He played again. And this time, it was Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. One could only have the same kind of feeling when he was with the love of his life. The music flew in the air and fill up the room. A room was full of loneliness and sadness. Every second passed was torture to him.

After he finished playing, he saw the dark and blank eyes of the bear. He pinched its face in a daze and asked, "Is it good?" To his surprise, he triggered the switch, and the bear started to move and gave out a childish voice, "Good morning, good morning. The best to you this morning. How are you? How are you? I hope you're feeling fine. And happy all the time."

He was startled. The sound was electronic and fake, but he was still shocked.

It repeated, again and again, the lyrics, as if it was his child that would be born in a few months. Each word crashed his ears and heart.

After a long time, he pressed it again, and another female voice began, "Hush, Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird won't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"

The familiar voice sounded like singing to herself or whispering to his ears.

Tristan spent half a day in the room, playing the piano, a piece of music after another, without feeling tired. He only stopped to answer a few calls. In the past, when he felt a stir of emotion, he played a piece, and he resumed calmness. But now he played again and again, and his missing was like a stream keeps flowing to the sea without stopping. The stream can never stop running until it reaches the end of its life, running into the open arms of the sea.

Lucy started to get bored and ran around his feet, scratching his pants and cried.

He stopped to look at it and then turned to the window to see the sky. Finally, he bent down to carry it up.

He brought it to its room, got the food out and poured it into its bowl, and then sat down to see it enjoying its meal.

The sunlight came through the window and fell on Lucy's body and also its house-shaped bed. Tristan found that there was something shining inside it. He reached his hand inside the house and found a few ragged toy rats and a silver color box. He remembered seeing the box on Kate's dresser. It was her cosmetics box.

He took it out, opened it, and was shocked.

In the box, the cassettes, CDs, and file bags were placed in order.

He drew out one cassette, and his handwriting was on the label.

His hands trembled.

Bitterness and sadness surged up from his heart like magma from the volcano. They burnt his throat.

He coughed violently and felt dizzy. He sat down on the floor in a trance.

After some time, he put down the cassette and put the hand to his mouth.

He thought he loved her enough to tolerate her betrayal. He didn't expect that she did the same to him earlier than he did without his knowledge. She didn't explain or make a commitment.

She must have a painful struggle for a long time before she made that decision. He felt his heart was aching, like an outbreak of angina. He was dying to see her and hug her, tell her that he would pay her back with his life.

Another day passed, and Kate was still the same. She could only lean on the bed and covered in the ragged blanket, but she had an earphone now.

Blond saw her being bored and gave her his MP3 player. The teenager was nice. He bought her two more extra eggs for breakfast, and she was really grateful to him. Agnes Obel's Riverside was playing again and again.

Down by the water, the riverbed

Somebody calls you, somebody says

Swim with the current and float away

Down by the river every day

Oh my God, I see how everything is torn in the river deep

And I don't know why I go the way

Down by the riverside

The singer had a lonely voice, and the sound of the piano enhanced that feeling. Her tears came out as she listened.

She thought of the last day she saw Tristan. They had breakfast, and then Tristan was about to leave the house. She told him, "I will go out later today." He stopped for a second and then nodded, "OK. I will ask somebody to accompany you."

His eyes showed tenderness and affection. She would still remember how they looked. In a second of hesitation, he probably guessed where she was going, but he didn't disagree. He should not like her going there. After all, who would like his woman to have another man in her heart?

As she had nothing to do, she started to recall and sort out all the memories since she first met him. From the first impression as a ruthless person to what he was now, he had transformed into a different person. But she knew he was still the same person deep inside.

The person she saw was what he looked like to outsiders. And now, she had seen the true self of him. The painful experience had wrapped masks and armors on him layer by layer, but inside he still had the real self him.

She was lucky to be the one to see the true self of him.

He longed for love, and so did she. She had never been adored like this before. From the unaccustomed feeling to getting used to it, and now she was addicted to his love. In the period that her sense and emotion was fighting fiercely, her resolution was always defeated by his affection. And she could only feel guilty to Jimmy more and more.

His misunderstanding didn't trouble her much. She thought she deserved it anyway.

And his forgiveness moved her greatly. The time they were on the seaside, he knelt down to help put her shoe on and put the ring back into her finger again. Every time she recalled this, the impact on her heart was no less than the time it happened.

She bent down to see the ring on her finger and kissed it.

Being loved like this, she didn't have regret if she died.

Kate dozed off as she listened to the music. And when she woke up, she had a congested nose, sore throat, and heavy head. There was no air-conditioning in the bas.e.m.e.nt, and it was cold.

She felt her forehead and said to the blond who was playing games, "I have a fever."

Blond looked at her and saw her face was strangely flushed.

"Can you help me? I cannot get sick."

Blond hesitated a while. The other two guys were out, and he was left here alone. He made up his mind and said, "I will go buy some medicine for you."

"No." Kate's eyes fixed on him steadily, "You let me go."

Kate and blond went out of the bas.e.m.e.nt and walked across the yard. The house was located in a suburban area.

They could see the lights and bridges of the downtown area.

They had to go through a long and unpaved road.

It was midnight, and there was no light. It was all dark.

Blond held her arm and reminded her of the bumps on the road.

They just walked for not long, when they saw a shadow in the front and a familiar voice sounded in the dark, "Ha! What do I see?"

The head of that person reflected some light, and they were both shocked.

"Turncoat!"

Blond stepped to the front and said, "Bro, she got sick. I am taking her to see the doctor."

"OK. Before she goes to see the doctor, let me enjoy her first." And he moved up to them. Blond grabbed his arm and said, "She is pregnant. You could kill her."

Bald head slapped him on the ear with so much strength that blond fell onto the ground. Bald head took the chance to kick him on the stomach and grabbed Kate. "Either you are sick or dead, nobody would give a damn. Let me have a good time first." And his mouth reached to Kate's face.

Kate tried to push him away. The blond guy held bald head's leg and called to Kate, "Run! Run!"

Bald head's feet fell on blond's body and gave out thuds.

Kate hesitated for a short moment, and then she got rid of the bald head's hand and started to run to the main road.

She could not spare time to take care of blond. All she had to take care of was the child in her belly. She could not let anything happen to it.

Bald head saw her run and got furious. He kicked blond with all his strength ceaselessly.

Blond took out a jackknife and climbed up on his knees, and stabbed him on the stomach. He cursed, "You come to bully me again. I am not yet 17-year old. I don't need to go to prison if I kill you."

A shriek of agony sounded behind Kate.

Kate didn't turn back but sped up her steps. She felt that somebody was chasing behind her in unsteady steps and screaming at the same time.

She ran for a while and became exhausted. She only had faith inside her. She had to run against the time. She finally made it to the main road before the man behind her caught her.

She saw a car driving to her, and its headlight blinded her, and she fell…