“Really?” the girl asked them with a smile on her face.

“Of course. Even if you lost your hair, you still have your beautiful eyes, your cute nose, and your charming smile."
Chiara couldn't help but smile as she watched Gabe talk to the kid. Just like his sister, it was obvious that he was also a kid person.

“And you know what? We are going to give you something," Gabe said before he turned to Chiara. "Right, Chiara?"

Chiara smiled as she handed a Hello Kitty stuffed toy to the kid. "This is for you."

The little girl's eyes sparkled with joy. “Wow. Thank you for this," she said while smiling at Chiara. "Can I hug you?"

“Sure, baby,” she said.

Chiara felt like something warm covered her heart when Janice embraced her.

“This is Hanna.”

Chiara felt like something pinched her heart when Mary introduced them to her last patient.

She couldn't help but stare at the three-year-old in front of them. The little girl looked pale and weak.

“Hanna has stage three leukemia,” Mary told them.

Chiara suddenly felt ashamed as she continued to stare at the kid. She was only three years old but she was already battling for her life. She didn't know why she thought of ending herself just because of a guy. She felt ashamed of herself. Very very ashamed.

“Thank you, Miss Chiara,” the kid told her with a smile as she handed her a stuffed teddy bear.

The corner of her eyes heated up when she saw the genuine smile on the kid's face. “You're welcome. Just keep on fighting, okay? Keep on being brave.”

“Hey…” Gabe said while they were on the elevator going to the lobby of the hospital. Mary remained in the cancer ward to continue checking on her patients. “Are you okay?”

“I just finally realized how lucky I am,” Chiara said as a tear fell from her eye. “There are so many people who are fighting for their lives. Then there I was, thinking of ending her life just because I got hurt."

Gabe raised his hand and gently wiped the tear off her cheek. “Stop thinking about that now, Chiara. What's important is you already get back on your feet."

She felt like a warm hand covered her heart. “Thank you, Gabe.”

Gabe gently smiled at her. “Come on, let's have ice cream.”

He pulled her to the convenience store outside the hospital.

“So everyone in your family is into the field of medicine?" Chiara asked Gabe while they were eating ice cream on one of the tables outside the convenience store.

Gabe told her that he was the youngest in the family. His father was a surgeon while his mother is a psychiatrist. His older brother was currently in med school.

He shook his head. “Not all of my cousins from the Mendez clan are doctors. There are some who were not in the medical field."

“How about you, Gabe?” she asked.

Gabe stopped eating his ice cream and looked at her.

“Me?” he muttered after a few seconds. “I guess I’ll be a psychiatrist too like my mom.” He smiled.

Chiara couldn't help but examine him. He was smiling but there was something in his eyes… “Gabe… why do you look unsure when you said?”

Gabe put down the spoon and glanced at the hospital building in front of them. “When I was a kid, it was really my dream to become a doctor like my parents. But as I grew older, I started to get interested in other things…”

“Other things like?”

“Films…video making…” His gaze went back to her. “When I was in my last year in high school, I couldn’t decide between Film and Psychology. In the end, I chose the latter.”

“Why did you choose Psychology?”

“My parents,” he said with a small smile on his face. “Since I was a child, I already told them that I'd be a doctor like them…”

“They’re your family, Gabe. I'm sure they will understand if you tell them that you no longer want to be a doctor."

“I know…” He sighed. “It’s just that I can’t bear to disappoint them. I don’t want to disappoint the people I love.”

Chiara realized that Gabe wasn't only a good person. He was only a good son."

“Chiara,” Gabe muttered when she didn't say something.

“I really don’t want to be an architect…” she admitted to Gabe. “I just really chose that course because of… Lord Voldemort.” She sighed.

She wanted to take any course related to her passion. Writing. She was still a kid when she took a passion for writing. She wanted to be a writer someday. But then she pushed aside that dream of hers because of Toby.

“It's not too late to pursue what you really want.”

“I'm already third-year next sem," she said. “It'd be a waste of time if I'd still shift."

“Isn't it a waste of time if you'd still continue the course that you don't really like in the first place? You should follow what your heart really wants.”

“How about you, Gabe? You also won't follow what your heart wants, right?"

He looked at her. Straight in the eyes. “I will follow mine. If you follow yours.”

She stared at him. “What about your parents?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Like you said, they’re my family… They will understand me if I tell them what I really like."

Chiara noticed that Gabe warily caught the attention of some customers of the convenience store. It was no longer surprising for Chiara since Gabe was really a head-turner.

“You know what, the woman you love will be lucky to have you, Gabe."

Gabe blinked. He looked surprised at what she said. Then after he recovered from shock, the corner of her lips curled up. “Why did you say that?”

“Because you're already perfect, Gabe. You're good-looking, kind, gentleman—" Chiara stopped talking when Gabe held on to his head.

“Stop praising me, I don't want my head to grow big," he joked.

Chiara chuckled. “Well, your only downside is you eat a lot. But that's fine, I think. Anyway, what's your type of girl?"

He smiled. “I just want someone simple," he answered, looking at her. “I also want someone who's not that tall, just average in height. Then medium-length hair." He then stopped before he continued. “Someijd kind and soft-hearted. Someone—”

“Wow, that's very specific, Gabe," she couldn't help but comment.

“Actually, I already found her.” He looked at her. Straight into her eyes.

Chiara couldn't understand why her heart started beating erratically. That was the first time she felt that in front of him.

“I already found her...but she's still in love with someone else. She's still in love with her asshole guy who left her.”

His eyes never leave her. The way his eyes looked at her was as if he was reading her soul. Butterflies started invading her stomach.

“But I hope she'll move on soon.”

Why does she feel like the woman Gabe is talking about was her?