***

A few weeks later, Luther attended his father's funeral. Unsurprisingly, no other relatives, except Luther himself were present. Although he was a bit touched upon seeing Elen's figure garbed in full black standing beside him.

Elen did not offer perfunctory words of consolation but just briefly hugged him instead which was exponentially more reassuring than anything else.

As time frittered away, Luther found himself all alone, standing in front of his father's grave. For what seemed to be an eternity, his gaze eventually withdrew from the epitaph with his father's portrait on it. If not for the frigid breeze that brazenly whipped him back to reality, who knows how long he'd remain standing.

As if deciding on something, Luther heavily exhaled a frosty breath, "I'll come to see you again, Dad", as he tossed the ruby-colored rose which he held on his left hand on the grave.

He turned away and started walking with heavy footsteps whilst with a raised head, admiring the passage of the clouds.

At that moment, Luther decided to move on as well. But out of the blue, Elen's fair visage appeared in his mind unexpectedly.

***

Roughly six months later.

Luther's life began moving on track once again, he was back on his routine of indulging himself in work except for the unforeseen change he thought would never happen, especially not to an introvert like him.

He made a girlfriend in the name of Elen West. His boss.

After the unfortunate events which made him doubt the fairness of life and question God's intentions, he found someone who he thought was out of his league, his significant half who lifted his soul during his time of misery.

It was Elen who obtrusively pounded the walls he erected around himself. She would often forcefully grab him and bring him somewhere, uncaring of his protests, trying to cheer him up. Although she would still act as a proper superior at work and cruelly grill him at times, she was considerate enough when it actually mattered.

Elen was never a good cook. Most of all, she had the uncanny ability to naturally mock someone as if it's her second nature. Her countless attempts at comforting Luther would end up her berating him instead.

Unquestionably, she was not one for romantic conversations as well, so their time alone together would be spent like siblings arguing over something.

With all of her imperfections, Elen was genuinely a good woman at heart, at least that's what he firmly believed.

Ironically, given her ego and pride, Elen was the one who proposed to Luther to be his girlfriend albeit in an awkward fashion. It was like she issued a demand and Luther has no choice but to accept. Naturally, Luther said 'Yes'.

With all the things Elen had done for him, Luther had to reciprocate her kindness and love several folds. And the best way to convey his feelings would be to ask her hand in front of an altar, witnessed by the almighty God above.

***

Inside a lounge decorated with western-style furnishings, Elen and Luther were sitting comfortably opposite each other as the fragrance of coffee pervaded the air.

"So, are you free this Friday after work?" Luther asked with anticipation while taking a sip of his espresso. On the other hand, Elen seemed to be mired by her thoughts as she listlessly stroked the sides of her mug.

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"Elen? are you alright?", Luther asked worriedly as he held Elen's hand.

Feeling Luther's warmth on her, she finally broke free from her reverie, "Uhm...yes, I'm fine". She gave him a weak yet sweet smile but Luther could discern a tinge of anxiety behind her response.

"If you're feeling unwell we can discuss this matter at a later date", Sensing something amiss, Luther decided to be more thoughtful.

As if to expel an evil spirit, she exaggeratedly exhaled and turned his attention to Luther, "No, I'm just a bit exhausted from work. Friday, right?".

Not taking Elen's words at face value, he stared at her with reproachful eyes. In response, Elen pinched his arm with enough force behind it making him release a subdued groan.

"Hey! what was that for!?", Luther asked with a grimace on his face.

"When I tell you I'm fine, I.AM.FINE!", stressing every word, Elen fired back with the intent to put an end to the topic.

"If you say so", although unconvinced, Luther conceded. "I'll see you on Friday then. Also, I have to drop by somewhere else, so would six o'clock be fine Okay with you?"

"We're clocking out at five, so we can just leave together", noticing Luther's secretive attitude, she rolled her eyes as if to show her displeasure.

Unable to come up with any excuse, Luther had no choice but to pleadingly stare at her in hopes she would not probe into the matter further.

"Fine", notwithstanding her dissatisfaction, she reluctantly let go of the matter.

Luther replied back with a simple "thanks" in response. Yet Elen suddenly pinched his arm again with much force than before as if to say she had not forgotten about the issue entirely.

"Ouch! You..!!", Luther's face was plastered with utter disbelief but Elen's sharp gaze prevented him from making any form of protest.

The couple then continued with their lighthearted conversation without any care of the world as time drifted away.

Luther and Elen eventually parted ways after their short yet meaningful time together. Luther went to the supermarket nearest to his residence to buy groceries. On the other hand, Elen with her sedan drove off somewhere.

Inside a brightly illuminated room, medical tools and equipment could be seen displayed in a neat and orderly fashion. Situated in a corner was a long walnut desk painted in beige with two chairs in front intended for guests.

A woman in semi-formal attire was sitting on one of the chairs, apprehension could be felt from her as she seemed to be really tense.

Suddenly, the door lightly swung open as a middle-aged woman entered the room. She wore a white lab coat with a stethoscope that hung loosely from her neck.

"Thank you for waiting, Ms. West"

Elen abruptly stood up as she extended her hand in a bid to shake the woman's hand. The woman complied as she shook Elen's hand.

"How's the result, Doctor?" Upon asking the question, Elen felt her chest tighten as she awaited the Doctor's answer.

"It's bad, your mother's health condition kept deteriorating. It would have been a different story if we detected the malignant tissues early. But it seems we were late as the abnormal cells have been multiplying at an alarming rate. Unless we go for the surgery, we cannot ensure your mother's...life", the doctor bluntly summarized the results.

Upon hearing the news, Elen subconsciously bit the side of her lower lip as it drew blood.

"Ms. We-"

"How much is it?"

As the doctor tried to prevent Elen from hurting herself out of concern, she swallowed back her words upon hearing Elen's cold response.

"Pardon?", the doctor asked, unable to follow Elen's train of thought.

"I'm asking, how much does my mother's surgery cost!" Elen's shrill voice escaped from her mouth.

Sensing Elen's unstable emotions, the doctor took out a bottle of water from a nearby fridge, removed the lid, and placed it on top of the desk, "Please sit down, Ms. West. I'll explain the details".

An hour later, inside Elen's sedan.

Elen was tightly clasping a copy of her mother's medical report with an attached quotation. Looking at the numerical figure at the end of the page, Elen felt a plethora of emotions trying to internally rip her apart.

Desperation, grief, helplessness, regret...

She could not help but issue an agonized scream as slammed her fists against the car's dashboard.

Moments later, Elen's faltering heart had calmed down a little as her bloodshot eyes displayed resolute decisiveness. She then held the steering wheel and stepped on the gas. As she was trying to sort her tumultuous emotions, Luther's kind face appeared in her mind.

A strong sense of guilt slowly crept into her heart which slowly nibbled her remaining conscience.