I opened my eyes slowly. I thought it had all been a nightmare. But I quickly realized it wasn't, feeling the IV drip in my hand and the breathing tubes in my nose. Not to mention the vital signs monitor. Suddenly, blurry memories appeared. I saw nothing but fire and a shadow. My head hurt just thinking about it.

《What does God want from me?》 I wondered at that moment.

My body was still weak. The doctors told me I had suffered trauma both to my head and back, making it a miracle that it wasn't irreversible.

For two weeks, doctors and nurses kept visiting me to perform check-ups. I was still eating soft foods because my stomach was in a highly delicate state due to what had happened. I asked what had occurred and why I was there, but no one could answer with certainty. I wondered where everyone else was, especially Sakura. It was driving me crazy not being able to find anyone. I felt like God was punishing me for something I had done wrong, though I was unaware of it.

Until one day, a well-dressed man appeared with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Good morning," he greeted me with a wide smile. "You must be Constanze Bemberg, correct?"

"Yes," I responded, slightly confused. "Who are you?"

"Forgive me for not introducing myself," he explained while placing the bouquet in a vase to my right. "My name is Klaus von Hoff. I'm a lawyer, and a few days ago, on Christmas Day, I saved you and your friend from a serious fire that broke out at the orphanage."

"IT WASN'T A FIRE! IT WAS AN ASSAULT!" I shouted with all my fury.

"Well..." Klaus continued after an awkward pause. "I don't know exactly what happened... I just found you both unconscious and brought you to the hospital." I felt he was lying.

"Where is Sakura?"

"Do you mean the friend who was with you? Well, apparently, her condition was critical, so they had to take her to a more specialized hospital."

"Is she okay?" I asked, still not believing him.

"She's still unconscious," he replied. "But as far as bad goes, she's stable." Those explanations stirred a cocktail of opposing emotions in me; on one hand, I was relieved she was alive, but on the other, I feared the worst since she was still in a coma. Yet, my disbelief lingered.

Suddenly, two police officers dressed in the characteristic blue uniforms of the Swiss police appeared. The one on the left was a young, tall, and slender man with a completely shaved head, while the other was an older, shorter, and stout man, bald with a mustache showing streaks of grey.

"We wouldn't want to interrupt," said the older officer, "but we need to ask some questions about the incident that occurred on Christmas Eve. From what I understand from the reports, the woman hospitalized here is Constanze Bemberg, a worker at the San Felipe Neri orphanage, correct?"

"Yes," I answered, having nothing to hide.

"As you can see, you were the only survivor of that fire," he said, frowning because Klaus had told me Sakura was alive.

"Excuse me," Klaus interjected. "There was another girl with her who was transferred to another hospital."

"Her name?" asked the other officer.

"Sakura Araki," Klaus answered transparently.

"Okay," the officer noted in his notebook. "It seems the other girl isn't missing. Well, gentlemen, we've had enough interruptions," said the older officer sharply. "I would like to begin with the questions we have for Miss Bemberg. The doctor has said she's ready to do this. Don't worry, it will be brief. Apparently, there's a rumor that the fire was an assault. The bodies of Father Fischer and the nuns have been identified," I tried to hold back tears remembering those dear ones were gone, "and the autopsies show they died from gunshot wounds. Can you confirm this?"

"Yes, it was," I answered after a pause. "I saw how several men, quite burly..."

"Could you give us some descriptions of those men?"

"I don't remember very well... It all happened so suddenly... Let's see... I saw them taking the children and setting everything on fire... They were burly... I only remember one with a shaved head. He was wearing a blue vest with blue jeans... That's all I recall... I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry," said the older officer. "This information will be enough. We would also like to ask you some questions, sir," their gazes, both officers', shifted to Klaus.

"What do you want from me?" the man asked.

"From what we know, you were the one who brought this young woman to the hospital," said the older officer, "but it's strange that you didn't notify the authorities immediately, especially without mentioning there was another survivor we thought was missing. Could you explain why you didn't report it at once?"

"Well..." Klaus began to speak. "In my defense, I will say my mobile phone wasn't working these past few days, so I couldn't function."

"That's a bit of a strange excuse, but I also don't have enough evidence to accuse you of being responsible for the fire," the officer stated.

"He wasn't," I said sincerely. "I never saw him there."

"Okay," the officer sighed. "The other question I want to ask is where they took the other girl?"

"To Basel."

"Basel?"

"They said she was in critical condition and couldn't be treated here, so they had to take her somewhere better."

"Then we'll have to question her as well."

"I have to say she's still in a coma."

"Well, we'll have to wait then. Thank you for your answers."

"Please," I said to the officers before they left, "I'd like to know if you have any information about the whereabouts of the children."

"No," the young officer replied coldly, leaving without further ado, leaving me in my despair.

The two officers left. Both Klaus and I breathed a sigh of relief. An interrogation, whether in our favor or not, generated a lot of pressure. Dealing with the police was very stressful. I didn't want to discuss the matter further.

"Do you promise that when I'm discharged, I can visit Sakura?" I asked Klaus.

"Of course," he responded with a smile.

Two weeks later, I was discharged. That same day, I got into Klaus's car, where he waited while smoking. As soon as I entered, he put it out. I couldn't stand the smell of tobacco, but I appreciated the gesture of him extinguishing it when I got in.

"Thank you for paying for my care," I thanked him.

"You're welcome," he responded. "Money isn't an issue for me; I have plenty," he said with a laugh.

He started the car, and we drove towards Basel. For an hour, I was excited about seeing Sakura, even if she wasn't conscious to feel my presence. I had been reborn, and I wanted to share a new life of happiness with her. What had happened was a harsh blow for us, but we still had hopes of finding the children and, if possible, reopening the orphanage.

We arrived at the hospital. When Klaus parked, I got out of the car like a bolt.

"Good morning," I greeted the receptionist upon entering. "I'd like to visit Sakura Araki. Is it possible?"

"Let me check," the lady responded while searching. "Could you repeat the name, please?"

"Sakura Araki."

"I'm sorry, but we don't have anyone by that name admitted to this hospital." That information made my neurons short-circuit.

I immediately went out to speak with Klaus to clarify if there had been some misunderstanding. However, when I got to where he had parked, I realized he had left. Next to the parking space, there was a streetlight, and on it hung a leather bag that hadn't been there before.

I decided to open it and was met with the pleasant surprise of stacks of banknotes, which I estimated at half a million Swiss Francs, along with a note that read:

《I'm sorry to say goodbye like this, but I must leave. Here is enough money for you to start a new life.

A big hug,

Klaus》

At that moment, I knew he had lied to me. I appreciated the money, but now, without knowing where to go and with many doubts, the only clear goal I had was to find Sakura. And that didn't give me a good feeling.