chapter two

Clara’s POV

The first thing I felt was the light.

Harsh. White. And Blinding .

It pierced through the darkness like a blade and dragged me back into a world I wasn’t sure I wanted to return to. The sterile scent of disinfectant filled my lungs. As I heard the Machines beeped in slow, steady rhythms around me, far too calm compared to the storm in my chest.

I blinked several times, my eyelids heavy and swollen. The world slowly came into focus white walls, silver rails, a ceiling too bright, too clean, too painfully alive for a girl who wasn’t sure she was.

A hospital,The realization cut through me.

I tried to sit up, but the pain hit me like a wave ,sharp, electric, violent. It shot through my ribs and down my leg, forcing me to gasp for air.

“Easy, sweetheart. ”A soft voice drifted to my left.

A tall beautiful nurse stood beside my bed, her eyes gentle and full of sympathy I didn’t yet understand. She pressed a hand to my shoulder, guiding me back down.

“You’re safe beautiful ” she said quietly. You’re at New York Presbyterian, You’ve been unconscious for two days.

Like Two days???? So shocked

My chest tightened. My pulse quickened, matching the speed of the monitor beside me

Where is Mom? Dad ? Liam

My lips trembled as I tried to speak. M-my family… my parents… my brother… Where are they ..

Her expression shifted instantly.

It softened, but behind it there was something else. Something cold. Something final. The kind of look people have when they’re about to break your spine with a truth you never asked for.

She pulled a chair to my bedside and sat. Her fingers wrapped around mine.

“Clara…” she whispered, her voice breaking gently. “I’m so sorry.”

My breathing hitched.

She didn’t need to say the words. I already felt them rising like a tidal wave ready to consume me whole.

Your family…” The nurse steadied herself. “None of them survived the crash. I’m so sorry .

Immediately the world went silent.

Completely.Utterly.Violently.

My ears rang with a high-pitched whine as if the universe had punched a hole through my soul and sound no longer knew how to reach me.

“No…” My voice cracked painfully. “No. No, no, no. They are not dead .

I shook my head, the movement weak and dizzying. Tears spilled instantly, uncontrolled and burning.

“That’s not true,” I sobbed. “My dad he was reaching for us. My mom she was right there, she was right there ,she was singing. My brother, my brother was joking with me. He held my hand. He,he was ...

The words collapsed into broken breaths.

The nurse squeezed my hand tighter. They didn’t suffer. It was instant. Instant!!!

That word stabbed deeper than the truth itself.

Instant meant I never got to say goodbye.

Instant meant I never got to tell Liam I loved him...that I loved how he come to wake me up at night to get him chocolate before he could sleep..

Instant meant my mother’s humming would never fill a room again.And how she teases me about college boys

Instant meant my father’s warm, steady voice was gone forever.

Instant meant everything ended while I was still breathing.

My heart shattered silently, into tiny pieces grinding into dust beneath the weight of those four letters.

I cried until my throat burned and my body shook. The nurse didn’t move. She stayed with me, holding my hand as if it were the only thing tethering me to reality.

Maybe it was.

After what felt like hours, a knock sounded at the door.

A man in a navy-blue suit stepped in a doctor with sexy eyes and a clipboard tucked under his arm. His voice was gentle, but carried the weight of someone who had delivered far too many tragedies in too short a lifetime.

“Ms. Langford,” he began softly. “We recovered… a few of your personal belongings at the crash site.”

I froze. Belongings?

He reached into a small plastic evidence bag and brought out something delicate yet something familiar.

A thin silver chain,My mother’s necklace.

The small heart-shaped pendant glimmered faintly beneath the harsh hospital lights, cracked on one side, as if even metal hadn’t survived the fall.

The doctor placed it in my palm.

The moment I felt the cool metal touch my skin, I collapsed inward.

A cry tore from my throat so raw, grieving, broken. I clutched the necklace tightly against my chest, as if by holding it close enough I could somehow bring her back. As if her warmth still lived in the metal.

But it didn’t.

It never would again.

“Mom…” I whispered, choking on her name. “Mom, please…”

My tears soaked the sheets. My hands shook uncontrollably.

No one in that room could save me from the avalanche crashing through my chest. It was a different kind of pain one that didn’t wound the body but split the soul.

The doctor cleared his throat quietly. “You’re very lucky, Ms. Langford. Most of the survivors ..

“Survivors?” I snapped, my voice hoarse. “There were others?”

He hesitated. “One other. The co-pilot. But… he passed away last night.”

I froze completely. “So. it’s just me,” I whispered.

He nodded yes MS Langford

The words echoed in my skull like a death sentence.

Just me.

Just me.

Just me.

A survivor of a tragedy I didn’t remember, standing alone in the ruins of a life I no longer had.

The nurse brushed a strand of hair from my face, her eyes misty.

“You’re incredibly strong, Clara.”

I didn’t feel strong.

I felt empty.

A hollow shell wrapped in a hospital gown.

The doctor continued gently, “Once you’re stable, a social worker will help with arrangements, legal matters, and… any remaining responsibilities.”

Responsibilities.

Then it hit me so hard ,My father’s business.

My mother’s accounts.

Liam’s school things.

The house.

The funeral.

The word tore open a fresh wound in my chest.

I pressed my fist against my mouth to stop the sob that threatened to escape, but it broke free anyway, shaking my entire body.

The doctor bowed his head respectfully and left the room. The nurse followed after adjusting my blankets, leaving me alone in the sterile quiet.

But I wasn’t alone.

Not really.

Grief was there sitting on my chest, whispering memories I wasn’t ready to relive.

I stared at the ceiling through blurry eyes and tried to breathe, but each breath felt like inhaling shards of glass.

My family ,my whole family,gone.

The silence in the room grew unbearable.

“liam…” I whispered again, trembling. “Liam, wake me up. Please. I don’t want this. I don’t want—”

My voice broke.

He used to call me whenever he had a nightmare. Used to bang on my door at midnight with his blanket dragging behind him.

C’mon, Clara. Scoot over. I can’t sleep.

Sometimes he would accidentally fall asleep on my arm and drool on me. I used to make fun of him for it.

God. I would give anything—anything to have him drool on me again.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

A woman stepped into the room, holding a clipboard.

“Ms. Langford?” she said gently. “I’m Detective Marlow. I need to ask you a few questions about the crash.”

My heart sank.

I didn’t want questions, I wanted my family back.

But life wasn’t giving me choices anymore.

The detective sat beside me. “Do you remember anything after the fire reached the cabin?”

“No,” I whispered. “Everything went black.”

“And before that?”

“The flames. The screams. My brother grabbing my hand. My mom reaching for my dad. He—he was trying to reach us.”

A shaky breath escaped me.

Detective Marlow nodded, jotting something down.

“You’re lucky, Clara.” Her voice softened. “It’s a miracle you made it out alive.”

Lucky.

The word felt like a slap.

Lucky people didn’t wake up alone in hospital beds with nothing left but a broken necklace and memories that stabbed like knives.

I said nothing, After she left, the room fell quiet again.Too quiet.

I curled around the necklace, holding it to my heart, and finally allowed the heartbreak to drown me.

I cried until my tears soaked the pillow.

I cried until my body gave up.

And when sleep finally pulled me under, I whispered one last word into the emptiness:

“Liam”