Chapter 2:
May 21st, 2022.

20:06

Azure’s breath came in shallow gasps, her body fighting against the weight of the pain that surged through her like a tidal wave. It was 20:06 when everything fell apart. The world outside the car window blurred with the torrent of rain, each droplet splashing against the glass like nature itself was trying to warn her.

Her chest tightened painfully as a knot twisted in her stomach, her fingers gripping the steering wheel with a force that made her knuckles pale. Her mind raced, but the path ahead of her felt too unfamiliar, too far out of her control. Then, it happened. A flash of bright headlights, blinding her for an instant, too sudden, too bright. A truck.

A truck that had come out of nowhere, its engine roaring, tires screeching in the rain. She had no time to react. In an instant, the world shifted violently. Azure’s foot slammed the brake, but it was too late. The car’s tires screeched against the wet pavement, the sound deafening, but it was nothing compared to the next moment. The car hit the tree, and the impact threw her forward, like a ragdoll thrown across a room.

The windshield shattered into millions of tiny glass shards, and as the world spun around her, she felt a sharp sting on her face as the glass rained down on her. The pain was immediate, stabbing and biting, the tiny pieces of glass embedding themselves into her skin like reminders of the violent collision. Her body jerked, her arms flailing in an attempt to brace herself, but the force of the crash took all her strength.

The world spun faster, a blur of rain and shattered glass. Her car crashed into the divider, sending her body careening again. It rolled over. Once. Twice, Thrice. The sickening crunch of metal against pavement and the groaning of the car’s frame echoed through her senses. Then, the world flipped once more, and her body was tossed violently. There was no stability, no time to adjust. She felt as though she was floating in a whirlwind of pain. The crash stopped suddenly. Silence.

Azure’s breath hitched in her chest, her body sprawled out in the crumpled wreck of the car. Her vision was blurred, the world around her tilting as though it had been knocked off its axis. Pain lanced through her skull, every inch of her body screaming in agony. She could feel her pulse in her temples, each beat sending shockwaves of torment through her. She tried to move, but it felt as though her limbs were heavy, too heavy to lift. Something warm trickled down her forehead, clouding her vision, the blood mingling with the rainwater.

Her hand, limp and barely visible, was outside the car, her fingers barely brushing against the broken glass of the window. Blood pooled beneath her hand, crimson staining the asphalt. She reached for her phone, which had somehow fallen just inches from her fingertips. The screen was cracked, the faint outline of Thomas’s voice message still open. She could see his name, his voice, and yet it felt so far away.

She wanted to reach for it. Her heart ached with the desire to hear him, to know if he was still there. To hear his voice one last time. Her fingers twitched, and she tried to move her hand toward the phone. But everything was so difficult. The blood in her eyes made it hard to focus. Her breathing became heavier, each breath more laborious than the last.

She couldn’t speak. She opened her mouth, tried to say something—anything—but no words came. Her throat was constricted, as though something was lodged in there, preventing her from calling out for help. Tears, mingled with the blood dripping from her forehead, streamed down her face. Her body shook violently, whether from the shock or the cold or the pain, she wasn’t sure anymore.

Her vision darkened. The edges of the world blurred. And in those fleeting moments of clarity, a wave of emotion crashed over her. Her family. They would never know. They would never know how much they meant to her, how deeply she loved them. She tried to open the recording of her phone. And she did.

Her mother. Mrs. Harrington. She thought of her mother with such tenderness. She loved her mother so much. You.... You're The... The woman mom... who had always been there, who had held me when I was a child and comforted... Me when I was hurt.” she scoffed, “your...hands, always warm and soft, and the way your voice had always been steady, always reassuring. I.... I will. Miss.” Azure couldn’t help but imagine her mother’s face, the worry in her eyes. If only she could tell her, "I love you, Mom," just one last time.

