The Phoenix's Foundation [VERSION 2]

Catherine | 0

The feeling tears you apart slowly.
Catherine Knight was 33 at the time, and she didn't know the true meaning of heartbreak... or how to cope with it, for that matter.
Life was simple, and she liked it that way. She and Kyle had two kids (no more, they swore after that)—twins. And the rest of their lives was built around them.
It was supposed to be just like a dream, that's what Catherine thought. She had the perfect husband, two wonderful children and a long, exhilarating future ahead of her and Kyle.
That's what she thought.
It's funny how life could get in the way of things just when everything's supposed to fall right into place.
The day she got the call was a day of firsts—
The first time she cried in front of the twins.
The first time she felt her insides crumble to nothing but useless dust.
The first time she truly felt heartbreak.
Catherine still remembers exactly what happened. It was the day the sky came tumbling down for her. How could she ever forget what it felt like to have space crush you with a mass of clouds and stars and celestial objects.
"Hello?" She said, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Knight residence?" The voice on the other end asked. She recognized it, but immediately wishes she didn't. "May I please speak to Catherine Knight? This is an urgent matter."
It took her a second, but she replied. "Speaking."
"Catherine— Its Matthew Holter."
"I know."
A sigh followed. It marked the exact moment Catherine knew something was gravely wrong.
"There's... There's been an accident. Although, I can hardly call it that..."
Death swept in Catherine's life and took all she ever wanted. She was bombarded by a multitude of emotions right then and there. Anger pulsed through her veins. Sadness and grief took over her mind. Everything felt so unreal, but she knew Holter couldn't lie to her. He wouldn't dare.
Holder began talking again. "Catherine?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like to know the details?"
"Maybe when I'm ready."
"Alright." A pause. Silence ensued as Catherine tried not to fall to her knees despite the world whirling around her at the very moment. She was dizzy and she knew it, her legs turning into something even softer than jelly. With a start, she noticed that she was quivering ever so lightly— subtle enough that no one but her would notice, but strong enough for Catherine to know that something wasn't right with her.
"I'm extremely sorry for your loss, Catherine. Kyle was—"
"I know." She broke, tears streaming down her face like rivers that could barely be contained. Even her voice was trembling now as she whispered to Holter. "Please don't say his name."
"If there's anything I could do to help..." His voice faded and cracked. Holter had known Kyle for longer than she had. She knew it must've been hard for him too.
Catherine dropped the phone and closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't care about being rude right now, that was the least of her concerns. From the other room, she could hear the twins playing with blocks.
"Let's build a bridge!"
"But I want to build a castle!"
"Just because you want to be a princess doesn't mean I want to be a prince, you know."
As the twins fought, her mind dwelled on them and she started crying even harder. The news would shatter their hearts. How would she ever tell them? It was unfair for such innocence to be thrown away at five years of age. At age five, no one should have to deal with the loss of a parent.
And that's when she realized.
Her entire life with the kids had been built around lies. Explaining this, explaining that— toddlers had so many questions and not all of them were safe for her to answer, considering their background. And so she lied.
And she knew she'd have to lie again.
Little did Catherine know, secrets and lies were always a temporary thing. No matter how hard you try to take them to your grave, the truth will come out one day or another. It could be forty years from now, or ten, but unluckily for Catherine, her secrets would be unveiled much sooner than she thought.