CHAPTER TWO
1481 Words
Guilt washed over her. If she hadn't agreed to let him drive her home that night, none of these would have happened and he would've still been strong and healthy, using his legs.
But now, he lay alone in a lonely hospital room, his life coming to a pause for as long as he had to recover, and who knew if he'd ever recover fully?
"Quit standing there already and come in here," Kieran's voice suddenly sounded from inside the room.
Lyra was surprised to hear his voice; she had thought he was fast asleep.
She gently closed the door as she entered the room and walked over to stand beside his bed.
"Hey," Lyra said quietly, slowly looking Kieran from his leg to his face but not daring to meet his eyes.
"Hey," Kieran gently held Lyra's hand.
"How are you?" Lyra asked.
"Well," Kieran pointed to his legs.
"Oh gosh, I shouldn't have asked that..." Lyra rushed to apologize, her voice softening as her eyes fell away.
"Hey, don't look that way; it wasn't your fault; if we're taking the blame, then it'll definitely be my fault because I was speeding and wasn't looking," Kieran sighed but still managed to smile at Lyra.
"I still feel guilty, after all, it was me who caused you to drive that late.”
Kieran knew she wouldn't let it go until she made herself drown in guilt.
"If you want to make it up to me, then visit me here as often as you can. That'll really make me glad," Kieran suggested.
"I promise, I'll come see you with gifts as much as I can, Kieran, I promise," Lyra held his hand, gently patting it.
Kieran smiled broadly, happy he'd get to see Lyra more often from now on.
***
Lyra walked down the street that cool evening; at least it was still early, and the hospital wasn't located in an isolated area like the restaurant where she worked. She could still see cars driving by and people either heading somewhere or casually taking an evening stroll.
She couldn't believe she was the one walking the earth again; why didn't she die? Who was that mysterious person that saved them? And who was the person who cleared her medical bills?
She could swear on her life that it wasn't anyone from her family, they'd rather unplug her life support if they had the chance.
She sighed. The hospital didn't look like one of the roadside ones; it looked like somewhere a billionaire's daughter or wife would go, and that made her wonder how much money that person paid.
"Move! You wanna die!" A bike man honked loudly behind Lyra.
That's when Lyra realized she had left the pedestrian and was now almost in the middle of the road.
She quickly moved back onto the pedestrian, apologizing to the bike man.
She looked around and discovered that she was still far from home, and she had no money on her and couldn't even hail a cab.
Maybe she could just get a ride by flashing a sweet smile or telling her sob story. She shook the delusional thought out of her head.
Her legs were almost giving out from tiredness and hunger, but she was determined to walk home.
***
Home…
She stood in front of the yellow two-story building that was supposed to be her home, but as she stared at it, she felt like a stranger.
All her years in that house had been spent living like a ghost of herself; there was no beautiful or fond memory attached to it.
It was a beautiful house, no doubt; her father and stepmother made sure to always renovate it with new tech every year; they wanted to feel proud whenever they brought their business partners home for dinner and subtly show off their beautiful home.
She pulled her thoughts together and walked toward the house. The front lawn looked clean and well-kept as always. It seemed like they had visitors because, on reaching the door, she could already hear Selene, her stepmother's voice laughing a bit too loudly at what someone said.
She clenched her fist at the sound of the laughter, so fake, like the owner. She would have chosen to go through the pantry, but Selene had locked it up since she noticed it was where Lyra came in when she returned from work to escape her.
She quietly pushed the door open and walked inside.
"Oh dear, who's that, Selene? Strangers come into your house now?" the lady beside Selene said in disgust, looking Lyra up and down.
Selene, who was facing away from the door, quickly turned toward it, and the moment she set her eyes on Lyra, the smile vanished from her face.
Lyra didn't stand there to wait for them to criticize her; she moved on and climbed the stairs to her room.
"Oh, no, Judy, ignore her; she's just our housemaid," Selene said, shrugging.
"Makes sense now, dear; I thought you were turning your house into a charity organization where the homeless came to get fed," Judy chuckled, covering her hand over her mouth.
"Ewe, never," Selene rolled her eyes.
She stood from the sofa and walked toward the stairs.
"Do you want some expensive champagne?" Selene asked with a bright
smile.
"Ah, sure! You're the best," Judy relaxed on the sofa, smiling proudly.
- Writer
