Illusions (Alt. Ending)

Chapter 06 (PAST)

FRANCESSA'S POV

The next day after that night when I woke up everything felt worthless. My life felt worthless.

I didn't go to school after that day. And I hadn't since one week and no one knew. Because there's no one who cared about what I did anymore.

I didn't stepped out from my room for two days after that night. I woke up the next day with a heavy head and skull wrenching headache. But before I was even completely awake, I was crying again face buried on the floor.

On third day, I finally went down to have some food in the afternoon. On my way back to the stairs, I heard Father reciting the same words. I should've died.. I should've died with you Rica... I should've died..

I closed my eyes and ran up to my room with tears in my eyes. I wanted to vomit out all the food that I'd consumed. I cried and cried. And kept crying for the next two days. It had became worse than before.

Mom was the tree that held all the branches of our family together. Someone on whom Dad and I relied on completely. And the only way we were connected to each other.

Mom was the light, the constant, Dad & I needed in our lives. The bridge that connected both of us. Her sudden parting left our lives in dark. And the bridge between us was now left crumbled.

I knew Dad loves Mom so much, more than anyone else. I knew he would go to the ends of the world for her, if he had to. But i didn't knew that Dad loved me because I was Mom's daughter and not because I'm his daughter. Because I was someone birthed and loved by the woman he was madly in love with.

Mom's death was so heartbreaking and hard to accept. And the fact that Dad felt, I'm just a burden that's stopping him to be with Mom just added more distress to my despair.

On seventh day, there was a knock on my door. My faint heartbeats suddenly picked a little pace. Is it Dad? Did he finally saw me? His daughter? I wanted to run and swing open the door but I didn't have any energy left in me to get up from the floor and open the door. Eventhough i was scared, i wanted to open the door. I tried to open my eyes but the only thing I saw was darkness clouding over my sight.

The knocking got stronger and desperate. I tried with all my inner strength and will power to move my body. My eyelids flickered and I saw the door breaking open and Uncle Dave standing by the door with a horrified expression on his face.

When I saw it was Uncle Dave and not Dad, suddenly all of my strength got drained away and my body gave up. And every ounce of hope I was holding onto died in me that day.

When I woke up, I found myself on the hospital bed. Numerous thin transparent tubes were attached into my body.

I turned my head to the other side. Alex was sitting on a stool beside the bed. He hadn't noticed yet that I'm awake. He's busy scribbling something on a red notepad over his lap.

I quietly observed his features. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a cotton iceberg blue shirt over it. The shirt is left unbuttoned and each of the sleeves rolled upto just below his elbows. And a black smart watch on his left wrist. His hair looked uncombed and fell messily over his forehead.

I looked at his face. It was serious. His eyes. They were serious too. Suddenly it made me curious about what he was writing on that notepad, so deeply immersed in it. I tried to peek at the page he was writing on. Faintly I saw the last line but I couldn't make out the words. It were scribbled roughly.

" Francessa.. ! "

I looked up. Alex was looking at me with a surprised face. He immediately closes his notepad and keeps it away.