CHAPTER TWO
1159 Words
Elara’s Pov
I can’t remember how I got home.
One minute I was walking home. Next I was standing under the street lights, then I was sitting at the bus station. After that… nothing made sense
And suddenly, I was in my room, lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling like the answers to my questions were written there.
I was still wearing my dress
My phone was silent.
He didn't come.
The words didn't feel real, not yet. They were in my mind like something distant, something that didn’t make sense yet.
Because Noah always showed up. Even when it didn’t matter.
But tonight... he didn’t.
Maybe something happened to him and frantically I pulled out my phone from my bag.
No missed calls.
No messages.
No explanation.
"Elara..." my mom called out in a whisper, like she was trying not to wake the neighours
“Are you okay sweetheart?”
She called again, but I couldn’t respond. I was too overwhelmed. Too lost.
I dialed his number again.
“Elara” she kept calling but I was too stressed to respond.
I dialed his number again. It rang. Once. Twice
Three times.
Then silence.
Not even voicemail this time.
I suddenly couldn’t breathe. My chest suddenly became too tight. I felt so dizzy.
“No, this is not... this is not happening."
“No this can’t happen. You promised Noah
My mind began to race, searching for answers, for something I might have done wrong.
Did I say something?
Did I miss something?
I replayed everything.
The way he looked at me the last time we spoke.
The certainty in his voice.
“I’ll be there, Elara. I swear.”
“Liar!” I choked out, my voice breaking. “You promised!”
“How could you do this to me?!”
The realization hit her now. He didn’t come.
Not because he couldn’t.
But because he chose not to.
And just like that, the tears came.
Not soft. Not gentle.
They broke out of me like something that had been held in for too long. I fell on the bed, clutching the fabric of my dress like it could hold me together.
"I waited..." i choked out, my voice breaking with every word. "I waited for you."
Her mothers knocks were louder now. Her voice was more frantic. She threatened to break down the door. I could hear her calling someone, probably Maya but I didn’t care.
All I wanted was to be able to breathe without feeling like someone was tying a knot in my heart.
My phone slipped from my hand onto the bed as I buried my face into my palms,crying like she had lost something she could never get back.
Maybe she had.
And that hurt even more.
A HOSPITAL IN NEW YORK
The night refused to end.
Somewhere across the city, under harsh white lights, the sharp scent of antiseptic and the chaotic run of medical staff , a phone lay on the cold tiled floor.
Its screen cracked in many places shown dimly.
Missed calls.
One after the other.
Her name. Elara.
It buzzed again…weak, persistent.
The sound was small in the large, sterile room, almost insignificant compared to the hurried footsteps and loud distant voices echoing through the hallway.
"Doctor!"
Move!” a paramedic barked as they pulled the stretcher out in one swift motion.
The patient lay still with an oxygen mask strapped over his face, a nurse held him in place as the pulled the stretcher. The beep from the monitor was steady but slow and inconsistent.
“Male, twenty”the paramedic began. “Involved in a ghastly accident. Unresponsive in the last three minutes”.
“Where is the doctor?! Someone save my son!
“Sir, please step back!” a nurse said, trying to keep pace while gently but firmly pulling his hand away.
“ If anything happens to him, I will burn this hospital down!”
“Sir, you’re slowing us down,” one of the paramedics said, cold this time. “Let us do our job.”
"His pulse is dropping… Take him to the theatre, quickly!”
“ He is losing a lot of blood”
But the man wasn’t listening. He moved alongside them again, almost blocking their path. “I’m his father! I have a right…”
“ Yes you do but if you want him alive, you need to move.”
That came from the doctor who had just met them at the entrance. Calm voice. Hard eyes. No room for argument.
That was enough.
“Clear the corridor!” the doctor added, already turning his attention back to the patient. “Let’s go!”
The stretcher moved forward again, wheels rattling against the floor as they rushed inside the theatre.
Despite the chaotic noise. The phone kept ringing.
It laid on the floor.
Unanswered. Unseen
Alone.
Until it finally went silent.
ELARA’S POV
I woke up with a groan.
My eyes were swollen, my head pounded like monsters were having a field day and my heart felt empty like everything inside me had been taken away overnight.
I sat still, quietly staring at the faint light coming through my window.
And then it hit me again.
He didn't come.
The pain was quieter now, but I had come to terms with it
My phone buzzed suddenly, making me flinch and before I could stop my self, I hurriedly picked it up hoping it would be him. But immediately the hope died
It wasn't him.
It was a message from Maya.
"Babe, are you okay? I tried calling you last night."
I stared at the message.
What was I supposed to say?
That the person I trusted most had shattered me?
That I might be doing this alone?
That my life had changed overnight?
I exhaled slowly and typed:
“ I am fine. I just don’t know how to tell my mom.”
“You haven’t told her?” Maya asked
“I thought Noah and I would do it together but I guess I am alone and my mom is already worried considering what happened last night”
“It’s fine. It’s Noah’s loss. You aren’t alone, okay. I am coming over now”
“Okay. Thank you” I texted with a smile
I dropped the phone on my bed, stood up and walked towards the mirror.
“I look a mess,” I said, running my hand through my hair.
My reflection stared back at me. Tired, broken… different.
"If he could walk away that easily... then maybe I never meant as much as I thought."
With shaky hands, I wiped my tears and reached behind me, unzipping my dress. It slipped to the floor.
Forgetting wouldn’t be easy.
Neither would be forgiving.
And deep down, I knew this wasn’t over.
Not even close.
But when the time came…
I would be ready.
- Writer