Then, her father. Mr. Harrington, strong and kind, with his protective gaze and steady hands. “Dad... you're The man who had always been the rock of our family, holding them all together through thick and thin.” Azure’s heart ached for him. He would be devastated.“I will miss...” she tried her best to continue. “miss you.” She tried to think of the words to say to him, to let him know how much she appreciated everything he had done for her. "I love you, Dad." But it felt like such an impossibility now.

Her brother. Roman. He was so young, still full of dreams, still so full of life. “I... remembered the way you had always looked up to me... Roman, always trying to follow in my footsteps,” she tried to chuckle, “to be as brave and strong as I was.” Azure’s eyes welled up with tears, knowing that Roman would never fully understand what had happened, never fully grasp why she couldn’t be there for him anymore. She longed to hold him, to assure him that it wasn’t his fault. “I loved you... So much rom. You'd be.... you would be okay.” she could nearly breathe. "Roman, I love you. Sorry... For leaving too... Soo.." she gasped for air. “Soon..s...sorry.”

The pain in her chest intensified, but her thoughts strayed back to Thomas. She couldn’t breathe without him. Her heart had always been tied to him in a way that felt almost predestined. Thomas Holland. He was the one of those people who had always understood her, the one of those people who had been there for her when she needed someone most.

Their friendship had meant everything, and she had always known, deep down, that her feelings for him ran far deeper than she had ever let on. She tried to move again, to reach for the phone, to hear his voice. The pain was unbearable.

Blood filled her mouth, and she coughed it out, the warm liquid splattering against her lips. It tasted like iron. Her vision blurred again, and she felt a wave of dizziness crash over her. She felt her heart race, the pulse in her neck thumping so violently that she could feel it in every inch of her body.

She reached for the phone again, her trembling fingers brushing against it, and with what little strength she had left, she tapped the screen. The camera opened. Azure’s fingers brushed against the camera lens as she tried to position the phone just right. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted him to see her one last time. She wanted him to know that no matter what, she had loved him.

"I… love…" she tried to say, but her voice came out as a rasping whisper. It was nothing more than a breath against her lips. But she tried again. "I love you… Thomas."

She coughed more blood. "Tell... Parents..." She couldn't process hee sentence anymore. "Love them..." She cried out in pain. The pain made her scream.

Her eyes were now filled with blood, the warm liquid obscuring her vision further. "My diary... Read." She felt the darkness creeping in, taking over. There was nothing more she could do. She had tried. She had tried to say everything she needed to say, but the world was slipping away. Everything faded, and with it, her hope for one more chance to speak.

***

Nathan's breath caught in his throat as he spotted Thomas on the ground, sprawled across the rough asphalt of Swinton Street. The dim glow of a flickering streetlamp cast eerie shadows across his friend's body, his face twisted in pain, blood trickling down from a wound on his temple. His bike lay in ruins several feet away, smoke curling from its wreckage. Nathan sprinted forward, dropping to his knees beside Thomas, panic slamming into his chest. 

"Tom! Tom, can you hear me?" His voice was frantic as he shook Thomas’s shoulder, but his friend barely stirred, his breaths shallow, his fingers twitching weakly beside his broken body. Nathan didn’t wait for a response. He looked around, nothing but abandoned buildings and a road that stretched into darkness. No help. No one. 

His heart pounded as he reached for Thomas’s pocket, yanking out his keys before looping an arm around his waist and hoisting him up. Thomas groaned in pain, his body limp, his head rolling against Nathan’s shoulder. His weight was heavier than expected, but Nathan gritted his teeth and dragged him toward his own car parked nearby. 

"Come on, man. Stay with me," he muttered under his breath, shoving the passenger door open and lowering Thomas into the seat as carefully as possible. His friend winced, eyes flickering open for just a second before slipping back into unconsciousness. Nathan didn't waste another second. He slammed the door shut, rushed around to the driver’s seat, and shoved the key into the ignition. 

The tires screeched against the road as he sped toward the hospital. His hands were gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. His mind raced with every possible worst-case scenario. Was Thomas bleeding internally? Would he make it?  Nathan’s jaw clenched as he floored the accelerator, weaving through the sparse traffic, the hospital still too far away. 

