C1 WHEN EVERYTHING FELL APART

Rose’s POV

The moment our car pulled into the mansion, I grabbed my schoolbag and stepped out, eager to escape the exhaustion of another school day.

Everything looked the same.

The perfectly trimmed gardens, the sparkling fountains, the tall gates, and the magnificent mansion that had always been my home.

Yet, something felt different.

I couldn't explain it.

I walked inside, expecting to hear Mum's voice coming from the kitchen or Dad's laughter echoing from his study.

But there was nothing.

Silence.

An unsettling silence that made the enormous mansion feel strangely empty.

"Mum?" I called, dropping my bag onto the couch.

No response.

"Dad?"

Still nothing.

I frowned and pulled out my phone, dialing Mum's number first.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

Voicemail.

I tried Dad next.

No answer.

"What the hell?" I muttered, staring at my phone.

They were usually busy with work, but one of them always found time to answer my calls. Even if they couldn't talk, they would send a quick message to let me know everything was fine.

But today?

Nothing.

I swallowed the strange feeling creeping into my chest and headed upstairs.

"Maybe they're just busy," I whispered to myself.

Still, my heart refused to settle.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it.

And I hated that feeling.

As I entered my bedroom, I tossed my phone onto the bed and reached for my school uniform buttons.

Just then, my phone rang.

I snatched it up immediately.

An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Am I speaking with Miss Rose Rivers?"

The voice belonged to a woman. She sounded professional, but there was something unsettling about her tone.

"Yes, this is Rose. Who's speaking?"

"Miss Rivers, I'm calling from St. Mary's Hospital. I need you to come here immediately."

My heart skipped.

"The hospital? Why? Is someone sick?"

There was a brief silence.

"Miss Rivers, your parents have been involved in a serious road traffic accident. Their vehicle collided with a heavy-duty truck on the highway. The emergency team brought them to our hospital, but—"

"No."

The word escaped my lips before she could finish.

"Please, just listen to me," she continued gently. "I'm very sorry."

"No!" I screamed, shaking my head as though she could somehow see me. "You're lying! My parents are fine! I spoke to them yesterday!"

"Miss Rivers, I understand that this is difficult, but—"

I ended the call.

My fingers trembled so violently that my phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor.

For several seconds, I stood frozen.

My parents?

An accident?

No. That was impossible.

My father was supposed to come home tonight. He had promised to take me out for dinner this weekend because I'd been begging him for weeks.

And Mum?

She had promised to teach me her special chocolate cake recipe.

They couldn't leave me.

They wouldn't.

With trembling hands, I picked up my phone and dialed Dad again.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer.

I called Mum.

Nothing.

Then I broke.

A painful sob tore from my throat as I stumbled out of my bedroom.

"Driver!" I screamed, running down the stairs. "Get the car! Please, hurry!"

The driver rushed toward me, alarm written across his face.

"Miss Rose, what's wrong?"

"Just drive me to St. Mary's Hospital! NOW!"

He didn't ask another question.

Within minutes, we were speeding toward the hospital.

I sat in the back seat, clutching my phone against my chest, tears streaming down my face.

"Please be okay," I whispered repeatedly. "Please, Mum. Please, Dad. I'll do anything. Just be okay."

I tried calling them again.

And again.

And again.

Every unanswered call felt like another piece of my heart breaking away.

When we finally arrived, I threw open the car door before the driver could stop me.

I ran into the hospital, barely noticing the people passing by.

"Please! I'm looking for my parents! Richard and Elena Rivers!"

A nurse approached me.

"Are you Rose Rivers?"

I nodded frantically.

"Please come with me."

Her expression made my stomach twist.

I followed her down a long corridor, my legs growing weaker with every step.

Then she stopped in front of a room.

"Your parents are inside."

My hand trembled as I reached for the door.

I pushed it open.

And my entire world stopped.

Two bodies lay motionless beneath white sheets.

One was my father.

The man who used to lift me onto his shoulders when I was little. The man who called me his princess and promised that nothing in the world would ever hurt me.

The other was my mother.

The woman who kissed my forehead every morning, who stayed awake whenever I was sick, and who always knew how to make me smile even on my worst days.

Their faces were pale.

Their eyes were closed.

They weren't moving.

"Mum?"

My voice came out as barely a whisper.

I took a hesitant step forward.

"Dad?"

Nothing.

I moved closer, shaking my head.

"No, no, no..."

My knees buckled.

I grabbed the edge of the bed, desperately searching their faces for any sign of life.

"Please wake up," I begged, tears falling onto the white sheets. "Dad, you promised you'd take me out this weekend. Mum, you promised you'd teach me how to make your cake."

My voice cracked.

"Please don't do this to me."

I reached for my father's hand.

It was cold.

Too cold.

A terrible realization crashed into me.

They were gone.

Both of them.

Forever.

A scream ripped through my throat.

"NOOOOO!"

I collapsed beside their beds, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Please! Somebody help them! Why isn't anyone helping them?"

A nurse rushed toward me, but I pushed her away.

"Don't touch me! Help my parents!"

