Broken.

“Maybe you should go check up on mum and dad”. Claire said softly but secretly she hoped he wouldn't go.

And just like she wished, Nathan sat beside her, holding her hand tightly, refusing to move.

“They will be fine. I’m more worried about you”. He said, because the thoughts of her struggling to get out of the crashed car was suffocating him and making him feel that that has traumatized her. So he wanted her to rest as long as she could.

Hearing Nathan’s words, Claire smiled inwardly, but kept a pitiful face outwardly for Nathan to see.

Just as he was about to say something, the door slammed open, startling them both .

Alexa stormed in, her eyes blazing with fury. “Are you serious, Nathan? Mom and Dad are in the other room, broken because they lost big bro Xander, and you are here, clinging to Claire as if she’s the only one who matters?”

Nathan’s jaw clenched, but he stayed silent, his arm tightening around Claire.

Alexa stepped forward and continued saying . “She didn’t even get a scratch! Not one injury. But you are acting like she’s the one lying dead in the morgue. Do you even care about your own parents? Or Viola, whom you didn't even glance for once?”

Claire’s tears stopped for a second. She slowly lifted her head and shot Alexa a glare full of hatred.

But the moment Nathan looked at her, she quickly put on a pity look and started crying loudly, clutching his shirt. “Please, don’t fight because of me”.

Nathan looked torn as guilt flashed in his eyes. “Alexa, that’s enough. You don’t have the right to talk to her like that, remember she’s your sister in law.”

“I should be the one saying this, bro Nathan, remember she’s not your wife but your sister in law”.

She said, which made him freeze. Seeing this, Claire panicked and grabbed his hands.

Seeing her in this state, he lashed out and said, “What’s wrong with me caring for my sister in law huh?”

Alexa stared at her brother in disbelief and gritted her teeth in anger. “You are blind, Nathan. She’s manipulating you, and you don’t even see it!” She shouted.

Claire whimpered, then whispered brokenly, “Maybe, maybe I shouldn’t have survived…”

“Stop it!” Nathan said quickly, holding her tighter. “Don’t ever say that again.”

That was the last straw for Alexa. With fury, she rushed to the bed and grabbed Claire’s shoulders. “Enough with the act, Claire! My brother is dead, and you...”

“Alexa!”

Nathan shouted and shoved her back roughly which made her stumbled and fell hard to the floor.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Claire covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be shocked. But as Nathan bent over her protectively, Alexa caught the smirk curling on her lips which was cold and mocking.

Alexa’s chest heaved. She stood up from the floor, her eyes blazing with fury. Then she pointed at Nathan and said each word coldly, “You will regret this Nathan, one day you will see her true face. And when that day comes, remember you pushed your own sister aside for her.”

With that, she turned and stormed out of the ward, heading straight to the ward where her parents were. The same ward that Xander was transported to after the accident, before they declared his death and moved his body to the morgue.

After she left, Nathan sat back on the bed, pulling Claire into his arms again.

While Claire… she pressed her face into his chest, but her eyes glimmered with victory.

…..

After consoling her parents in law, Viola was about to leave to care for something when she decided against it.

She knew it would be rude to just walk away without seeing Claire especially after staying to comfort everyone.

So with a heavy heart, she decided to check on Claire before leaving.

Standing in the hallway, the nurse showed her the way, and soon Viola found herself standing in front of Claire’s room.

With a soft sigh, she reached for the door handle to open it, but quickly stopped when she heard Nathan’s voice inside.

“Don’t worry, I will be there tomorrow,” he said softly, loosening his tie. “You know I can’t let you face my parents alone.” He added, because he knew his parents don’t like Claire at all.

Cleaning her tears, Claire said, “ I don’t know what to do Nathan, seems like I’m now alone”.

“Don’t say that Claire, you have me”. He calmly said.

Viola froze, her brows furrowing. Maybe he was only trying to comfort her, she thought. But as she listened, his voice grew even softer.

“Don’t say that, Nathan,” Claire whispered and continued, “You have already done enough, you should be with your wife right now. What if she sees us like this? ”

“You have to understand,” he said, his voice low as he try to explain to her, that he didn’t have anything going with Viola. “I haven’t even slept with her. All those times I said I was working late or busy and couldn’t meet you, it wasn’t because of Viola. It was because I didn’t trust myself to be around you. Every excuse I made was for you. Four years, and I’ve kept my promise. Every time that I left me and her anniversary, it was to prove to you that you were always the one.”

Hearing this, Viola’s breath quickened as she felt her legs weaken.

Inside the room, Claire stared at him in shock, and with a quiet and shaky voice, she said, “Nathan please you shouldn’t say that. Xander just passed away.”

“I know,” he said almost quickly, “but I can’t keep pretending anymore. Let people say what they want, I will protect you and your daughter no matter what it costs me.” He added with a serious look, which made her smirk inwardly.

On the other hand, Viola stood there, her hand still on the door with a painful look on her face. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Nathan, her husband, was confessing his feelings to his late brother’s wife, and Claire didn’t sound like she was rejecting him.

Anger and disgust burned inside Viola. Xander just died and they were already speaking like this.

It was as if their pain had somehow brought them closer?

She wanted to walk in and confront them, but her legs wouldn’t move. She just stood there, trembling, listening to the man she loved speak words that shattered her heart.

Just then, Viola realized the cruelest truth of all. For years, she believed his late nights and constant excuses were about work, she had thought she came second to his work.

But now she knew she came second to another woman, and not just any woman but sister-in-law

At that moment, Viola felt her heart break in a way it never had before, but then she swore never to care anymore because she had suffered enough.