Meanwhile…
20:16

It was exactly 20:16 when the first person noticed the wreckage of Azure’s car. A man walking down the opposite side of the road had slowed his steps, staring at the overturned vehicle with wide eyes. The street was dimly lit, and the crash had pushed Azure’s car far off the road, nearly into a ditch.

If anyone had been driving by too fast, they wouldn’t have noticed it. The man hesitated, then took a step closer. Another pedestrian stopped, eyes darting toward the wreck. Then another. Within minutes, a small crowd had formed. Yet, no one moved. Hushed whispers filled the air. 

“If we help, we’ll get dragged into a police case…” 

“I heard these things can get messy. What if we’re blamed for something?” 

“She might already be dead. It’s better not to interfere.” 

The group hovered at a distance, eyes flickering between the wreckage and one another, uncertainty keeping their feet planted firmly on the ground. Then, someone moved. Leon. He wasn’t someone remarkable. Just another face in the city. But at that moment, he was the only one who cared enough to act. 

His heart hammered as he sprinted past the hesitating crowd and toward the car, the metallic scent of blood hitting him instantly. His stomach churned when he spotted the limp hand hanging out of the broken window, blood pooling beneath it. A girl. She was still breathing. 

Without thinking, Leon wrenched the car door open, ignoring the sharp sting as glass shards sliced into his palm. Azure's body was slumped against the crushed dashboard, her face smeared with blood, her breaths faint and uneven. 

“Damn it,” Leon muttered, his throat tight. “Hang in there.” 

He grabbed her purse, slinging it over his shoulder before carefully pulling her from the wreckage. The moment she was free, he lifted her into his arms, stumbling slightly under her weight but refusing to slow down. The murmurs from the crowd grew louder. 

“Is he actually taking her?” 

“He’s gonna get himself involved in something messy.” 

But Leon didn’t care. He ran. His car was parked just a little way down the street. He didn’t bother being gentle, he threw the door open and carefully laid Azure across the back seat. The hospital wasn’t far, but every second counted. He slammed the door shut, jumped into the driver’s seat, and sped off, tires screeching against the pavement. 

20:25

Azure arrived at the hospital. Leon barely had time to explain before the nurses sprang into action. The moment they saw her condition, there was no waiting, no questioning, just movement. 

“Severe head trauma.” 

“Possible internal bleeding.” 

“Pulse is faint but there.” 

Leon was shoved aside as they wheeled Azure toward the ICU, her pale face disappearing through the emergency doors. He could still hear the hurried orders from the doctors as they rushed to save her life. 

*** 

By the time Nathan reached the hospital with Thomas, the waiting area was already filled with tension. The nurses wasted no time. Thomas was rushed inside, his injuries being assessed. Nathan paced outside, running a hand through his hair, his mind still racing. Then he heard it. 

“She’s barely breathing… poor girl.” 

His head snapped up. A small group of people stood near the entrance, whispering amongst themselves. 

“What happened?” Nathan asked, stepping closer. 

The woman turned to him, shaking her head. “A terrible accident. A young woman. No one even knew her identity at first. She’s in ICU now. They said if she had arrived even a few minutes later, she wouldn’t have made it.” 

Nathan's stomach twisted. His breath caught. 

“What… what was her name?” 

The woman shrugged. “They found her phone in her bag. The nurses are checking it now.” 

Nathan's heart pounded. His hands curled into fists. He didn’t know why. He just had a feeling.  And when he saw the nurse holding a familiar phone, a phone he had seen in Azure’s hands countless times, his heart stopped. 

It shouldn't be her, it couldn't be her, right ? Anyone could use that phone. He hoped Azure was safe. He can't bear to see another friend in an accident, and the horrible one. A painful smile tugged at his lips, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He prayed. For her. For Thomas. For the cruel joke the universe was playing tonight. 

