CHAPTER 1
THE ACCIDENT
"Aria, your 18th birthday is coming soon. What would you like as a gift?" Aria's mom suddenly asked, smiling at her through the mirror.
They were in her room. Her mom was combing her hair while she sat in a chair. It was bedtime, and even though Aria was almost of legal age, her parents still treated her like a child—they loved her so much.
Aria turned her head toward her mom with a smile. Her mom stopped combing her hair, smiling warmly back at her.
"Mom, you don't have to give me anything. Just a date night with you and Dad is enough for me. I know you're both struggling to save for my university," Aria replied.
Her mom shook her head while smiling.
"Such a nice young lady, huh?" her mom teased.
"Mom!" Aria shouted while laughing, and they both laughed together.
Her father then knocked on the door before sticking his head in, smiling as he looked at the two most important people in his life.
"Sorry to interrupt my two beautiful ladies, but hon, can we talk outside please?" her father asked.
Her parents waved her goodnight as they walked out of her room.
Parents' Room
"We have a problem," Aria's dad started.
He was pacing back and forth, one hand pressed against his temple, looking stressed.
"I didn't tell you before, but it's been a long time since I last paid the mortgage on this house."
He held up a letter from the bank. "And now, they're taking legal steps to force us to leave."
Aria's mom looked worried.
"Oh no…" she murmured, patting her husband's back.
Their faces showed the weight of the problem, but they didn't want their only child to know. They feared it would only worry her, so they decided to keep it to themselves while they searched for a way to solve it.
Coffee Shop
"I really thought you were just joking when you said you could meet me!" Kathleen said loudly.
She quickly scanned the coffee shop, then pulled Kathleen toward the nearest seat as people started to notice them—Kathleen naturally had a loud voice.
"Keep your tone down. You're too loud, everyone's staring at us," Aria whispered to her friend.
Kathleen just shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes before leaning forward, smiling excitedly at Aria.
"So, what's the news? Your birthday's coming up—any grand celebration planned?"
"You know my parents are struggling with money. I don't want to burden them more. They've looked worried these past few days… maybe it's because of the university fees," Aria said, stress in her voice.
Kathleen's cheerful mood dimmed. She felt sorry for her friend. Unlike Aria, Kathleen came from a wealthy family. Sometimes she seemed boastful without realizing it—she simply didn't understand how hard life was for those with less. Still, despite their differences, in the one year they had known each other, Kathleen and Aria had grown close, treating each other like sisters.
Hours passed. Thunder rumbled, rain fell heavily outside, but they didn't notice. They were too absorbed in their conversation—sharing dreams, talking about how they wanted to live, confiding problems, and cheering each other up.
Eventually, they decided it was time to go home when the rain stops.
When they left the coffee shop, the setting sun painted the sky crimson. They waved goodbye and headed in different directions.
When Aria reached the front gate of her home, she noticed the car wasn't there.
"Strange. It's been almost eight hours since they left… They didn't even tell me where they were going."
She sighed, deciding to wash up and rest. Meeting Kathleen had drained her energy. Mom will wake me up when they get home, she thought.
RINNGGG!!! RIIINNNGGG!!!
It was 10 p.m. Aria was sleeping soundly when the sharp sound of her phone ringing startled her awake.
"Unregistered number…" she mumbled.
"Who could it be?"
She hesitated, but answered anyway.
"Hello?"
Woman: "Hi, this is Monica. Is this Ms. Aria Everen? Are you related to Mr. Jon Everen and Mrs. Elizabeth Everen?"
"Ye…s… I'm their daughter." Aria's voice trembled. Her heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing with terrible thoughts she tried to push away.
Monica: "We retrieved your number from the patient's phone. I'm sorry, but your parents were in a car accident. Can you please come to Avara Hospital to confirm?"
"What?! Are they okay? How are they? Did they get hurt?" Aria's voice echoed in her silent room.
The woman on the other end paused before speaking again.
"I'm sorry… but your parents were declared dead on arrival. Please come here."
The call ended.
Aria stared blankly at the wall.
She forced a smile. "No… This has to be a prank."
She laughed—but a tear slipped down her cheek. Reality hadn't sunk in. She laughed and cried at the same time, unable to control the storm of emotions tearing her apart.
Her feet felt weak, her whole body numb. Rage and grief erupted from her throat as she screamed.
Thunder clapped in the sky, echoing her cry, and heavy rain began to fall—as if the heavens themselves were grieving with her.