The End Of Us

"What wedding gown did you think look more better?"

"I like the long one laced with diamonds better!" Samantha Cruz said to her mother in a house with just the two of them.

She was laying on the sofa with her head placed on her mother's lap. One can tell the mother and daughter had a really tight bond.

"Why are you even asking me? You look like you made your decision already." Her mother Ema Cruz replied and she chuckled widely.

"Even so, you should still make some guesses." she shrugged as she scrolled through her gallery with varieties of wedding gown images on them.

"You're really excited, Mrs Cruz or should I say Erwin?" Her mother teased.

"That'll be in a week's time. You can call me that in a week's time, for now... Let me hear "Cruz" all I can!" Samantha said and her mom nodded.

"Come to think of it, who buys their wedding gown a week before the wedding?" Her mother suddenly brought up making her seat up instantly.

"If you're that concerned then, you should have bought it. That's why I have a mom! If I am busy you should take care of that. It's not like I have a friend to take care of that for me", she snapped at her mom who smacked her head immediately.

"What for mom?" She whined and held on to her head with pouty lips.

"Then get yourself a friend, I'm not your errand girl, you know!" Her mother snapped in return.

They were in that position for a while staring into each other's face and they both bursted into sudden laughter.

"It's so nice seeing you smile again, Sam. I'm so worried about you all this time, I thought you'll never break out of your shell because of your father cold murder."

"You suddenly turn dark hearted back then, you rarely eat, you don't even laugh, you rarely talk! Same as your sister."

"I thought I was going to lose both of my daughters, thanks for coming back to me Samantha! Mom is really grateful!" Ema Cruz, who suddenly got emotional after seeing her daughter's happy smile, said to Samantha.

"Katrina will come back to us as well. She indulged herself in the investigation days and nights, that was why she took up the cop profession."

"She's not letting go of her resentment and she keeps on losing herself every day. I lost my cute daughter to researching of violent crime and cold murder case... So, this mother feels aggravated! However... I have you Samantha."

"I would have ended my life, if you two grew up the same way. Thank you!" Her mother added and Samantha dived into her arms immediately.

"Mom, sometimes I feel like a bad daughter for neglecting my own father's murder case. But seeing how Katrina is really indulged in it, I feel like that's more than enough. Katrina will be fine... She's gonna be okay! I'll never leave you again so, worry not!" She soothed her mother.

Ema felt the sincerity in her daughter's hug and a joyful tear escaped her eyes which she wiped immediately as they disengaged from the hug.

"How's Ryan? I haven't seen him in a while." Ema suddenly brought up trying to brush the painful topic behind.

"He's fine, he asked_ _

Samantha was about to say when her phone started ringing.

"Speak of the devil!" She smiled and waved the phone at her mother's face as the caller turned out to be Ryan.

..... "My bride!" Ryan screamed as soon as Samantha picked up which made her blushed embarrassingly.

..... "What's this? You can't call me that already, Mr Erwin!" Samantha scoffed jokingly.

..... "So , you have no idea we're married already? We're just trying to make it official so, stop playing hard!" Ryan teased and she scoffed again.

..... "Yes, I get you Mr Erwin!" She drawled.

..... "Why did you prefer the Erwin a lot? You can call me, Ryan, Baby, Honey, like every other couple Sam! You're always screaming Erwin, Erwin!" Ryan sucked and Samantha smirked.

..... "Mr Erwin, stop trying to pick up a fight this early in the morning!" She teased harder.

..... "Again ! Again!" He screamed loudly.

..... "Bye , Mr Erwin, I love you!" Samantha cooed and hung up Immediately.

"That big baby!" She muttered staring at her phone with love.

"As expected, youngsters' love is always interesting. I felt like I'm watching a movie just now", Ema who had been staring at her daughter all this while exclaimed and Samantha looked totally embarrassed.

"Mom, you shouldn't be looking!" She whined.

"So what? I should head upstairs just because you're on a call with your fiancee." Ema scoffed unbelievably.

