Chapter 1
1395 Words
Tessa’s POV
“Daddy! Watch out!”
My voice tore out of my throat so violently it burned.
Even now… I can still hear it.
That scream.
That helpless, desperate scream that came too late.
It was supposed to be a normal evening.
The sky was soft and golden, like nothing bad had ever happened in the world before. Cars moved lazily along the road. People laughed. Somewhere nearby, music played faintly.
And my dad…
My dad stood across the road, smiling.
He held two gift boxes in his hands, lifting them up like a child unsure of which toy to choose.
“Tessa!” he called, his voice warm, teasing. “Which one do you think your mum will like more?”
I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed, even though my chest felt light just looking at him.
“The blue one,” I shouted back. “Obviously.”
He laughed.
That laugh.
God… I didn’t know that would be the last time I’d ever hear it.
We had argued just minutes before.
Over something so stupid.
So meaningless.
He wanted to pick something “special.” I told him he was overthinking it. I didn’t want to be late for my concert but yet he was taking his precious time in picking out a gift for my mum.
He teased me for being impatient. I snapped back. He laughed it off.
And I walked away.
I just walked away.
If only I hadn’t.
If only I stayed.
If only I had crossed that road with him.
Maybe—
No.
I shouldn’t think like that.
But I always do.
Every single night.
“Daddy, I’m serious—just take the blue one!” I shouted again, half-laughing.
He shook his head, smiling as he turned still confused on the best one.
And then…
Everything changed.
---
A sharp sound tore through the air.
Tires screeching.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
My heart dropped before my mind could even understand what was happening.
The red SUV came out of nowhere.
Speeding.
Out of control.
Deadly.
“Daddy!” I screamed.
This time, my voice broke.
He turned.
Confusion flashed across his face.
Then fear.
His body froze—just for a second.
Just one second.
But that was all it took.
The car hit him so hard that it threw my dad helplessly across the road.
I swear…
I swear the world slowed down.
Like time itself didn’t want me to fully feel what was happening.
I watched his body lift off the ground.
Weightless.
Helpless.
Like he wasn’t real anymore.
His eyes met mine mid-air.
And in them…
I saw everything.
The Shock. Pain. Sadness.
And something worse—
Apology.
Then—
A sickening sound.
A loud, hollow crack as his body hit the ground.
“Daddy!!!”
My scream didn’t sound human anymore.
It sounded… broken.
Like something inside me had already shattered.
My legs moved before I could think.
I ran.
I ran so fast my chest felt like it was collapsing, my lungs burning, my vision blurring.
“No… no, no, no, no…” I kept whispering.
Like if I said it enough times, it wouldn’t be real.
The car didn’t stop.
It didn’t even slow down.
It just… kept going.
Like my father’s life meant nothing.
Like he was nothing.
But I saw it.
I saw the plate number.
AE-6888.
It burned into my mind like fire.
Permanent and unforgettable.
By the time I reached him…
I slipped.
My knees hit the ground hard, but I didn’t feel it.
I didn’t feel anything.
Because there was blood.
So much blood.
It spread across the road, dark and terrifying.
It stained his clothes.
His face.
My hands.
“Daddy…” My voice came out in a whisper this time.
Small. Weak. Shaky.
I was scared. Really scared.
Just minutes ago, we were arguing.
Laughing.
And now…
Now he lay there, broken in front of me.
“This isn’t funny…” I choked. “Daddy, get up.”
My hands shook as I touched his face.
It was warm.
But fading.
“Please…” My voice cracked. “Please don’t do this to me.”
I lifted his head into my lap.
Blood soaked into my clothes instantly, but I didn’t care.
I didn’t care about anything.
“Somebody help us!” I screamed.
I looked around wildly.
People had gathered.
They were watching.
Just watching.
“HELP HIM!” I cried, my voice raw, desperate, furious.
But no one moved.
No one came.
Why?
Why was no one helping?
“Daddy… stay with me, okay?” I whispered, my tears finally falling.
They dropped onto his face, mixing with his blood.
“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
His lips moved.
Barely.
Painfully.
“T… Tessa…”
“I’m here!” I sobbed. “I’m right here, Daddy!”
His eyes struggled to stay open.
His breathing was uneven… shallow… wrong.
“Take care…” he whispered, each word dragging painfully out of him. “Your mum… your siblings…”
“No!” I shook my head violently. “No, don’t say that!”
“You’ll take care of them yourself! You hear me?! You’re not leaving!”
He tried to smile.
God… he actually tried.
Even then.
Even while dying.
He was still trying to comfort me.
His hand lifted slowly.
Shaking.
Weak.
He reached for my face.
I grabbed it quickly, pressing it against my cheek.
“Please…” I whispered, breaking apart. “Please don’t leave me…”
His touch was fading.
I could feel it.
Slipping away.
And then—
His hand dropped.
Just like that.
“Daddy?” My voice trembled.
No response.
“Daddy…?” Louder this time.
Still nothing.
“No… no, no—“
“DO SOMETHING!” I screamed at the paramedics as they finally rushed in.
They pulled him away from me.
Hands moving fast.
Voices overlapping.
Machines.
Pressure.
But I already knew.
Deep down… I already knew.
The ambulance ride was a blur.
I held onto his hand the entire time.
Even when it felt lifeless.
Even when it stopped responding.
“Stay with me…” I whispered over and over again.
Like a prayer.
At the hospital, they took him away.
Through big double doors.
Into a place I wasn’t allowed to follow.
And just like that…
I was alone.
Time stopped making sense.
Minutes felt like hours.
Hours felt like forever.
Then my mum arrived.
She didn’t look like herself.
Her hair was messy.
Her clothes mismatched.
One slipper didn’t even match the other.
She looked… broken already.
Like her soul knew before her mind did.
“Tessa—where is he?!” she cried.
I ran into her arms.
And for the first time…
I felt like a child again.
Scared.
Helpless.
Lost.
“He’s going to be okay,” I said.
But my voice didn’t believe it.
My heart didn’t believe it.
And I think
She didn’t believe it either.
My little sister stood beside her, crying uncontrollably.
Everything felt like it was collapsing.
The wait was a long and terrifying one. They spent hours in the operating room.
Finally, the doctor came out.
I knew.
Before he even spoke.
I knew.
The look on his face said it all.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently. “We did everything we could.”
The rest of his words blurred.
“Time of death… 8:43 PM.”
Something inside me broke completely.
My mum collapsed.
Her scream—
God, her scream—
It didn’t sound human.
My sister cried louder.
People rushed around us.
Voices.
Movement.
Noise.
But all I could hear was silence.
Because my father
My hero
Was gone— Forever.
That night, something inside me changed.
Something dark.
Something that would never heal.
Because somewhere out there… Was the person who did this.
The person who drove away. He never stopped. He never cared about the life he just destroyed.
AE-6888.
I closed my eyes, letting the number settle deep into my soul.
Like a mark. A scar.
A dead promise to myself.
And I swore—
I swore on my father’s blood…
I would find them.
And when I do—
I won’t just make them pay.
I will make them feel
Every single piece
Of this pain.
- Writer