*** 

Azure lay motionless, her body covered in wires and tubes, her breaths shallow, her chest rising and falling weakly. The heart monitor beeped steadily, a fragile reminder that she was still here, still fighting. But she didn’t move. Didn’t respond. The doctors worked tirelessly, assessing the extent of her injuries, preparing for the worst. She had survived the crash. But now, the real battle began.

The beeping of the heart monitor slowed. Azure's breath was barely there, shallow gasps slipping from her parted lips, her body deathly still. The doctors inside the ICU exchanged panicked glances. They knew what was happening. She was slipping away. 

“Her heartbeat is dropping!” a nurse cried, glancing at the monitor where the once-steady rhythm was faltering, the spikes becoming smaller, more erratic. 

“She's going into cardiac arrest!” another voice yelled, and suddenly, the tension in the room exploded into action. 

“Get the defibrillator! Now!” the head doctor barked, already pulling back the sheets and preparing for emergency intervention. A nurse rushed to his side, rolling the machine forward as fast as possible. 

20:30.

Azure’s lips parted as if trying to take in air, but nothing came. The beeping turned into a flatline. 

“She’s coding!” 

The words struck like a gunshot, sharp and merciless. 

“Charging to 200 joules,” the doctor ordered, grabbing the paddles. “Clear!” 

Everyone stepped back. The shock sent her small body jerking upward before collapsing back onto the bed. The monitor beeped once, then went silent again. 

“Again!” 

“Charging to 300!” 

The paddles pressed against her chest. Another shock. Beep. A single, weak beep. Then another. The rhythm returned, slow and fragile, but it was there. 

“She’s stabilizing,” a nurse breathed in relief. 

The doctor nodded but didn’t let his guard down. “We need to keep monitoring her. Prepare for a CT scan, we need to check for internal damage.” The tension lingered in the room, but there was hope again. Azure was still fighting. 

***

Meanwhile, in the Other Wing of the Hospital… Thomas stirred. His head pounded, his ribs ached, and every muscle in his body screamed in protest as consciousness clawed its way back to him. His eyes flickered open, and for a moment, the white, sterile ceiling of the hospital blurred above him. 

Then, slowly, things became clearer. The smell of antiseptic. The soft beeping of a machine beside him. The weight of bandages wrapped around his forehead, his arm secured in a sling. His mind was sluggish, still clouded with pain, but one thought pushed through the haze. 

Azure. He turned his head slightly, his throat dry as he swallowed. Nathan was sitting beside him, his expression tense, brows furrowed as he stared at the floor. “Hey…” Thomas’s voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. 

Nathan’s head snapped up instantly. “You’re awake.” 

Thomas nodded weakly, trying to sit up, but a sharp pain in his ribs forced him back down with a grimace. “Nathan,” he rasped, “call Azure.” 

Nathan frowned. “Why?” 

Thomas exhaled, frustrated by how weak he felt. “I… I asked her to meet me. After the accident.” His voice was laced with unease. “She must be wandering around the streets. She doesn’t know you came. Call her.” 

Nathan’s eyes widened slightly, realization dawning on him. He nodded quickly, then hesitated. “I don’t have her number.” 

Thomas let out a breath. “Use my phone.” 

Nathan reached for Thomas’s phone, but as soon as he tried to unlock it, the screen remained stubbornly locked. 

“What’s your password?” Nathan asked. 

For a moment, Thomas hesitated. Then, ignoring the pain, he grabbed the phone from Nathan, typing the password quickly and shielding it from view before handing it back. Nathan barely caught a glimpse of the letters before the screen unlocked. 

A-Z-U-R-A.

Azure. Nathan blinked. His lips parted slightly, as if about to say something, but he stopped himself. Now wasn’t the time. He quickly scrolled through the contacts, found Azure’s number, and pressed the call. The phone barely rang before the call was answered. But it wasn’t Azure’s voice on the other end. It was a panicked nurse. 

“H-Hello? Are you a relative of the patient?” the woman’s voice trembled. 

Nathan’s stomach dropped. “Patient?” 

The nurse took a deep breath before saying the words that sent ice through his veins. 

“She… she got into a horrible accident. She’s in the ICU. Her condition is critical.” 