Their happy chit chat continued for a long time, but their beautiful days suddenly turned dark and cloudy as soon as Katrina barged Inside the house while panting heavily.

"What is Katrina?" Ema sprang up and rushed to her daughter.

"Mom...! Mom...! Mom...! This is a disaster!" She panted and regrettable tears rolled down her face.

"What is it? You're scaring us" Samantha said walking closer to them.

"I wish I had stopped the investigation, I wish I had let it go! The outcome of the two years investigation turned out to be something I can't handle!" She ranted while sobbing bitterly.

"I have vowed not to forgive whoever did that to my dad and I'm never gonna do! I'm sorry, sis!" She stated decisively and her face turned icy cold again.

"Why are you apologizing to me? What exactly did you find out?!" Samantha screamed, losing her patience.

"I found the killer, big sis... What are you going to do now?" Katrina dropped the bombshell leaving her family in confusion.

"What? You did what?" Samantha inquired unbelievably!

"Yes!"

"Then, who is it? Who is the goddamn monster that slaughtered my father?" She yelled and rapid change occurred to the joyful Samantha.

Her eyes turned bloodshot red and her veins popped out, she suddenly turned to her younger self again and the dissipating revenge solidified again.

The killer is.....

The bright afternoon turned gloomily cloudy unexpectedly. It seemed as if the skies received the agonies and pains of the Cruz's family.

Heaven shed tears on behalf of them since their heart is too heavy to pour out all their resentment.

Rain poured endlessly and the sky grumbled at interval, thunder continued striking and it reflected in the eyes of Samantha Cruz who barged into the house of her fiancee soullessly.

The rain poured on her head and she felt like she was getting drenched in her own tears.

She felt like the cry she was shedding wasn't enough and almost thanked the rain for representing her inexpressible sadness.

After hearing who the killer was, she found her entire world crumbling right before her eyes. She regretted the days she had been happy forgetting her poor father in his cold grave.

She regretted every single moment she spent with the family, she felt so sorry for her father more than mouth could tell.

She pushed the door to the living room, opened aggressively and stood rooted to a spot.

She stayed at the entrance while scanning her eyes around the living room with her drenched cloth drizzling incessantly.

Her hair was glued to her face, which made her appear like a vengeful ghost.

No one was in the first living room so she marched to the second living room with a deep hatred reflecting in her eyes.

On getting to the second living room, she met "Josh Erwin, Ryan's dad," "Lydia Erwin, Ryan's mom" and "Tamina Erwin," Ryan's sister in there.

Her hatred spiked up on seeing them and she couldn't control her emotion, which made her scream her lungs out.

Everyone got deadly shocked that they all sprang up Immediately.

"Sister-in-law, what're you doing?" Tamina was the first to speak up and she walked closer to her.

"Don't come closer to me, I can't get any more irritated than this!" Samantha snapped and Tamina halted immediately.

"Why are you walking in the rain? You're gonna catch a cold?" Lydia was the next to voice out her concerns but Mr Josh only scoffed.

"Is the wedding making you go bonkers? You knew you're not deserving of my family and the excitement must be driving you insane!" Mr Josh scoffed irritatingly and took a few steps toward her.

"Will I be deserving of it if you return my father's blood, sweat and tears?" Samantha said and snapped her head up Immediately, she fisted her hand tightly that her knuckles made a cracking sound.

Her teeth clattered together and she stared at him dangerously as she matched towards him like a robot.

"What are you talking about, Samantha?" Ryan's mom asked, totally confused but surprisingly, Samantha grabbed Josh Erwin by his collar on getting to his front.

"What!!" Unbelievable gasps escaped everyone's mouth.

"Give me back my father! Where's my father you murderer? Give me my father!!!" She screamed from the depth of her soul. Heartfelt tears gushed out of her eyes and she jerked his collar without stopping.

Just then, the cops siren can be heard approaching... It wailed loudly that Tamina and Lydia couldn't believe their ears.

"What do you think you're doing to your own father-in-law?" Josh smirked and Samantha scoffed amidst her cries.

"What did you just say? Father-in-law....! I brushed that under the rug before coming here!" She screamed at his face.

