THE KISS OF BETRAYAL

The night that shattered everything…. I still remember that night like yesterday…. “Mum and Dad… in an accident?” The words uttered on the phone felt like a thousand spears were thrown at my heart. My world was being hit by an avalanche; my heart dropped to my feet, and my phone slipped out of my hands. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I ran downstairs at the speed of light, grabbing my car keys. The night wind howled as I stepped on the brakes with force. Tears blurred the road ahead of me; my hands trembled shakily on the steering wheel . My lips moved in a silent prayer: “Please God, just this once… spare them.” I burst through the hospital doors. “Are my parents okay?” I asked, breathless. “No! It can’t be,” I whispered, shaking my head. “Please tell me it is a lie, doctor,” I said, with tears dropping from my eyes. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” the doctor said, lowering his head with his eyes full of sorrow. “Your Mother couldn’t make it, and your Father is in a critical condition.” “No… this can’t be happening,” my voice quivered, and I felt a sting of tears dropping down my face. “I’m sorry for everything ma’am,” his voice breaking, “but your Father needs your help to be alive. We have been waiting for the permission of a family member to commence the operation.” The doctor took me to his office, where I signed the consent form to commence the operation. I paced to and fro in the waiting lounge a million times, with my arms folded. “Dear God, please don’t take my dad too,” I whispered silently. “Cassie!” Isabella called out. “Come and sit beside me; you’ve been walking for over an hour now.” I went and sat right beside her, resting my head on her shoulders. “He will be fine, right?” My voice cracked. “Yes, Cassie, he will,” she whispered and pecked me on my forehead while holding me in the warmest hug. Isabella came immediately after she was informed about the accident of my father. After two long hours, the surgeons finally came out. I rushed toward them. “Is my Father alright?” Most of them walked past in silence, but the last doctor paused in his tracks and gave me an assuring smile. “Can I see you in my office?” “Yes, sure,” I answered in a hurry, walking right behind him . Isabella followed behind me to his office. “Your father had internal bleeding,” he said gently. “We did our best. Now we are waiting for him to wake up.” The tension in my shoulders eased. “I guess he’d be fine now,” Isabella said as she tapped my shoulders with a smile Through the transparent doors of the ward, I saw my Dad , the strongest man I knew, the only man I ever truly loved lying unconscious and pale. Tubes ran across his nose and hands as the nurses adjusted them. He looked so different; my once vibrant and cheerful papa now looked so fragile. The nurses finally allowed me to enter. As I walked into the ward, the smell of drugs and disinfectant hit me. It couldn’t be my dad lying down there. I wished that God could just spare his life. My mom was gone already. “Please God, don’t take him too.” If only I had stopped them from going out that night; maybe, just maybe, all these could have been avoided. I reached his side, grabbed a seat close by, and sat so close to him. Running my hand through the hair on his head gently, tears streamed down my face. “Daddy, your daughter is here,” I whispered through the tears. “Please wake up.” I took his cold hand into mine, trembling. “Please say something, please.” I cried, laying my head on his hands. My sobs filled the echoing room. Then, his index finger moved and brushed against my forehead. I froze, eyes widening. He’s alive. His eyes slowly opened. I smiled through my tears. He looked like he was struggling to say something, his lips barely moving. “It… wasn’t an accident,” he whispered faintly. “It was pla…” Before he could finish, the monitor beside him erupted in loud beeps. “Daddy?” I gasped. “No! No, please!” The doctors came running into the room as they heard the noise. “Leave the room!” they shouted. Nurses rushed past me, and I approached the door. I stood frozen as they worked behind the glass doors. Minutes later, the doctor came out of the ward, his eyes looking dull, his face heavy. “Doctor, he is fine, right?” I asked, with tears dropping from my eyes. “He couldn’t make it,” he said shakily and walked away with his head buried in the ground. My heart clenched painfully. The words were like a stab in my chest. My heart continued to shrink into my feet. I squatted on the floor, crying out my heart with my hands on my chest. Isabella wrapped her arms around me, my tears soaking her shoulder. That night, I lost both my parents. And deep inside, I knew it wasn’t an accident. Morning came, but everything felt like a bad dream I had just woken up from. “Maybe everything was a bad dream, right?” I said to Isabella, my voice trembling. “They’ll wake up soon, right?” She looked at me with heavy eyes, torn between comforting me and forcing me to snap back to reality. “We need to go home,” Isabella said through tears. “You haven’t had water or food since yesterday.” I declined the offer. Isabella’s eyes softened. “Please, Cassie, please.” She just pulled me close as I broke down again. Amidst my tears, my phone buzzed in my pocket. With shaky hands, I pulled it out. An unknown number. The message read: “Your turn is coming, Cassie.” Attached was an image of Papa’s car, shattered, burnt, and completely disfigured. My breath caught. The phone slipped from my trembling hand. “It was planned!” I screamed. “Papa was right! The killer is still out there!” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a man seated across the waiting area beside us, dressed in black, wearing dark shades. The only visible feature was his beard. I took a step toward him, my heart pounding. And then… silence.