for dinner especially since she had eaten more meat earlier. Though she feels now okay but she can't get rid of the sadness as she still misses Mort.

Twelve o'clock at midnight, the night is deep, and the silvery moon is dotted with the dark blue night sky peeking into her room, Sumire was fast asleep. Mort arrived at Chadwick's manor carrying her favorite flowers and fruits. As well as Sumire's cravings that he made himself.

"You sure know the right time to be romantic." Chadwick greeted Mort sarcastically who was now going upstairs. He had just arrived from the hospital.

"I believe Narco already told you that I'm coming," Mort replied. Chadwick flashes a smirk.

"Narco told me you'd come but he didn't tell me that you are going to bring two rascals with you," Chadwick said in a sardonic tone again. His laughter echoed throughout the place when he saw how the twins lowered their heads at what he said.

"Kidding aside," Chadwick added as he entered his library leaving them silent. Mort just shook his head. He then proceeded to Sumire's room.

The hunk entered the dimmed chamber with only a small light from the lampshade the moonlight beams lit her room. He found Sumire sleeping peacefully on the bed. Leroy and Lyric who had tailed him behind, Mort motioned them to go to Narco's room.

Mort put all the stuff he brings for his wife on the near table and approached the maiden on the bed. He was careful not to wake her up. The hunk leaned closer and stared at Sumire intently. His gaze fondly cruised her face, to the slope of her shoulder, the cleavage peeking on her thin white dress down to her bulging tummy.

"I love you." Cold and serious, Mort said and unexpectedly met Sumire's eyes. Even though her pair of orbs were widely open and slowly blinks, she is not totally awake.

An affectionate smile curved on Sumire's lips when she saw Mort. The maiden thought it was just a dream and she was in a daze. Sumire rose and pulled him to embrace. Mort landed on the bed with the maiden on top of him, hugging him tightly.

The hunk wrapped his arms around her and caged her with his embrace gently, not to squeeze their twins. Sumire unrealized that it wasn't all a dream. She felt his warmth against her skin and the beat of his heart synchronizing with her.

"All of this looks like a dream. But I don't want to waste such a chance for me to be with you and let you know how much I miss you. All I want is to spend my life with you and live peacefully, away from the world where you and I will be together for eternity..." Sumire muttered as she buried her face in the slope of Mort's neck, inhaling his intoxicating aroma.

"You have no idea how much I suffer without you. I want you to be in my side. Although I have with me your son he makes constant complaints. What if our twins take after that ugly tanned creature?" The maiden added with another giggle, dissing Narco mercilessly. Mort who was listening quietly was careful not to wake her up.

"Please, let's just stay like this forever," Sumire said wholeheartedly in a sleepy tone. Mort was left stunned.

"I love you, Mort."