Chapter 5 The Icy Cold Brother In Law

• As soon as Brynlee woke up, she was greeted by a sterile atmosphere, all dominated by white. The window with the white curtains waving in the wind became the first target for Brynlee's eyes to see what was out there. She knew she was in the hospital right now after the accident that happened to her this afternoon. But, she didn't know how long she had been lying in that room. If she saw the golden light refracting through the window, she could conclude that day had turned to night. But was it still the same day as the accident? She could have been unconscious for days because the last thing she remembered was being in the ambulance. Then she didn't remember anything after arguing with the medical team about Lillah's condition.
• Lillah...
• Brynlee jolted awake. The sudden movement made her whole body hurt. She pushed the blanket open and scanned her entire body. A bad thought had crossed her mind a moment ago about her feet. But a second later, she could breathe a sigh of relief when she found no bandages or casts on her legs.
• From where she sat she could see the tips of her bare toes. Her fingers were still intact. She could still feel the smooth surface of the sheet beneath her feet. That means there were no serious injuries to her legs. Her muscles were still functioning well.
• Then she touched her head. There was a bandage on her right temple. Maybe one of the broken window glass had cut the skin on her temple. But other than that, she felt her body was fine. The pain she felt must have come from bruises all over her body due to the hard impact when the accident occurred. Not a fatal condition.
• She swung her legs down from the gurney. She had to leave the room to check on Lillah's condition. She hoped Lillah's condition wasn't as bad as she thought because the last thing she remembered was Lillah's face covered in blood.
• NO! Brynlee couldn't remember any further. The more she remembered Lillah's condition, the more bad thoughts haunted her. The big truck crashed right into the side where Lillah was sitting. Lillah got hit by the truck... then...
• Brynlee stopped all the bad thoughts and hobbled towards the door. She took a deep breath before pulling the doorknob open with trembling hands. But, someone outside pushed open the door and almost knocked her over if she didn't immediately hold on to the wall beside her.
• “Elyseen,” Brynlee whispered hoarsely.
• Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw her sister's husband standing in front of her with a stiff face. He looked disheveled and tired. His hair was so messy like he had tousled it repeatedly with his hands in frustration. His eyes were bloodshot, like he had been crying for a very long time. There were a lot of tired lines in his eyes.
• "How is your condition?"
• "I’m fine. It just hurts all over from the bruises, but the rest I'm fine. Lillah? Have you seen her condition?”
• "I have."
• The second Brynlee asked Elyseen about Lillah's condition, Brynlee already suspected that something bad was happening to Lillah. Elyseen's face said it all. But, she didn't want to think about anything that might not happen. She could be wrong, right?
• "Where is she? I want to see her. The accident occurred when the truck driver—”
• "I know," Elyseen cut off her words while glaring at her.
• “The police have explained everything to me. CCTV cameras have also proven everything.”
• “Then let me meet Lillah.”
• Brynlee's eyes filled with tears, her lips trembled every time she remembered the terrible events that had happened to her and Lillah. She wished she could turn back time to stop everything. She wanted to fix this situation so that Lillah wouldn't have to be in her current position and have an accident with her. Her heart was blaming her. If only she hadn't asked Lillah to go to Decatur, they wouldn’t have had the accident.
• "Lillah—"
• "Dead," he replied coldly.
• -00-
• "Are you serious? You must be kidding! Lillah... no way—” Brynlee couldn't continue her words. She took two steps back, still clinging to the wall because her legs were wobbly and weak.
• "You're not serious, are you? You must be kidding," Brynlee chuckled bitterly.
• "You must be lying. Lillah can't be dead."
• Her feet kept moving backwards as Elyseen stepped forward to reach her.
• “Lillah is dead. Take it, Brynlee!”
• "Impossible! Lillah can't die."
• “You are not a God who can prevent death.”
• "But, why Lillah? Why did it have to happen to Lillah?”
• Brynlee continued to back away until her feet hit the edge of the gurney.
• “Accept that, Brynlee. Lillah is dead. You killed Lillah."
• Elyseen shook her body repeatedly, but there was no response from her. Brynlee kept crying while staring blankly at Elyseen. Her body slumped to the floor when Elyseen suddenly removed his hand from her shoulder.
• “Lillah is definitely not dead. You're lying… you're lying.”
• "She was already dead when the medical team managed to get her out of the car."
• "I don't want to kill Lillah."
• “But you have done it. You made Levi instantly motherless. You shouldn't have come here, Brynlee. Haven't you always left your family? Your coming here is just a disaster for my family. You killed my wife."
• "Enough! Enough Elyseen! Don’t say anything else!” Brynlee sobbed on the cold hospital floor, plugging her ears tightly with her palms. She didn't want to hear any more vile accusations from Elyseen's lips. It was too painful for her heart, which was currently grieving the death of her sister.
• "Where is Lillah now?"
• "What would you do?"
• “I want to see her. I want to be by her side.”
• "She's already on her way home."
• "Take me to your house, Elyseen."
• Brynlee stood up and gripped Elyseen's shoulders weakly. She slapped Brynlee's hand off his shoulder and stepped back without the slightest pity for his pathetic sister-in-law. Brynlee wasn't the only one grieving there. Elyseen didn't need to feel sorry for the woman who caused his wife to die.
• “Please, Elyseen. Please, take me to Lillah. I want to see her."
