Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

The sanatorium was built by the seaside, not far from Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. From Vivian’s room balcony, one could even see people surfing on the sea.

Standing on the balcony, Vivian gazed for a while, inevitably feeling a longing. Unfortunately, with her current physical condition, she wasn’t allowed to experience the dangerous extreme sport of surfing. She wasn’t even allowed near the crowded beach.

“Why did they choose this place?” Vivian complained to Mare, feeling frustrated. “I can see the beach, but I can’t go into the water, or even step onto the sand.”

“Because it’s safe here,” Mare replied.

This was the third time Vivian had received such a response, and she was getting bored of it. “Can’t you come up with a different answer?” she asked.

Mare replied expressionlessly, “Can’t you ask a different question?”

Vivian’s response was to ask him to leave.

Mare’s room was right next to Vivian’s, with the same balcony and the same coastal view. Vivian stood on her balcony and called out to Mare, “I want to plant flowers in the yard downstairs.”

Mare thought about the potted roses that Vivian had previously killed on the apartment balcony and fell into silence.

“Mare, can you hear me? Mare?” Not receiving a response, Vivian muttered under her breath, “The soundproofing here is too good,” and then called Mare.

Mare massaged his aching temple and walked onto the balcony to respond to Vivian, “What kind of flowers do you want to plant?” There probably weren’t readily available flower seeds in the villa, but he could ask the villa’s caretaker where to buy them.

“Roses?” Vivian asked.

Mare fell into an eerie silence once again.

Seeing Mare’s reaction, Vivian thought he didn’t like roses and tentatively asked, “How about sunflowers?”

After confirming that the villa’s security was sufficient, Mare went out to find a flower shop, along with surveying the surrounding area.

He had visited Oahu with Alajos before, back when Alajos wasn’t yet Capo, and their main purpose for the trip was vacation.

He remembered the good weather that day, the sky high and blue, with hardly a cloud in sight, the sunlight radiant enough to illuminate every dark corner.

Near Waikiki Beach, there were plenty of recreational activities. Alajos enjoyed surfing, Emmert had booked a scuba diving session, and only Luzia stayed in the shallows to play in the water.

He also remembered, the sunlight was so good, it outlined her healthy body like a brush, her skin slightly reddened, clean, without any scars.

He hoped that they could hold a party here eventually, and see everyone relaxed and comfortable as they used to be.

Mare finally returned to the villa with a bag of flower seeds.

Vivian counted, there were a total of eight different types of flowers, including roses and sunflowers.

Vivian was overjoyed and began learning how to handle the flower seeds under the guidance of the villa’s caretaker, Loomis.

Loomis was a witty and humorous middle-aged man who had once worked as a gardener on an Earl’s estate in England. The climbing plants beneath the villa’s iron fence were his masterpiece.

Loomis enthusiastically began to introduce Vivian to his precious climbing plants.

Vivian listened attentively, but the only one she could remember was the Amnesty International plant that happened to be in bloom.

After the gardening activity, Vivian washed her hands and went to have lunch, followed by her usual nap time.

Vivian tried calling Vilem a few times, but no one answered. She looked at her phone in confusion. Was he still on a mission?

Initially, Vivian didn’t pay much attention. It was common for Vilem not to answer his phone in such situations. He would call her back once he had finished his mission.

At three o’clock in the afternoon, Dr. Yoshiye arrived with her medical team to perform a check-up on Vivian.

Vivian’s face lit up with a familiar expression upon seeing the doctor. “Dr. Yoshiye, you’re here too?”

“Yes,” Dr. Yoshiye greeted Vivian warmly, “Alajos specifically asked me to come and give you a check-up. This is my assistant, Tabdon.”

“Now, please come with me, Vivian,” Dr. Yoshiye seemed familiar with the villa, easily finding the examination room at the end of the ground floor corridor. Vivian was surprised to find all the necessary equipment there, including an ultrasound machine.

“All of this was arranged by Alajos,” Dr. Yoshiye said. “It’s for your safety and to monitor your health at any time. Your and the baby’s health are too important to him, Vivian.”

Vivian placed her hand over herheart and suddenly realized her heart was beating rapidly.

“I know, so I can endure a brief separation and come here alone.” Following Dr. Yoshiye’s instructions, Vivian lay down on the examination bed and lifted her shirt.

Dr. Yoshiye began applying gel to her belly. “You don’t need to worry too much. It’s very safe here. When you have free time, you can walk around, but make sure Mare accompanies you. Don’t move alone.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“The beach in front of the sanatorium is Waikiki, one of Hawaii’s tourist destinations. People from all over the world come here for vacation every day, and the situation is quite complex. It’s best for you not to go there.”

Vivian could tell that Dr. Yoshiye was not only familiar with her villa, but also with the sanatorium and the surrounding area.

Curiously, Vivian asked, “What about Houston? Are you going back there?”

“Of course, dear,” Dr. Yoshiye smiled. “I will come to Hawaii for academic exchanges at fixed times and will come to give you check-ups. The hospital I work for has a long-term partnership with this sanatorium. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Here, dear, look at the screen.” Dr. Yoshiye moved the device across Vivian’s abdomen, pointing to the image on the computer. “It’s a lively little one. Look, here’s its hand, here’s its foot. It’s waving at you.”

Vivian followed Dr. Yoshiye’s words, her face beaming with happiness, with a hint of melancholy occasionally flashing through.

“Can you give me an electronic report, Dr. Yoshiye?” After the examination, Vivian took the tissue handed to her by the assistant and wiped off the gel from her belly. “I want to send it to Alajos.”

“Of course, dear,” Dr. Yoshiye said. “Later, I’ll have Tabdon send it to you. Alajos will be very excited to receive it.”

Soon, Vivian received the examination report sent by Tabdon, which included clear ultrasound images of the baby and a section with professional terminology, stating the child was healthy.

Vivian felt sweet as she read through it and eagerly opened Alajos’s email, clicking on “compose.”