The hospital room pressed in on him, a suffocating prison punctuated by the mechanical beep of monitors that sliced through the strained silence. Clara lay broken beneath the sterile lights, her face pale and bruised, tubes and bandages tracing the brutal wreckage of the crash. Matt's gaze remained fixed, unable to detach. He gripped her hand, his voice a fractured whisper. "I don't exist without you, Clara. Not for a second. His words trembled with desperate conviction. "I love you… I love you…"
"Matt, enough." Adrian's voice cut through the air from the doorway, quiet but firm. "Come on, man. Let's go."
"Go where?" Matt's gaze stayed locked on Clara. "Clara, my soul is here. Where should I go, leaving her behind in this death hole?"
Adrian stepped closer, his tone heavy with reluctant understanding. "Matt, haven't you yourself heard what the doctor said? No hope is left for Clara. Now her last breath can share a life with a small kid."
He continued, his voice urgent, "Look, Matt, it's urgent. That six-year-old kid's family is waiting for your yes, begging for a life for their son. Please, Matt, leave behind all your emotions right now. Let her go peacefully, Matt."
Matt's head jerked up, his eyes blazing with disbelief and fury. "Do you even hear yourself? What the hell are you saying?"
"I'm sorry, man…" Adrian muttered, his hands sinking deep into his pockets.
"My heart's shattered, Adrian. Just… get out. Don't stand here watching me break."
Matt's voice cracked, a raw sob tearing free from his chest. "Is this the end, Adrian? Does everything end today?"
Matt's phone buzzed insistently on the bedside table: Doctor calling… Matt stared at it, his jaw clenched, his hand frozen in place. Adrian frowned, then snatched the phone from the table. " He answered it mid-ring. "Hello, Doctor… Yeah, it's Adrian… Okay. Bye." He hung up, his eyes meeting Matt's with a hard, unavoidable edge. "Doc's asking about the donation. They need your answer now."
Matt's jaw tightened further, his voice a low growl. "Give me a minute alone, Adrian."
"Fine." Adrian stood, tossing the phone back onto the table, and shuffled heavily toward the door. "I'm going. Come find me when you're ready." His footsteps echoed with a leaden finality as he left, leaving Matt to sink back into his chair, his mind suddenly sliding into the past.
Flashback: St. Thomas University Dormitory Night | 10:45 PM
The dorm room reeked of stale pizza and unspoken regrets that hung thick in the air.
Lucas sprawled dramatically across his bed, crooning with over-the-top flair, "Anna, come to me… let me taste your sweetness…" His voice wobbled precariously, more affected drama than genuine melody.
"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Adrian groaned, tossing a crumpled sock at him. "Stop the drama already."
Lucas caught the sock, clutching it theatrically to his chest. "Easy for you to say, Adrian. You can't possibly understand our pain." He glanced pointedly at Matt. "Right, man? We've got the same hurt, just different names. My ex, Anna, for me. Reena for you."
"Shut up!" Matt snapped from his top bunk, sitting up abruptly with a dark scowl. "Who cares about your ex? Her dad's probably scamming half the town anyway, she the same.
Don't you dare compare her to my Reena." His voice was sharp, the raw edge of a fresh wound suddenly bleeding through his carefully constructed composure.
"Guys, chill!" Adrian threw his hands up in exasperation. "Lucas, Anna screwed you it's over, okay?
Maat your Reena dumped you overnight for some stupid arranged marriage.
Saying some drama dialogues 'Forget me, find someone else'—and you're still hung up? Come on."
Maat sat up, his eyes flashing with wounded pride. "You said she was my soulmate! My 'happily ever after'! Now she's just… gone, and I'm supposed to just move on like it's nothing?"
"She was sweet, I'll give you that," Adrian conceded, his tone softening slightly. "But it's done, man. Fate's probably got someone else lined up for you."
Matt shook his head vehemently from his bunk, his voice low and fierce with unwavering conviction. "No one else. Not in this life, not in any other. Reena was it." His words hung heavy in the stale air, a quiet but profound echo of the pain he had tried so hard to bury until now.
To be continued....