Chapter 2 A Glimpse at Reality

Waking up had become the most dreaded part of my day. Something about being in a hospital always rubbed me the wrong way and the smell-gosh the smell. A day had passed since I learned of my current status, and the weight of those two lost years threatened to crush me.

As I lay there, a fragile thread of hope still lingered. If I could just reach Kelvin, I knew he'd help me escape this hellhole and return me to the life I once knew. But first, I needed a phone. I needed to recall his number, I could have sworn I had it etched on my memories before.

The door creaked open, and Doctor Betty's gentle smile offered a fleeting sense of comfort. "Good day, Miss Malloy. How are you feeling today?" Her voice reassuring as ever, but I knew better than to trust it.

"My head still hurts like hell," I admitted, wincing at the memory of the pain. "But overall, I'm feeling...alive, I guess." The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that Miss Malloy." Her voice made it hard to decipher her emotions.

I shot her a confused look before noticing Doctor Betty's shift in expression, her eyes clouding with a somber intensity. "Miss Malloy, I promised to investigate your family's status. I'm afraid I have some difficult news to share."

My heart sank, as I unconsciously started shaking my legs, anticipation threatening to eat me up.

"What is it?" I whispered, wringing my hands already bracing myself for the worst. Something about her downturned lips screamed bad news.

Doctor Betty's voice dropped down several octaves. "Your family, Miss Malloy...they're gone. From the news I read, there was a fire outbreak in your family household that took the lives of your parents and everyone in it."

The room spun around me, colors bleeding into a gray haze. I felt myself drowning in a sea of despair, unable to find a lifeline. Doctor Betty's words became a distant hum, a reminder that my world had been shattered.

"But... What if that is another Malloy family? I refuse to accept this news" I say in a hollow voice even if I knew how unlikely it was.

"I was in doubt at first Miss but as I saw the images of you and your parents, I knew it wasn't a different family" she renders in a soothing voice that did nothing to calm the storm of tears building up in my eyes.

As the tears streamed down my face, Doctor Betty's hand closed around mine, her touch warm and reassuring. "You're not alone, Miss Malloy. We'll get through this together. But for a more positive News the technical team was able to trace the anonymous person from the past two years" she lets out with a small smile.

"Doctor, I honestly don't care about anything or any news again. My parents are dead. Nothing else matters. Why didn't you just pull the plug on me when you had the chance?" I softly demand in a broken whisper.

"Miss please don't say that. You are alive for a reason and I'm sure your parents would be happy that you survived- God bless their souls. And if the anonymous person is really who they said they were, I'm positive your spirits will be lifted" She pats my hands and renders a small smile, leaving an air of suspense.

The door closed behind Doctor Betty, leaving me to confront the ruins of my life. I sobbed, the sound tearing from my throat like a wounded animal. I mourned for the loss of my family

I mourned for the years I'd lost

And I sobbed for the life I once knew.

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I open my eyes, which seemed to have been swollen shut after several hours of sobbing hopelessly.

The nurses' gentle voices roused me from my grief, their words a soft murmur as they helped me sit up. My body felt like lead, my muscles screaming in protest.

As I waited for the nurses to finish their checks, a knock at the door broke the silence. "Please, can you see who that is?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

As one of the nurses stands to open up the door, the door flung open. And lo and behold, my biggest support system walks into the room. Her radiant smile caused tears to well up in my eyes.

"Bella?" I whisper shakily unable to believe my eyes. And almost immediately I was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. Tremors wracked both our bodies and sobs broke free from me.

"I thought I'd never see you again, Steph," Bella whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I know I'm a shitty best friend."

As we held each other, the world outside receded, leaving only the two of us, suspended in a sea of grief and memories. I didn't even notice the nurses had exited the room till the door shut suddenly.

"Tell me what happened to my parents," I begged, my voice cracking. "I need to know."

"They are dead Steph. I still can't believe it till this day but I'm very sure of one thing...." She trails off.

Bella's eyes locked onto mine, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity. "It wasn't an accident, Steph. I'm sure of it. Your uncle...he took everything. He erased you from existence."

My mind reeled, the implications too horrifying to contemplate. " What are you talking about? Are you saying it was all a setup up Bells? But What about Kelvin?" I whispered, already dreading the answers.

"I'm almost 100% sure that your uncle had something to do with your parent's death and maybe even your accident, " she says with so much conviction.

Bella's face contorted in a mixture of sadness and anger. "I know you'd flip Steph but.... Kelvin is married. He married your cousin Melissa."

At the mention of the last bit of news, I completely unraveled. The room imploded around me, the darkness closing in like a shroud.

I was lost, alone, and adrift in a world that seemed determined to destroy me.