"Where's my dad? What has my dad ever done to you? Why did you kill him that brutally? He got soaked in his own blood, he died alone without seeing his own family on a windy night! "

"How can you be that callous? I'll never forgive you, Josh!" She rasped loudly and dropped to the ground.

"Dad! My Dad!" She whimpered silently.

Lydia and Tamina were shocked beyond words as the expression on Josh's face couldn't be more surprising.

"I'm sorry, dad! I'm so sorry!" She continued whimpering, with her head bowed. She kept on weeping and her tears splattered on the ground like rainfalls.

The door of the second living burst open and Katrina came inside with three other detectives behind her.

"Josh Erwin, you're under arrest for the murder of David Cruz, 18 years ago." She said professionally and approached him with cuffs.

She seized his hand and cuffed it roughly.

"You have the right to plead the fifth and you have the right to a lawyer. Also you've gotten the right to question the arrest but.... I trust you wouldn't want to do that. Now, move!" Katrina stated and pushed him forward roughly.

He was escorted to the cops vehicle by Katrina and the three other detectives, leaving his family in utmost shock.

After the cops had left, Samantha gathered all her strength to stand up, which she successfully did.

She dragged her feet towards the door as quickly as she could. She couldn't bear spending a single second more in the godforsaken house.

However, she heard footsteps approaching her so, she paced more faster since she already guessed who it could be.

Once again, she ran inside the excessively pouring rain but a strong hand held her back and it turned out to be her fiance; Ryan Erwin.

She snatched her hand away Immediately, feeling so disgusted.

"Don't touch me!" She rasped with her chest heaving non-stop.

They both stood in the rain for a very long time, they stared at each other not knowing what the next line of action was.

"What did you mean earlier by that? Are you serio_ _

"You heard me clearly! Your dad murdered my dad! He killed him!" She screamed, cutting him off sharply.

"I still don't want to believe that, but what's gonna happen to us?" He demanded but only earned a scoff from Samantha.

"What can ever happen to us? Nothing! Nothing! We are calling this quit! Did you expect me to marry you again after this? You must not be different from you goddamn dad!"

"Samantha!!" Ryan thundered after hearing that from her.

"Stay away from me!" She warned and proceeded to leave.

"What happened to your love? Where's the undying love? Are you just gonna desert me, Samantha?" Ryan roared in pain.

"Listen and Listen carefully!" Samantha said without looking back.

"I regret ever loving you. I curse the day I met you! I regret every single moment I shared with you! I regret our intimacy, I regret everything in total! So... Stay away from me, from today on!"

"I'll send your dad to his grave, and I'll send you along, if you ever come close to me!" She warned and with that she walked out of the house without looking back.

Ryan became weak immediately, her word did not only disappoint him but it stabbed his heart as well.

He dropped on his knees after a while and a bitter tear escaped his eyes.

"Samantha!!!!!" Ryan screamed loudly and the thunder struck immediately.

Just like that, the two beautiful lovers parted ways with deep hatred and broken hearts.

Some secrets were never meant to be revealed. If they are, they ruin relationships, they cause hatred and regrets. So, they are better left unknown.

However, it was different in Samantha's case. As she found out the greatest revelation of her life.

The revelation that turned her life around in just a minute.

How can her own fiance's father be the killer of her own father?

The situation just didn't sit right with her, she wanted it all to be a lie.

How can her own love turn hatred in just a blink of an eye? How can she be with him again after this? She just can not forget or forgive the family! Never!

The mini gate to Samantha's house creaked open and Ema who was patiently waiting for her daughter's arrival ran outside immediately.

"Oh my goodness!" She gasped on seeing Samantha awfully drenched, in the cold rain. She couldn't help but believe her daughter became a totally different person in just an hour.

"Samantha!" She gasped again seeing her pale face.

One would mistake her for a vengeful ghost if come across.

Her long black hair was stuck to her face, leaving only a part of her face in light.

She was putting on an oversized, long sleeve, white sweater with a black pants.