Nathan’s fingers went slack. The phone slipped from his grasp. It would’ve hit the floor if Thomas hadn’t snatched it mid-air. He shot Nathan a glare before bringing it to his ear. “What’s up, Azure?” His voice, though groggy, held a teasing lilt. 

The silence on the other end sent a cold shiver down his spine. Then, the nurse repeated herself. The world tilted. Thomas’s breath hitched. His fingers tightened around the phone. 

“What hospital?” His voice was strained. 

“Skytime Hospital.” 

That was it. Thomas shoved the blankets off and swung his legs off the bed, wincing at the pain that shot through his body. But he didn’t care. He had to get to her. The machines around him beeped in protest as he tried to stand. 

A nurse rushed in. “You need to rest...” 

“Where’s Azure?” His voice was sharp, desperate. 

The nurse hesitated. “You need to calm down, sir.” 

He grabbed the edges of the hospital bed, steadying himself. “Tell me where she is,” he demanded, his patience running thin. 

Nathan still hadn’t moved. He was staring at the floor, shock painting his face pale. 

The nurse sighed. “If you're asking about the girl in the horrible accident... She’s in the ICU. But you can’t see her yet...” 

Thomas didn’t hear the rest. He pushed past the nurse, his steps unsteady but determined. He had to see her. Azure. His Azura. The girl who had been in his password, in his thoughts, in his heart. The moment he burst into the ICU waiting area, he was met with cold reality. 

The doctors were still inside. The red light above the ICU door glowed ominously. His breathing hitched as he placed his palm against the glass, staring inside. The small, fragile body on the bed. The beeping machines. The wires connected to her. His throat tightened painfully. 

“Azure…” he whispered. 

And for the first time that night, Thomas Holland felt truly, utterly terrified. The hospital’s waiting area was heavy with tension. The distant beeping of machines, the hushed murmurs of nurses, the hurried footsteps of doctors, it all blurred into an eerie hum. Outside the ICU, Thomas stood motionless, his hands pressed against the glass, his eyes fixed on Azure’s still body. 

She looked so small. So lifeless. His throat burned, his eyes stung, but the tears didn’t stop. He had never cried like this before. He didn’t even realize he was crying until he felt the wetness trailing down his cheeks, dripping onto his shirt. His fingers curled into fists as he leaned his forehead against the cool glass, his breath fogging up the surface. 

“Azura…” his voice cracked. 

Nathan stood a few steps behind him, silent, his own expression unreadable. Then came the voices. The heavy sound of police boots against the tile. 

“Who brought the victim in?” 

Thomas turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on the group of officers questioning a man near the reception. Leon. The one who had saved Azure. 

Leon stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression calm despite the officers’ sharp tone. One of the policemen, a tall, stern-faced man, crossed his arms. “You didn’t wait for emergency services. You didn’t contact the police. Do you understand the kind of risk you took by moving the victim?” 

Leon exhaled slowly, tilting his head. “If I had waited, she would’ve been dead.” 

The officer’s jaw clenched. “That’s not your decision to make.” 

Leon met his gaze steadily. “And if I left her there? If I waited for you to arrive while she bled out on the street? Would you be saying the same thing?” His voice was calm but sharp, unwavering. “I did what I had to do.” 

The officer’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t change the fact that—” 

“Look, officer.” Leon took a step forward. “I get it. Protocol. Procedure. The law. But she’s alive because I acted. You can be angry all you want, but at the end of the day, you know I’m right.” 

There was a long silence. Then, with a sigh, the officer turned to the hospital staff. “Status on the victim?” 

One of the nurses hesitated before answering, “She was in critical condition when she arrived, but we managed to stabilize her for now. She would not have made it if she had arrived later.” 

The officer ran a hand over his face before finally nodding. “Fine. We’ll need a full statement later.” 

Leon smirked slightly. “Of course, officer.” 

Thomas dragged his feet toward the reception, his body heavy with exhaustion, his mind barely processing what was happening. He needed to inform her family. They needed to know. 

