𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 | 𝘙𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉

I sat in the waiting room, my leg bouncing with nervous energy as I stared at the sterile, white-tiled floor. The minutes dragged on, feeling like hours. Every time the door to the operating room swung open,my heart would leap into my throat, but it was never for us. The waiting was torture, every second an eternity filled with fear and doubt.

Finally, the door opened, and a doctor stepped out, her face grave.
I stood up immediately,my heart pounding as I took in her expression. Something was wrong.
I could feel it in my bones.

"Are you here for Anna?" the doctor asked, her tone clipped and professional.

I nodded, unable to speak. My throat had gone dry, and a sense of dread curled in my stomach.

The doctor's eyes flicked to the others in the room—my sister, Pope, JJ, Kiara, John b and that one girl, still didn't know her fucking name. They all looked at the doctor with the same desperate hope, but the look on her face crushed that hope in an instant.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said, her voice heavy with the weight of her words. "We did everything we could, but the damage was too severe. She didn't make it."

The world stopped.I felt the ground shift beneath me, my knees nearly buckling as the words sank in. No. No, this couldn't be happening. It didn't make sense. Anna couldn't be gone. Not like this.

I felt a scream building in my chest, but it wouldn't come out. The air was too thick, too heavy. I could hear the others reacting—Kiaras horrific scream, the sobs that followed, JJ cursing under his breath—but it all sounded distant, like it was happening underwater.

I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. All I could see was Anna's face—the way she had looked at me just hours before, full of life and warmth. How could she be gone? How could everything be taken from me in the blink of an eye?

The doctor was still talking, saying something about needing to make arrangements, but I couldn't process the words. I turned away, staggering down the hallway, needing to get away, needing to escape the suffocating weight.

I found myself outside, the cold night air hitting me like a slap. I gasped for breath, my hands shaking uncontrollably. How was I supposed to live without her? How could I go on, knowing she was gone forever? The thought was unbearable, a black hole of despair that threatened to swallow me whole.

I could see my future stretching out before me—empty, meaningless. Every day without her would be a living nightmare. I would never hear her laugh again, never feel the warmth of her hand in mine, never wake up to find her lying beside me.

„You know, I want a big garden-Wait.Are you listening to me,
Rafe?"she asked with her cute bossy tone.
„Always, my love." I answered, still admiring her beauty.
„Good. So, I want a big garden so our kids don't have to sit at home all day and can play outside, but of course they need to be careful because of my flowers. Omg, Yes! I want flowers! Can I get flowers, Rafe?"
„Whatever my future wife wants, she will get."

The sudden memory faded, replaced by the reality.

The life she had dreamed of, the future she had planned, was gone, just like that.

I collapsed against the side of the building, sliding down to the ground as grief overwhelmed me. Hot tears streamed down my face, and I didn't care who saw. I couldn't hold it in any longer.
I was breaking apart, piece by piece, with no way to put myself back together.It was all mine fault.
All mine.

And then, in the middle of the despair, something snapped me out of it—a voice, faint and distant, but unmistakable.

"Rafe," the voice said, soft. "Rafe, wake up."

My eyes shot open, and suddenly I was back in the waiting room, my body jerking awake. It had been a dream. Just a dream. But it had felt so real, too real. I was drenched in sweat, my heart still racing from the nightmare. I looked around wildly, trying to shake off the lingering horror.

The others were staring at me, concern etched on their faces.

"Rafe, are you okay?" Sarah asked, her voice full of worry.

But I couldn't answer. I didn't care about myself , didn't care about the nightmare that had just ripped me apart. All that mattered was Anna. I needed to know she was okay.
I needed to know it wasn't real.

"How is Anna?" I croaked out.

Before my sister could respond, JJ spoke up, his voice steady but laced with urgency. "It's Anna. She's tough. She's going to make it. You know she will."

John B nodded in agreement. "She's strong, Rafe. She's going to pull through."

Their words eased some of the tension in my chest, allowing me to believe, even just a little, that Anna could survive this. I had to hold on to that hope.

But just as l started to feel a sliver of relief, the hospital doors swung open with a loud crash. Lucia and Sofia stormed in, their faces frantic as they demanded to know where Anna was. JJ and the others stared at them in shock.

"How the fuck did y'all find out where she is?" JJ's voice was sharp, the confusion and anger clear.

Before they could explain, Amara appeared behind them, her expression a mixture of worry and anger. She made a beeline for me, her eyes blazing.

"You just left me at the club?
Alone?" she spat, her voice shaking with a combination of disbelief and fury. "What the hell, Rafe?"

I could see she was upset, but I was too drained to deal with it right now.

The only person I cared about at this moment was Anna. Amara was... she was just a distraction. A way to forget the one person I couldn't really have.

"Amara, calm down," I said, trying to keep my voice steady and my own emotions in check. "This isn't the time."

"Not the time?" she snapped, her voice rising. "You just walked out without a word! What am I supposed to think?"

"I'm sorry, okay?But shit happened and I will explain it to you later but now it's about Anna's life. She is a friend," I tried to explain, hoping she would understand.

Amaras expression softened slightly, the anger giving way to concern. "A friend? Oh, God, I didn't know... I didn't realize it was that serious."

Before we could say more, the doctor appeared, and the room went quiet.

"She's doing better," the doctor said, her words cutting through the tension. "Anna's condition has stabilized, and we expect her to wake up soon. The bullet didn't hit any major organs, so she's going to be okay."

Relief hit me like a wave, nearly knocking me off balance. Anna was going to be okay. She was really going to be okay. I could finally breathe again, the weight that had been crushing me slowly lifting.