"No…" she tried to reply with visible difficulty. "Nothing…"

It had been mere minutes, but her face had turned as white as a sheet of paper, and it was clear from her expression that she was enduring a torturous pain.

Seeing her like that almost made him panic.

"I'll take you to the hospital," he offered.

"No!" She grabbed his arm and clutched at it so tightly that he even started to feel the pain. Then, with strenuous effort, she continued, "I'm fine. It's just an old sickness of mine. It'll be… It'll be gone in a minute. Will you promise to give me what I… asked you earlier?"

He stared at her. An old sickness? When did she start having such a sickness? He did not remember her in such a state before back when they were together. Or did the sickness start when she was in prison?

"Will you… Will you promise me?"

She asked him that question again, almost as if it was a question that she must hear the answer to no matter what happened.

His dark eyes were fixed on her. After a long