Take My Breath Away

Carlos' face darkened when Debbie refused to step inside the villa. "Don't you want to know what kind of place your daughter will be spending her next three days at?" he asked. The irritation in his voice was evident.

However, she didn't respond. As she stared at the villa, she remembered the black and white funerary couplet hanging on each side of the doorway and Carlos' black and white portrait in the living room.

The vision was so... terrifying.

The memories of what had happened three years ago returned to her in waves—the music studio Carlos had built for her, their dog Hum, the sunflowers they had planted together... And then James' vicious face popped into her mind, saying, "Debbie Nian, Carlos is dead! Ha-ha! He is really dead!"

Many nights, Debbie had woken up screaming, troubled by the nightmares of James' evil face and disgusting voice.

Some nights, she used to wake up crying after dreaming of Carlos' tender smile.

Other nights, she saw Carlos' cold gravestone in her dreams and used to wake up sweating.

She was in a strange state of mind as she stood in front of the villa where they used to live together happily.

Her face went pale and her legs became weak. She staggered, almost falling to the ground. Luckily, she supported herself by clinging on to her car hastily.

Seeing her distressed state, Carlos put Piggy down and coaxed her, "Evelyn, go find Uncle Frankie. I'll join you soon."

"Okay." Piggy looked at her mom, wanting to say something. But when she saw Carlos walking towards her mom, she turned around and ran into the villa.

Carlos held Debbie's arm to steady her footing and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Debbie's eyes were shut. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and pain could be seen so clearly in them. She grabbed Carlos' arm tightly. "Carlos..." She held his arm tighter as if she was confirming that he was really alive. "You are not dead..."

'Carlos is alive! This is not a dream!'

Debbie cried and then laughed, which confused Carlos. In between sobs, she said, "I wanted to kill myself to give you company in death. But I had Piggy in my belly, and I couldn't..."

Before she had left Y City three years ago, she had been diagnosed with depression.

Every time she dreamed about Carlos back then, she would want to kill herself.

But she had been pregnant with their baby. The baby in her womb was the only reason she didn't commit suicide.

When she had given birth to Piggy, both mother and daughter cried together—Debbie had missed Carlos at that moment the most.

She still remembered that she had once told Carlos, "If we ever have a baby, I'll teach it to say 'Daddy' first. Then, the baby would always say 'Daddy' when wetting the bed or getting hungry. It would be your job to get up at midnight to change the diaper and feed the baby..."

But after Piggy was born, she could only depend on her mommy. Debbie had been burdened by the thought that their daughter would never know her daddy in this life.

She had thought that she and Piggy could only depend on each other for their survival in this world.

But, Carlos was alive. He was right in front of her now.

Carlos could feel the deep sorrow that surrounded the woman before him. Like an electricity pulse had hit him, a scene flashed through his mind. He was in a car which was about to be hit by a truck. And he was holding a woman tight in his arms. She called him "Honey."

Who was that woman? A sharp headache struck him and his face was as pale as a sheet.

He unconsciously pulled the weeping woman into his arms. "Don't cry," he said softly.

Debbie was taken aback by his sudden tenderness. She stopped crying and looked him in the eye, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

'Is his memory...?' she wondered.

Just as she was enjoying his tender embrace, Carlos became cold and aloof once again.

When he tried to recall more of that memory, his head hurt and everything went blank.

"Carlos! Your memory is coming back, isn't it?" Debbie was thrilled to bits and her eyes widened. "What did you remember? Tell me!"

Carlos shook his head, and Debbie slowly retreated from his arms, disappointed.

After calming down, she wiped the tears off her face and said, "I'm sorry. I just completely lost it. I got to go now. Thank you for taking care of Piggy for me."

She turned around to leave.

Carlos, however, grabbed her by the wrist. "You've lived here before?" he asked.

"Yes." Staring at the garden in the distance, Debbie said, "Not just here, I've also lived in the East City Villa." She remembered her life in the East City Villa and she flashed a smile. "When we were staying in the East City Villa, you used to act more like my dad than my husband. You organized a list of lessons for me and even supervised me.

You hired a dance teacher and a yoga teacher for me, and you were solely responsible for my good results in English and Advanced Mathematics. You even came to our school as a lecturer just to keep watch on me!" She looked at him, her eyes full of affection. "You used to spoil me so much. You even went against your family for my sake, even though I had asked you not to do that. You had 101 famous designers design a special wristwatch just for me and apologized to me in public. You protected me with your own life during the car accident...

That's why I keep pestering you now. You did so much for me in the past. Now that you've lost your memory, it's my turn to protect you."

No one could understand how she had felt when she had believed that he was dead.

And no one could understand how thrilled she had been when she had seen him again. Alive.

When she had seen his cold eyes and the woman in his arms, she had been gripped by immense disappointment and horror.

But she'd rather see him alive and with another woman than live in a world without him.

Carlos held her hands tight and pulled her into his arms again. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "You love me that much?"

"Yes." She smiled and reached out to stroke his face gently. "I'm head over heels in love with you. Have always been." She could never accept any man in her life other than Carlos.

"If you loved me so much, then why did you have Piggy with another man?" he asked in a cold voice. He really couldn't understand that part.

Taken aback by his question, Debbie stood still for a moment and then slid out of his arms. She looked away from his eyes and said, "Time will tell."

Once she exposed James' true colors to him, she would tell Carlos the truth about Piggy.

"Tell what?" Carlos asked again.

"Um..." She couldn't tell him yet that Piggy was his daughter.

"Tell me!" Carlos didn't know why, but he had a hunch that Debbie was hiding something very important from him. He was dying to know.

Debbie took a few steps back. "I should go."

"No!" He grabbed her by the waist, pressed her against the car door and kissed her on her lips. Debbie's eyes widened.

He was always like this—bossy and non-negotiable.

After what seemed an eternity, Carlos let her go. Debbie was finally able to breathe freely.

Drops of sweat began to form on Carlos' forehead as he tried to supress his desire for her. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Frankie. "Stay in the villa and play with Piggy." Then he hung up.

Debbie stared at him blankly. 'Did he just call Frankie? Why? What is he planning to do now?' She looked into his dark eyes for an answer.

Carlos didn't explain. He opened the rear door and pushed the confused woman into the car.