CHAPTER 2
604 Words
Lexi’s POV
I was so caught up in my emotions, my vision blurred, endless tears streaming down that I didn’t notice the car speeding toward me until it was almost too late.
The sharp screech of tires against the pavement jolted me back to reality. I froze, my breath sucked in my throat as the car skidded to a stop a few inches away from my face.
“What the hell, young lady?! "Are you trying to get yourself killed?” The driver, a middle-aged man with an angry scowl, leaned his head out of the window, glaring at me.
My heart pounded erratically, the near accident shook me to my core. I stumbled backward, my hands trembling. “I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, rubbing my palms together, trying to steady my breathing.
The driver scoffed, shaking his head before speeding off. I let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand against my chest. That was too close.
But the pain in my heart was still far greater than any momentary fear of death. The betrayal, the lies, the sheer audacity of Phillip and Rachel. it was all too suffocating. The tears kept flowing, hot and uncontrollable. My body felt weak, but I forced my feet to move forward.
Then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, barely glancing at the screen before answering with a trembling voice.
“Hello?”
“Lexi, it’s Dr. Parker from the hospital.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
“I’m afraid your father’s condition has worsened,” he continued. “We need to proceed with the treatment immediately, or… he might not make it.”
A chill spread through me. My father… dying? No. No, that couldn’t happen.
“How much time do I have?” My voice came out hoarse, barely audible. I felt numb all through.
“We need the money within the next seventy-two hours," Lexi said. If we don’t receive it…” He hesitated. “We’ll have no choice but to take him off life support.”
My world spun. I thought I might collapse right there on the sidewalk.
“I-I’ll get the money,” I whispered, gripping the phone so tightly against my ear that my knuckles almost turned white. “I will find it ASAP by all means.”
Dr. Parker sighed. “I know this is difficult, Lexi, but time is critical. Please, do all you can.”
I ended the call, my fingers cold and stiff as they dropped to my side.
The problem was...I had no idea how I was going to get the money.
'Think, Lexi. Think.' my mind raced, searching for a solution.
And then, a single thought broke through my wandering thoughts.
I needed to go to the hospital.
I had to see my father.
Maybe if I saw him, I’d find the strength to figure something out , just maybe by looking into his tired eyes, I would be reminded of 'why I had to keep fighting'.
I wiped my tears away and dragged my feet forward. I just had to make it to the hospital.
My father was all I had left.
With each step I took, my mind trailed back to the painful past I had tried so hard to forget. Memories resurfaced, gripping my heart like clawed chains.
Back to the day my mother left us.
I was a teenager then, barely old enough to understand what was happening. My little sister, Emily, was only seven. Too young to grasp the extent of our mother’s decision.
But I remembered it vividly.
That day everything went wrong.
- Writer
