Watching the person she loves lying in bed, unconscious and unresponsive, was truly distressing. Tess felt as though her heart had almost stopped.
That feeling was genuinely painful, terribly painful.
"Boss."
Tess walked out, and Holly Sawyer stood at the door, a cigarette in her hand, half-burned, with no indication whether she had smoked it or it had simply burned away.
"Mm."
Holly nodded, bowing her head in contemplation.
"Why are you smoking?"
Tess looked at the cigarette in Holly's hand and softly asked.
She had known Holly for quite some time and had never seen Holly smoke or drink excessively. Holly seemed very well-behaved, yet there was a stubbornness deep within her.
"I didn't smoke."
Holly extinguished the cigarette, threw the half-burned cigarette into the trash, and spoke slowly.
Indeed, she didn't smoke. She simply lit the cigarette and watched it burn bit by bit.
She doesn't smoke.
Perhaps it's more accurate to say she doesn't smoke now.