• "You just woke up," replied Elyseen sarcastically, looking away.
• "I'm fine. I didn't have any serious injuries. Wait a minute, I'll call the doctor."
• Brynlee was just about to go find a doctor, but Elyseen suddenly grabbed her arm and stopped her.
• “Before I came here, I saw a doctor who examined you. He said you could go straight home because you only had minor injuries. If you feel pain in your body, you are asked to take the painkiller that the doctor prescribed for you.”
• "No, I'm fine. I don't feel pain at all."
• Her eyes expressed deep pleading. Still with tears streaming down her cheeks, Brynlee begged Elyseen to take her to his house.
• “Let me see Lillah, one last time.”
• “You are her sister, after all. Lillah would be so mad at me if I forbade you to see her one last time,” Elyseen gestured for Brynlee to follow him out.
• It was a very difficult day for Elyseen. He never imagined that such a terrible incident would happen to him. He used to think that his marriage would only end in court if one of them couldn't maintain the relationship any longer. But who would have thought that their marriage would end due to a sudden and very tragic death?
• Elyseen looked over his shoulder and saw Brynlee trying to catch up with him. Her legs were limping, and her entire face was covered in tears. Elyseen asked himself why that accident had to happen after Brynlee came into his life? He used to live peacefully. But, since Brynlee came, his life suddenly became chaotic. When Brynlee first appeared at his house, he was haunted by the fear that Brynlee would bring destruction to his life. And now everything he feared came true.
• "You wait here. I'll take my car, so you don't have to walk too far to the parking lot."
• "No, you don't need to. I can walk on my own, and I am in very strong condition to do it.”
• Elyseen was pissed, but he didn't do anything to confront her. Elyseen walked silently behind Brynlee's unsteady body. He was worried that she would faint any moment. He then walked in front of Brynlee as they almost reached his car.
• "You okay?"
• “A bit dizzy, but it will get better soon. The doctor brought me some medicine that I will take later."
• Elyseen didn't say anything and made a gesture for Brynlee to get into the car. He drove the car out of the parking lot and left them in silence. The corner of his eye caught Brynlee's unease. He saw that Brynlee was holding a question in her head.
• "Tell me. You look like you want to say something."
• "Is Levi okay?"
• “He is safe with my parents. A boy as young as Levi, doesn't know much about death yet."
• “I'm so sorry for causing all this mess. I... I love Levi. He must be very sad.”
• Brynlee's lips trembled. He cried again silently in Elyseen's car, which pissed him off. He hated seeing her cry. He preferred to see Brynlee look as arrogant as when he came to her restaurant with Antonio. It gave him reason to hate her and stay away from her instead of seeing this frail Brynlee.
• “I know what it's like to lose a parent. Levi shouldn't experience the same bitterness of life as Lillah and I.”
• “Levi still has me, his father. He will get perfect love from me and my parents.”
• Brynlee didn't say anything for a moment. Her eyes looked at Elyseen, who was concentrating on driving,
• "What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
• "You are very busy. Lillah said that to me as we were driving towards Decatur. You might find it difficult to divide your time between taking care of Levi and working.”
• “My parents will help me and I will hire a nanny for Levi. There's nothing to worry about Levi."
• "If you don't mind, I can babysit Levi while you work."
• The traffic light turns red. That gave Elyseen a chance to talk to his sister-in-law. Brynlee seemed to really mean her words. The look on her face said that he didn't accept rejection.
• “You don’t need to. I can take care of my own family. Because you are Lillah's sister, and Lillah is now dead, the relationship between you and Levi no longer exists. You get what I mean, right?”
• “You want to kick me out of Levi's life? I am his aunt. You can't kick me out of his life."
• “I know, but you just came into his life. He doesn't really know you."
• "He knows me well. We spent time together when I visited your house.”
• Elyseen gave her a sinister smile. "In four years of his life you were only present for no more than two hours. Do you think Levi will remember you and want you to be around him?”
• Brynlee clenched her fists furiously in her lap. She knew Elyseen saw her clenching her fists.
• “I'll prove to you that Levi wants me better than he wants you. Huh, you're nothing more than a workaholic Dad who rarely spends time with him. Do you know his habit before going to bed? You know which storybook he likes?”
• Elyseen didn't say anything. Instead, he drove his car out of the intersection when the traffic light had turned green. He held back his anger because Brynlee's words hit the spot. He never knew what Levi's habits were and what story books he liked. He always came home late at night when Levi was asleep. And the next day he only had time to talk to Levi for a while before he left for the office and the boy was still sleepy because he had just woken up.
• “You can't take care of your own son, Elyseen. You were never close to him."
• “I am his father. Never forget that fact. I know what to do with my son."
• “You've always relied on Lillah to take care of Levi. You never did it in person.”
• "We don't need to argue about this. My household is none of your business," said Elyseen flatly.
• They arrived at the Elyseen residence, which was quite crowded with mourners. Some people showed genuine sadness and deep loss. Brynlee was very relieved because Lillah was loved by so many people.
• After Elyseen stopped the car across from his house, Brynlee rushed out of the car. She didn't look at Elyseen at all, or thank him for the ride. She thought he didn't deserve her thanks.
• Just as she was about to open Elyseen's car door, the man's voice stopped her and made her freeze for a moment.
• "I don't want you to stay in my house too long. After Lillah is buried, I want you to be gone forever from our lives.”