"Miss Rose, please—"

"THEY CAN'T BE DEAD!"

My chest tightened. The room blurred before my eyes, and the sound of my own crying seemed to come from somewhere far away.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't live in a world where my parents no longer existed.

The darkness swallowed me before I could utter another word.

And everything went black.

---

A Few Hours Later

"Rose? Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

A familiar voice pulled me out of the darkness.

My eyelids fluttered open.

For a moment, I didn't recognize the room. The white walls, the faint smell of medicine, and the soft beeping of a machine beside me made me realize I was still in the hospital.

Then the memories returned.

The accident.

The call.

The two lifeless bodies.

My parents.

I sat up abruptly.

"Mum! Dad!"

"Rose, darling, calm down!"

A woman hurried to my side and held my shoulders.

It was Mrs. Zara, my mother's best friend and business partner.

Beside her stood Mr. James, my father's closest friend.

Both looked devastated.

Their eyes were red, and Mrs. Zara's cheeks were wet with tears.

I stared at them, my lips trembling.

"Where are they?"

Neither answered immediately.

I gripped Mrs. Zara's hand.

"Please tell me they're alive. Please tell me this is all a nightmare."

She pressed her lips together, fighting back tears.

"Oh, Rose..."

That was all it took.

I broke down again.

"They can't leave me!" I cried, burying my face in my hands. "I don't have anyone else! They're all I have!"

Mrs. Zara pulled me into her arms.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm so, so sorry."

I clung to her, crying like a little girl who had lost her way in the dark.

Because that was exactly what I was.

A girl who had suddenly lost everything.

I remembered the little things.

Dad sneaking chocolates into my schoolbag even when Mum told him not to spoil me.

Mum brushing my hair before bed and listening patiently to every little story I had to tell.

Our family dinners.

Our weekend outings.

The way Dad would pretend to be offended whenever I said Mum was my favorite.

The sound of their laughter.

Their hugs.

Their love.

How could I ever experience those things again?

How could I wake up tomorrow knowing I would never hear their voices?

Never see their smiles?

Never run into their arms after a terrible day?

My parents had been my entire world.

And now, that world was gone.

---

The funeral passed in a blur of black clothes, whispered condolences, and strangers telling me how sorry they were.

I barely heard any of them.

I stood before the two graves, staring at the names engraved on the headstones.

Richard Rivers.

Elena Rivers.

My parents.

My beautiful parents.

Gone.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to dig them out of the ground and demand that they come back to me.

But all I could do was stand there, feeling as though someone had ripped my heart out and left me breathing without it.

When the last person walked away, I remained beside their graves.

"How am I supposed to do this without you?" I whispered.

The wind brushed against my face.

For one foolish second, I imagined it was Mum's hand stroking my cheek.

I closed my eyes.

"I love you both. I'll always love you."

Then I turned away, carrying a pain I knew would never completely disappear.

---

Several days later, I sat on the couch outside the mansion, staring at nothing.

The house was still beautiful.

Still enormous.

Still filled with all the things my parents had worked so hard to give me.

But without them, it was nothing more than a building filled with memories.

I hadn't been sleeping well.

I barely ate.

Sometimes, I would wake up in the middle of the night and reach for my phone, ready to call Mum.

Then I'd remember.

And the pain would begin all over again.

"Rose?"

I lifted my head.

Mrs. Zara sat beside me, studying my face with concern.

"I'm sorry, dear," she murmured, taking my cold hand in hers. "I know how difficult this is."

I forced a weak smile.

"I'm fine."

It was a lie.

We both knew it.

She gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

"You don't have to pretend to be strong with me, sweetheart."

My eyes burned.

"I'm just tired."

"I know."

She squeezed my hand.

"But you can't keep sitting here alone, Rose. You need someone around you. Someone who can take care of you while you heal."

I stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath.

"I can't leave you here by yourself. Not after everything that's happened."

I frowned slightly.

"What are you saying?"

Mrs. Zara looked directly into my eyes.

"You're coming home with me, Rose. We'll stay together from now on."

I blinked.

"Coming home with you?"

She nodded.

"Yes, sweetheart. You can stay with me. You won't have to go through this alone."

I stared at her, unable to find the right words.

Part of me wanted to refuse. This mansion was the only home I'd ever known. Every corner held a memory of my parents, and leaving felt like losing them all over again.

But another part of me was terrified of staying here alone.

What would happen to me now?

Who would take care of me?

What would my future look like without the two people who had always guided me?

I looked around the mansion, my gaze settling on the staircase where I'd run down just days earlier, desperate to reach my parents.

If only I had known that morning would be the last time I'd ever feel safe in this house.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned back to Mrs. Zara.

"Will anything ever be the same again?" I whispered.

She pulled me into a gentle embrace.

"No, darling," she admitted softly. "But that doesn't mean your story ends here."

I closed my eyes as fresh tears slipped down my cheeks.

I didn't know it then, but she was right.

My story wasn't over.

Not even close.

And the worst part?

The accident that destroyed my family was only the beginning.

To be continued...