They were all soaked beyond words and they became more stretchy because of the excessive rain, which is not stopping any time from now.

Ema expected her daughter to come Inside for a change and to get a warm sleep but surprisingly, she opened the gate widely and approached the black matrix in the compound.

She opened the car which wasn't locked before and dived inside.

"What is she doing? Samantha, get off! You can't drive now, The road is so slippery! Please!" Ema screamed and ran after the car but it was too late already. As she ignited the engine and drove out of the compound, streaking down the road.

"Oh my God! Please...! Samantha, please stop!" Her mother screamed but all that can be referred to as; "flogging a dead horse!"

"My daughter...! Sam...!" Ema dropped to the ground inside the rain, while whimpering softly.

Samantha on the other hand was a very bad driver, she didn't even have a license. That scared her mom the most.

She drove the car at a very high speed, while overtaking different trucks and cars.

Her vision was so blurry, since the rain won't stop splattering on the windshield. The windshield wiper was working but the tears in her eyes prevented her from seeing anything.

Regardless of the situation, she inflicted her frustrations on the car and drove it as roughly as she could.

"Ryan!" She suddenly muttered and bowed her head in dejection.

She was in that position for a long time before she decided to raise her head back, but.....

It's too late!

She couldn't see well, but she managed to see a black, huge truck approaching her.

She couldn't even swerve as she's tightly stuck between numerous vehicles.

Very unfortunately... She drove the car right to the front of the truck which climbed over the matrix, and the sound of collision and glass shattering took over the entire street.

*

"Mom! Mom! You were saying what? Samantha is what? What's wrong with Samantha?" Katrina bombarded her mom with questions as she ran inside the OR (operating room) passage while panting heavily.

Ema who was seated on the joined chair in front of the OR couldn't say anything but only sob bitterly.

"How can she drive in that heavy rain? How can she_ _

Katrina was saying but couldn't complete her words as she bursted into tears as well.

"How can she do this to me? How can she...?" She muttered in tears and sat beside her mom.

After long hours of sitting in front of the OR, they finally wheeled Samantha out on the bed with almost every part of her body bandaged but her face was the most bizarre, it was totally draped in bandages.

"What... What is wrong with my daughter? What is wrong with Samantha? Why is she like this? Why?" Ema fidgeted seeing her daughter in an unusual state.

"Follow me, please!" The doctor replied and they didn't waste a second to scurry after him.

"Please, take your seat." The doctor said as they got to his office. Ema took her seat not wasting a single second but Katrina remained on her feet waiting eagerly for what the doctor was about to say.

"I'm very sorry to say this to you but, your daughter is in a very critical condition, a very critical one!" He started off and Katrina stomped her feet on the floor.

"Goddamn it!" She cussed under her breath and fought back her tears.

"I wonder how she was alive in that state, she must really be strong-willed!" The doctor added with an unbelievable expression on his face.

"What exactly is the problem? Please... Just get straight to the point before you kill us too with curiosity!" Katrina snapped at the doctor who got taken aback by the action.

"The truck ran over the car because the driver is drunk_ _

"You don't need to tell me that. I arrested the trash bag, who was still sleeping in the car after the disaster he caused for drunk driving and attempted murder." Katrina cut the doctor off once again.

"Okay. Her hands bones were all broken, so it was casted, most of her tendons and ligaments were all torn."

"To cap it all, she loses a "big" chunk of memory." He exaggerated the big part and Samantha's mom couldn't help but increase the volume of her tears.

"I'll say those are trivial! Her face suffered the biggest injury."

"It's all ruined. I'll say.... It's impossible to go around in that face again! It doesn't belong to a human again, it can't be called a face." He said lastly.

Samantha's mom loses her posture and fell out of the chair.

"Mom!" Katrina panicked and dropped crouched beside her.

She helped her up and made her sit on the floor, "my daughter...! My daughter...!" She cried silently and Katrina pulled her into a hug immediately.

"There is an option, anyways!" The doctor raised a suggestion. Katrina pulled out of the hug and sprang up immediately.

"What will that be?" She demanded impatiently.