Ivana's phone was outside, so she had no idea how much time had passed. She just kept wrapping herself in the thin freezer coat, jumping to stay warm. She silently counted in her head. …2, 3…1125, 1126…
Eventually, Ivana had no strength left. She couldn't bang the door or shout anymore. The half-bucket of butter in the corner was gone.
Her feet had nearly lost all feeling and her fingers had turned from white to blue, now beginning to show hints of black.
Moments before losing consciousness, Ivana vaguely heard voices outside, "Bro, there's no sound anymore."
"Close enough, open the door," Dominic said.
The other man asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
Dominic said, "I don't have the key."
"I don't have it either!" the other man panicked.
Dominic also panicked, "Shit, call Ernest right now! He has the key!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
"He's not answering! Ernest isn't picking up!"
"Let me try!"
"Ernest's phone is off!"
"Call 911, now! If someone dies, it'll be a disaster!"
***
When Ivana woke up, the hospital's bright fluorescent lights stung her eyes. Her hands and feet were wrapped in thick bandages and a sharp pain came from her right foot.
The nurse saw her awake and went to call the doctor, "Ivana Millian, twenty-seven years old, she's lucky to be alive. She was in a freezer for over an hour. Her right foot is frostbitten, the pinky toe necrotic and amputated. The rest is saved, but you need to recover. You'll have to stay in the hospital for observation for two months."
"Miss Millian, hello, I'm the nurse here. Your boyfriend has paid for three days of fees." Said a woman.
Ivana looked at her hand, "My boyfriend was here?"
"Yes, the one who sent you over, looked like a firefighter. He paid for all the expenses," the nurse said again.
Ivana said, "My boyfriend isn't a firefighter."
She asked the nurse to turn on her phone for her, but there were no calls or texts at all. However, on her WhatsApp status there was a nine-photo collage of Ernest and Sydney eating together. The caption read: [You're still the boy who loves desserts from back then.]
Ivana closed her eyes, the heartache unbearable. Five years of feelings were no match for the favorite woman.
If you love that woman, Sydney Hamilton, so much, then Ernest, I won't love you anymore, I don't want you anymore.