In the late afternoon, both the mother daughter pair returned back to the Little Carnations. Li Xue was really tired from the whole day out, but her little packet of joy was still full of energy.

How can she not be like that? For the whole day she was excitedly waiting for the evening to arrive. So that she can return home and meet her Handsome Angel soon. Now that she has an achievement to share with him, her little heart was eagerly waiting to hear his praises.

“Mama, can I go and look for Handsome Angel first? He must have returned back?”, the little girl asked the moment they set their foot in the home. Her eyes were pleading with her mother to allow her but Li Xue looked at her wrist watch and said, “Sweetheart, there is still time in office hours getting over. Your Angel must not have returned yet”.

Saying her words, she went to take a comfortable resting seat on the sofa. Reclining her head back, she closed her eyes.

Little Li Wei pouted at her mother’s words and then looked out through the window from where she could see a particular distant house. The surroundings were still silent.

Reverting her eyes back to her mother, she ran to her side and asked, “But Mama all day I have waited for him to return. Why is he still not back?”

“Ummm … baby, how about you take a quick nap? And when you wake up your Handsome Angel might have returned home. Hmmm? What say? Do you want a quick nap? Because Mama is surely going to get one herself?” Li Xue said as she held her jaw and lifted her brows slightly in askance.

The little girl thought for some time and then taking every necessary thing into consideration, she said, “Mama, I am going to accompany you to sleep, since you look so tired and I also don’t have anything to do. But promise me, you will wake me up before the office time gets over so that I can go and meet Handsome Angel”

Li Xue nodded without any hesitation, since she has long decided that she won’t be adamant with her daughter on the topic of this Angel. Just looking at the excitement on Li Wei’s face, she was sure that the man has already got a very special place in her daughter’s little heart. Now rejecting her meetings with him will only make her hurt.

“Fine, I will wake you up once it is time. Shall we now go to sleep?” the mother asked, lifting the little piece up in her arms and headed towards the room. The girl giggled every time she felt a light tingly poke in her stomach.

Outside slowly and slowly the brightness of the sunlight faded away, bringing the sky in a shade darker to change the time of the day into evening.

It was all dark in the house as no lights were yet switched on. Except the sound of smooth breathing there was nothing more audible when suddenly someone pushed the door open in a very restrained way like the person didn’t want to let anyone know about his arrival.

Li Xue was still in her sleep hugging her soft living accessory close to her body. This was the only way in which she can escape from those traumatic dreams.

Though she was in her sleep, still she can feel someone’s presence around her. She wanted to open her eyes to look at the person who was there but her senses were not allowing her however she tried.

Was this her dream? But still the question remained in her heart. Who was the person in her dream then?

She could feel his smooth but strong steps striding towards her direction. Her arms got a little tighter around her little girl to hold her all strengths in the form of her. Her heart beats got faster complimenting her uneasiness in the breaths.

Suddenly she felt a depression on her mattress as if someone had sat beside her. Her breath got hitched. She waited for some time but no movement was made by the other party. She waited and waited. Time passed but still no movement was done.

She can sense someone’s intense eyes boring through her as if trying to unveil the deep secrets of her but she has no strength to take a step forward to know who the person was? Li Xue lied there still, not daring to make any casual movement in her sleeping posture.

What should I do?

Should I scream out loud?

Will there be someone who will be able to reach my rescue?

Who is this person and what does he want?

Will it be fine if I open my eyes and take a look? Or will I be dead the moment I open it to look at him?

With her closed eyes and muddled hesitant brain she was trying her best to decide the most appropriate thing she should do next when suddenly she felt warm fingers caressing her cheeks, brows and forehead.

It felt more like the person was showing deep sympathy for her. Like he can feel the sorrows she was trying to hide in her heart. Like he has already torn away the façade of a strong woman she has pulled all this time in front of everyone and has seen deep into her.

But who was he? And what was he intending to do? Sympathy! Why was he showing her the sympathy when no one in this world ever cared to show it to her?

Li Xue couldn’t understand what was happening around her until she felt a warm teardrop rolling down her eyes towards her straight bony nose. But before it can drop off her face, those warm fingers wiped it off, showing a much tender care to her.

“You have suffered a lot, losing everything you have hard earned. This was not the life you deserved. You deserved something much better. You deserved to be loved deeply and wildly. I know I am late but I promise I will make you forget all the pain from your past. Remember now you are not alone, you have me” came his soft cello magnetic voice close to her ears that pulled a string in her heart, rippling various feelings at the same time, consoling the pain in her heart.

She has never known that anyone could have such a melodic voice. There was a familiarity in the voice but that was not for any person she knew rather it felt like that voice has some connective coordinate in her life. Like it resembled someone’s much softer and babyish voice. More like the melody her daughter’s voice always played in her ears.

Melody that resembled her daughter!

At the thought of this, Li Xue was jolted. Her eyes got wide open to look at the person, but what greeted her was the room filled with darkness. Looking around she could feel no one’s presence.

Frantically, she switched on the bedside lamp and the room instantly got lit up but the person was nowhere present.

What was that? Everything just now … was that some kind of dream? She looked around again and again but nothing in the air gave her the hints of someone’s presence. Everything was all normal, the same like the time she had gone to sleep.

Was that really her dream? But it felt so real. She looked at the little soft body that was still completing her sweet sleep. ‘This must be some kind of new weird dream added in my book!’ she said in her head and then gently caressed the little head.

At this moment her phone rang, breaking her lingering trance. It was some unknown number. She gave some thought before finally receiving it, “Hello!”