CRITICAL

Gia lost control when she saw Deep's appalling condition. Her whole body went through a phase of shock and shuddering as she let out a couple of weak gasps. In the sterile hospital room, just beside the bed, lay a barren seat. She dragged her feeble, rebellious feet, one hand pressing her chest, soothing her heart, while the other covered her mouth in an inutile gamble to block the sobs. She finally made it to the seat after a laborious journey, and she slammed on the seat, her eyes staring at her vague image of her incomprehensible Greek god.

Her eyes were filled with tears, her heart was bursting with pain, and her body was lost in hopelessness. Her hands finally toured to her face, scouring the tears away so that she could see her lover clearly. The once-perfect and radiant face now appeared Afro-American, slathered in scrapes and bruises. Her poor heart split into a million pieces like a piece of glass slipped to the floor, regrets and remorse enveloping her.

Deep’s body was motionless on the bed. Still. He was hooked up to machines via tubes and wires that tracked his vital signs. His face was pale, covered in bandages and bruises. It was as if he had undergone a horrible facial rebranding. Similar to his face, his upper torso was covered in purple marks in the few areas that weren't bandaged. All in all, he looked horrible, his situation serving as a painful reminder of the brutal ordeal he had gone through at the hands of Ejay.

Gia felt a stifling weight of guilty conscience pressing down on her chest, smothering her with every shallow breath she took. Her mind replayed the events that had led to this heartbreaking moment. It was her fault for letting Deep into her messed-up life, endangering him. She didn’t see what was staring at her at that moment. She thought she had conquered it all and that they would have their merry ever-after after she killed the monster.

Ooh, well, that was when she made the gravest mistake of her life by not substantiating that the son of a bitch was really dead! The rapture of having broken free from the monster’s cage after months of torture had overwhelmed her, making her overlook things that were now haunting her like she was reeking blood for a vampire. And that vampire was threatening to steal it all from her. Deep's innocent face haunted her thoughts, a stark contrast to the pain he was now enduring.

If only she had known...

Just if only she did not make that one grave mistake...

But wishes are never horses. She had made a mistake, and there were, and always would be, prices to pay and lessons to be learned from every single mistake.

What stared right at her at that moment, Deep’s disfigured face, was her price. The monster she had shot dead with her own hands has now resurfaced. Despite her efforts to shield her dear ones from her tangle with the monster, Ejay had found a way to invade their lives once again, targeting where he knew would crash Gia. He was making his message crystal clear—that he was out to get them, to torture them, to cause her pain—until she went crawling back to his feet to beg for his mercy. And perhaps he would then have what he was denied in the first phase of their web—to kill her.

It was indeed a cruel twist of fate, questioning the good that lay in the acts of goodness and evil. Gia wondered whether the saying that evil always superseded the good was all true. In her case, she had done everything possible. Not only her. The sacrifices that were made to put an end to evil were uncountable. The web had caught even the innocent. People who were not involved at all. Lives were lost. There are a lot of them.

The guilt of all those lives still and forever would haunt Gia. Yet still, that was not enough. The evil had cheated or conquered death. And he was about to take the lives of more innocent people.

As she watched Deep's fragile form on the hospital bed, her guilt gnawed at her soul. She felt powerless, unable to turn back time and undo the pain she had inadvertently caused him. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as she clenched her fists in frustration.

"Why did I let you into my complicated life, Deep?" Gia whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I promised to keep you safe, and now look at what's happened to you. It's all my fault. I was so stupid to think that we were safe. I had won against that monster. Your mother is right, Deep. This is all my fault. I am a threat to everyone." Her sobs increased, her body swimming in the burning heat of an assortment of rage, regrets, and uncertainties.

Finally, she pulled herself up, leaned down, and placed a soft kiss on Deep’s forehead. She would have wanted to stay longer, even until Deep was able to leave the hospital, and it did not matter how many ages that would take. But he knew another second would be so selfish of her. She had already taken more time than she was supposed to. She could not be that selfish. Outside was a line of people who also cared deeply for Deep, and each one of them deserved a moment with him.

She walked out unwillingly, her eyes sore and her face drenched in tears. “Gia?” Grace ran to her, shielding her with her hands because she seemed like she would fall any minute. She led her to the changing room, and then out to a vacant seat when they had changed. “How is he?” Grace asked.

Gia tried to score some of the overflowing tears. “Terrible. My mistakes have caught up with me in the worst way. Deep did not have to pay the price for my recklessness. He shouldn’t be in that condition.”

“But you know it is not your fault, Gia! It…”

“It is!” Gia sprung to her feet, her voice louder than she would have intended. “This is all my fault. The reason Deep is hurting is me. The reason why everyone, all of you, is in danger right now is still me, Grace. And the same reason why the girls are missing. They must be cursing me for..."

“No one would blame all this on you, Gia!” Grace cut her off, standing in front of her. “You need to stop blaming yourself. It will not do any good to you. You did all you could.”