"Enough noise! This is a hospital ward, it needs to stay quiet! What's wrong with you as a family member? She just got saved and you're here arguing with her?" The nurse, having seen all kinds of situations, sized up the scene immediately.
Disgusted by the spectacle and Ernest's raised voice, she finally stepped in to shoo them off.
Sydney couldn't stand the curious and disapproving glances from several nurses outside. Tugging at Ernest, she whispered, "Ernest, my stomach hurts."
Ernest finally helped Sydney out, the nurses throwing disdainful glances at them as they left. "What kind of people are they?" The nurse rolled her eyes, watching them disappear down the hallway.
Ting! A notification appeared on Ivana's phone.
"Dear passenger Ivana Millian, your flight ticket has been issued. Journey: San Diego to France. Ticket number … Please arrive at the airport 2 hours early with your ID to complete check-in."
The days before her discharge were peaceful. Sydney's provocative messages occasionally popped up, but Ivana treated them as regular spam.
Her flight was scheduled for ten days later. The first thing Ivana did upon being discharged was head home to pack her things.
The moment she opened her apartment door, she realized everything had changed. The small apartment, which could be seen entirely with one glance, felt foreign. The photos of her awards on the wall were gone, replaced by Sydney's graduation photos.
Her pictures with Ernest had disappeared, replaced by photos of Ernest and Sydney. Even the polaroids stuck to the fridge were now shots of Sydney and Ernest.
The sticky note she'd left on the fridge before leaving used to say: [There's light cheesecake in the fridge that you like. Don't eat too much, you'll get a stomachache.]
Now it read: [Sydney and Ernest's love-preserving fridge,] with a big red heart drawn beside it.
The couple mugs she'd bought for herself and Ernest had been shoved into the furthest corner and mold had even grown inside them.
The bed sheets in the bedroom had been replaced with a lily-themed set that Sydney apparently liked. The sofa cushions, the carpet, the bedside lamp, the trash bin, the shoe cabinet and the little footstool, everything within sight was unrecognizable to Ivana.
She couldn't even find her slippers. In just one month, it felt as though her five years with Ernest had been wiped clean.