Chapter 11 – Collapse
719 Words
The house was quieter than usual.
Not peaceful.
Just… still.
Nia hadn’t gone back downstairs.
The broken glass remained where it was.
A silent reminder of something she didn’t want to replay.
Morning came anyway.
It always did.
Her bags were already packed.
Oxford was calling her back.
Routine. Structure. Distance.
Maybe that would fix something.
Maybe not.
She didn’t think about it too much.
Thinking never helped.
Instead, she stepped outside.
The air was cool. Fresh.
Different from the heaviness inside the house.
A run.
That’s what she needed.
Something simple.
Something physical.
Something that didn’t require her to think.
Nia started slow.
Then faster.
Her steps steady against the pavement, her breathing controlled—at first.
The world narrowed.
Just the road ahead.
The rhythm of her feet.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Faster.
Her chest tightened slightly.
She ignored it.
Faster.
The air didn’t feel as easy to pull in anymore.
Her breathing grew uneven.
Keep going.
Her vision blurred at the edges.
Her steps faltered—
Just slightly.
Then—
Everything tilted.
Darkness.
Voices.
Faint at first.
Distant.
“…Nia?”
Another voice. Sharper.
“Hey—hey, stay with me—”
Her eyes fluttered open slowly.
The light felt too bright.
Shapes came into focus.
Marcus.
Ryan.
Marcus’s expression was nothing like she’d ever seen before.
Not controlled.
Not composed.
Scared.
“You passed out,” he said quickly, his voice tight. “Can you hear me?”
Nia blinked slowly.
“…What?”
Ryan leaned slightly closer, his gaze scanning her face carefully.
“You collapsed. On the road.”
Nia frowned faintly, trying to sit up.
Her body felt heavy.
Slow.
“Easy,” Marcus said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t move too fast.”
That’s when she noticed—
They weren’t alone.
A woman stood just behind Marcus.
Her hands clasped tightly together, her face pale.
Shaken.
Marcus’s wife.
Nia hadn’t seen her like that before either.
“What happened…?” Nia asked quietly.
“You tell us,” Marcus replied, frustration and concern mixing in his voice. “When was the last time you actually rested?”
She didn’t answer.
Because she didn’t know.
The door opened.
A doctor stepped in, his expression professional—but serious.
“Good, you’re awake,” he said, walking over.
Nia leaned back slightly against the pillow, her head still heavy.
“What is this?” she asked.
The doctor glanced briefly at Marcus and Ryan before looking back at her.
“You experienced a collapse due to extreme physical and mental strain,” he said calmly. “Your blood pressure is significantly elevated.”
Silence.
Nia blinked.
“That’s it?”
The doctor’s expression didn’t change.
“No,” he said. “That’s not it.”
A pause.
“If this continues,” he added, his tone firmer now, “you’re putting yourself at serious risk.”
Marcus exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face.
“I told you,” he muttered under his breath.
Ryan didn’t speak.
But his jaw tightened slightly.
Nia looked away.
“I’m fine,” she said.
No one responded.
Because this time—
It didn’t sound convincing.
At all.
The room felt heavier.
Quieter.
Marcus’s wife stepped forward slightly, her voice softer but shaken.
“You scared us.”
Nia glanced at her.
Really looked at her.
And for a second—
Something shifted.
Guilt.
Small.
But there.
“I’m okay,” Nia said again.
But her voice was quieter now.
Less certain.
The doctor sighed lightly. “You need rest. Proper care. And you need to take this seriously.”
Nia didn’t respond.
Her gaze drifted slightly—
Unfocused.
Because for the first time—
It wasn’t just in her head anymore.
It was physical.
Real.
And no matter how much she tried to ignore it—
Her body wasn’t going to let her.
Marcus stepped closer, his voice lower now.
“You can’t keep doing this.”
Nia closed her eyes briefly.
“I know,” she murmured.
But even as she said it—
It didn’t sound like something she believed.
Outside, the world kept moving.
But inside that room—
Everything had slowed down.
Because now—
There was proof.
Something was wrong.
And it wasn’t going away on its own.
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