When Nicole opened her eyes again, she was alone in the room.

Suddenly, Nicole felt drained of all strength. Her heart felt empty as if it had been scooped out, leaving her feeling cold and hollow.

She had deliberately said those words, making Roscoe think she was belittling his background. In truth, she felt she was unworthy of him...

Roscoe moving on would mean a better life for him, full of brighter possibilities. He shouldn't be confined to this city, bearing hatred not his to bear.

With Jarrod's maniacal nature, knowing her intentions might lead to a relentless vendetta... Nicole decided not to drag anyone else into her problems.

Everything seemed all too familiar. She believed she was destined to be alone... To face her challenges by herself, to live and die alone...

Nicole tried to comfort herself, but the pain kept washing over her, unrelieved by her efforts to calm it.

Then, all of a sudden, the door swung open once more.

Nicole looked up to see Roscoe with a kettle in his hands.

Roscoe walked over to Nicole's bed smoothly, poured some water, and gave it to her, saying, "I let it cool off a bit. It's nice and warm,"

Nicole glanced at the cup, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. Just when she was convinced she'd be forever alone, here was Roscoe, back again.

Fighting the urge to cry, she took the cup and drank quickly.

However, Nicole coughed violently after drinking too quickly and started to choke. Nicole could use this to help explain her sudden surge of tears.

However, the tears seemed too excessive for a simple choke. Tears dropped onto the blanket, creating patterns.

Roscoe felt an emptiness inside him. Quickly grabbing the cup, he gently patted her back and asked, "Is it too hot?"

It didn't make sense to him. He had made sure the drink was only warm, worried she might burn her mouth during the night.

Nicole shook her head, attempted to speak, but only managed to hiccup.

The hiccups kept coming, one after another, uncontrollably.

As she became anxious, Roscoe's calm face suddenly came into view.

Dangerously close.