BLAKE
Why is it so fucking bright in here?
A sea of faces stare past me in horror, and briefly, my eyes meet those of Danielles.
Issac has his arm around her protectively, and I follow her stunned gaze to that of the body slumped on the floor.
My father.
Like a gazelle in headlights, I pause, frozen momentarily in time before my mother's scream fills the room.
"Nooooo!"
Something snaps within me and I move, falling to the floor beside my dad.
"Someone call nine-one-one!" I bark out, horrified at the expression on my dad's pale face.
It's twisted in agony, his hand clutching at his chest.
My fingers tremble, searching for his pulse beneath the stiff collar of his shirt.
Nothing.
"Dad! Wake up!" I shake him, but the rigid flesh beneath my fingers sends me reeling.
"He's gone!" Mom wails, throwing herself onto his chest.
I rock back on my heels, staring at the man on the floor like I was in some kind of nightmare.
This is Dad.
Dad doesn't die; not on my watch.
Paramedics swoop in, pulling Mom from him as they tear his shirt open.
But I know, no matter how many times they pump his chest, counting breathlessly, he's gone.
Mom looks like she's going to pass out, and I struggle to my feet, making my way to her.
She sinks against me, howling like a wolf.
"I can't...I can't..." she repeats, over and over.
I stroke her hair, staring at the paramedics who are trying everything to resurrect the dead.
Dead.
How the fuck is my father dead?
Silence throbs in my ears, not even Mom's screams penetrate the wall that's keeping me sane.
The paramedics don't give up until they've tried everything, and it's only when they turn to us, the look in their eyes full of heartache and bad news, that Mom falls into my arms.
Someone grips my shoulders, squeezing it in what I can only assume is a reassuring manner.
"Mom," I croak out, smoothing her hair beneath my fingers.
This isn't right.
Dad's not even fucking old.
"I'm sorry."
"So sorry, he's gone."
"Do you need a drink of water?"
Questions surround us, and Mom grips to me like a broken raft in a storm. I feel about as useful as that fucking raft too.
Someone covers Dad with a blanket, and it feels so strange; too strange.
I wonder if he can breathe, then my chest tightens, the weight of reality crushing me.
He's dead.
The room empties silently around us, and Mom lifts her head to mine, her eyes swollen with tears and loss.
I hope she doesn't speak because I'm not able to answer her.
I'm not able to answer anyone.
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Falling for the CEO | SAMPLE ONLY
RomansaDanielle Vee is furious that she has to work for her ex, Blake James, after the sudden passing of his father. He is arrogant, and a womanizer; everything that made them split six years earlier. But Danielle knows that Blake has to respect her as a...
