Longing You (Book 4)

chp6

The lift door was about to be closed when Eric heard a female voice calling for it to be stopped. Miranda's reappearance in the hospital surprised him.

"Thank you so much—" Miranda, however, was taken aback when she noticed it was Eric who was in the lift. "What are you doing here?"

"One of my friends got into an accident, so I am going to see him. What are you doing here?" He asked her carefully. He did not want to appear concerned.

She was relieved that neither he nor her daughter needed medical attention. Their earlier encounter in the hospital was still fresh in their minds. So she was unable to ask him upfront about it. She responded to his question with the same response she had previously given. "I came to meet the children in the cancer ward."

"Again?" He asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yes." She gave him an uneasy smile. In contrast to the last time, he noticed Miranda fidgeting with her fingers. She always does that when she lies.

"Okay—" He stared blankly at her.

They were both quiet. Miranda let out a relieved sigh as she stepped off the lift on the second floor. "It's good to see you again." He nodded in response to what she said.

Eric followed his wife rather than going to see his friend. He was astounded when he saw her enter a room. The name plate on the door was that of Dr. Harold Levi's, PsyD. He remembers the doctor well, as he met him at the party where Miranda came back into his life.

He was confused as to why Miranda was seeing a psychologist. Eric was in a pickle. He was perplexed by the situation. He decided to stay put and immediately hid himself when he finally saw her coming out of the doctor's cabin after an hour. She then went to meet the kids in the cancer ward.

Eric was perplexed.

After meeting his friend, he drove to his parents' house to learn about their conversation with Miranda.

Eric was sitting on the couch in the evening. He was at a loss for words. It never sat well with him that Miranda could ever leave him and their daughter, but he just didn't want to believe it. It was easier to think differently. He had no idea what to believe or not believe until now. He was relieved that his train of thought had been interrupted by his daughter's return from the orphanage.

"Daddy." She greeted him, making herself comfortable on his lap.

"Hello, sweetheart. How did your volunteer work go?" He asked her.

"It was incredible. I really enjoy spending time there, and Miranda is fantastic. You know, it's really nice of her to spend time with the kids there. She does not just sit in the cabin but also spends time with all of those people, having lunch with them and playing with them. She is a nice person." Lizzy told him with admiration.

"I am glad you feel that way about her." Eric would never want his daughter to despise Miranda, especially if she was not the bad guy in the picture.

"What exactly is an anti-depressant, Dad?" His daughter's question surprised Eric.

"Why do you ask?"

"I overheard Martha telling Marry that she had found an anti-depressant in Miranda's cabin."

"Why don't you do your homework now, Lizzy? I will call you when dinner is ready." Eric attempted to dodge the matter by distracting his daughter with her schoolwork. He was relieved that she did not ask him any more questions as he went to prepare the dinner.

Miranda's use of anti-depressants was not a good idea. Things are undoubtedly going downhill. He was certain that he needed to discover the reason for Miranda's departure.

Eric went to the orphanage the next day to confront Miranda. He didn't want to go behind her back to find out the truth, but she had yet to arrive. So, he walked around her cabin a little. He noticed a picture on her desk. The photo was taken on the day Lizzy was born.

It was the three of them. Miranda was on the hospital bed, and Lizzy scooped in her arms with him beside them. He could see nothing but love in them, and it welled up his eyes.

He took a deep breath and then proceeded to open her desk drawer, only to find more pictures of them. A few family photos, his photos, and Lizzy's photos. It simply left him in a quandary, and it was getting increasingly difficult to suppress his tears, which were threatening to fall from his eyes.

He then finally discovered anti-depressant pills in the drawer's corner. He didn't want Miranda to see him, nor was he in the state of mind to speak with her, so he left for home without confronting her. Ideally, she should have gone to work, but he did not trust himself to be in the office with his colleagues.

His parents were right that Miranda still loved him, and something terrible had to happen for her to leave him and their daughter. Further, her presence in the psychologist clinic was also not a good sign. Besides that, there was a good chance that she was consuming anti-depressant pills, which made everything worse.

This was not how their lives were supposed to be. It went straight from heaven to hell. At the moment, all he wanted was for his life to return to normal, as it had been seven years before.