"I've been a fool, Clover. Such a damn fool. I thought I could bury my feelings for you, pretend they didn't exist, but I was wrong. So damn wrong." He takes another deep breath, feeling the lump in his throat grow larger. "I've tried to deny it, to...
I take a deep breath as I get ready to go to my dad and brother's grave. I haven't visited them in awhile, but it never gets any easier. I make sure to wear something nice, wanting to look my best for them, even though they're not here to see it.
I head out the door and make the familiar drive to the cemetery. The closer I get, the more my heart starts to ache. I know it's going to be tough, seeing their names etched into the stone, but I also know it's important to honor their memory.
As I drive, I feel a mix of emotions. There's a sense of sadness and loneliness, knowing that I'm going to be alone at the cemetery. But there's also a feeling of nostalgia and connection, knowing that I'm going to be close to my dad and brother. I turn up the radio, trying to distract myself from my thoughts as I continue driving.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a text message. I glanced at the screen, seeing that the message was from Celeste. I couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety as I wondered what she wanted.
I frowned as I read the text message from Celeste. Have I seen what?
I quickly typed out a reply, feeling a sense of unease. "No, what is it?"
Celeste soon sent a screenshot of an article, showing a picture of Brennan leaving a romantic restaurant with a beautiful woman. My heart sank as I looked at the picture, feeling a pang of hurt and jealousy. Who was that woman? Why was he with her?
I gasped as I looked up from my phone and saw the oncoming car. I instinctively swerved out of the way, my heart racing as I narrowly avoided a collision.
I let out a deep breath and tried to focus.
I mentally scolded myself for not paying attention to the road. I put my phone down and tried to shake off the hurt and jealousy I was feeling. I didn't know the context of that picture, and it wasn't fair to jump to conclusions. I needed to focus on driving and get to the cemetery.
As I continued driving, a small voice in my head reminded me that it was none of my business. After all, Brennan and I were nothing more than just a one night stand. We didn't have a relationship or anything concrete.
But despite that rational thought, I couldn't shake off the pang of hurt and jealousy that I felt seeing him with someone else. It was stupid, I knew that. But it didn't make the pain any less real.
As soon as I approached a sharp curve in the road, my steering wheel suddenly went loose in my hands. Panic surged through me as I tried to maintain control of the car, but it was no use.
The car swerved off the road and into a tree.
I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The car hit the tree with a sickening thud.
Everything went black as my head slammed against the steering wheel, pain exploding through my skull. The last thing I heard was the sound of shattering glass before I slipped into unconsciousness.
*2 1/2 years earlier*
After the concert, my manager approached me with a serious look on his face. I knew something was wrong. "Clover, can we talk for a moment?"
I nodded, feeling a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. "Sure, what's going on?"
My manager's expression softened a little, but he still looked grim. "I have some bad news," he said quietly. "There was an accident involving your father and brother."
My heart sank as his words sunk in. "What kind of accident?" I asked quietly, already dreading the answer.
My manager's voice was grave as he continued. "They were driving on the highway and their car lost control, swerving off the road and into a tree."
I felt like the air had been knocked out of me. "Are they... are they okay?" I whispered, already knowing the answer.
My manager's expression softened even more as he gave me the news. "I'm sorry, Clover," he said quietly. "But they were dead on impact. There was nothing the ambulance could have done."
I could feel tears stinging my eyes as I heard the words. Dead on impact. It didn't seem real, like some horrible nightmare that I would wake up from any second.
But no, it was all too real. My father and brother, were gone. And I was left alone, with a broken heart and a gaping hole in my soul.
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