“Excuse me,” he rasped. 

The nurse behind the counter turned, eyes softening at the sight of him. “Yes?” 

“Her belongings… Azura’s belongings.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I need her phone.” 

The nurse hesitated but eventually nodded. She turned and retrieved a small plastic bag containing Azure’s things, her phone, her bracelet, her bloodstained diary. Thomas swallowed the lump in his throat as he reached for the phone. The screen was cracked, but it still turned on. Then came the lock screen. Six letters. 

He frowned. His first instinct was Roman, her brother. He typed it in. Incorrect. He tried again. Steve. Her father. Incorrect. His fingers trembled. Nancy. Her mother. Incorrect. His heart pounded. What else could it be? 

Suddenly, his eyes flickered to the diary. His breath hitched. Even through the smudges of blood on the cover, he could see it had been written in recently. His hands shook as he picked it up, flipping through the pages. 

There it was. His name. Over and over. Thomas. Some entries were just his name. Others were sentences, thoughts, emotions. He couldn’t bring himself to read them fully, but his fingers traced over the ink, feeling something crack inside him. 

Azure… With a shaky breath, he typed Thomas into the phone. The screen unlocked. For a moment, he just stared at it. Then, he pressed Contacts and found her mother’s number. 

His thumb hovered over the call button. After a while, he finally pressed it. The phone rang. Once. Twice. And a voice came.

“Azure?” 

Her mother’s voice was soft at first, then slightly worried. Thomas swallowed hard. “Mrs. Harrington?” 

A pause. “Who is this?” 

His grip tightened. “This is Thomas Holland.” 

Another pause. Then, sharper, “Why do you have my daughter’s phone?” 

He exhaled, his voice thick with emotion. “She’s… She’s in the hospital.” 

Silence. Pure, horrifying silence. Then, a sharp inhale. “What?” 

“She got into an accident,” he said, forcing the words out. “She’s in ICU.” 

A gasp. 

“No.” 

“I...” His voice broke. “I’m sorry. I...” 

A loud noise came through the phone. Something falling. Then, her mother’s voice, panicked, calling for her husband. Then Roman’s voice, urgent, sharp. “What happened? Where is she?” 

“Skytime Hospital.” 

“We’re coming.” 

The call cut off. Thomas lowered the phone slowly, staring at the screen. He had expected shouting. Blame. Anger. But all he had heard was raw, gut-wrenching fear. His hands trembled as he turned, his gaze falling on the ICU door again. Azure was in there. Fighting for her life. Because of him? Or despite him? He didn’t know anymore. But he did know one thing. He couldn’t lose her.

***

The hospital was already suffocating under the weight of panic, but when the Harringtons arrived, it felt like the walls themselves trembled. Nancy Harrington was the first to rush in, her heels clacking violently against the pristine hospital floor, her face a mask of pure devastation.

Behind her, Steve Harrington followed, his steps unsteady, as if every fiber of his being resisted the sight he was about to witness. Roman came last, his face eerily blank, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. The moment Nancy spotted the ICU door, her knees buckled. 

“Azure!” Her voice tore through the silence, raw, desperate. She would have collapsed entirely if Steve hadn’t grabbed her shoulders, his grip strong yet trembling. But there was no calming her. No bringing her back from the edge of hysteria. 

“Where is she? Where’s my baby?” Nancy sobbed, her body shaking violently as she struggled to stand, her fingers clawing at Steve’s arms for support. She turned, frantic, to the nurses. “I need to see her... I need to... please!” 

The nurses exchanged nervous glances. One of them, a woman with graying hair and a sympathetic gaze, stepped forward, her voice gentle yet firm. “Mrs. Harrington, she’s still in critical condition. The doctors are doing everything they can...” 

“I want to see her!” Nancy shrieked. 

But she couldn’t. Through the small ICU window, she caught only a fleeting glimpse of her daughter’s body, wires and machines keeping her tethered to life. Her beautiful Azure, pale as a ghost, unmoving. It broke her. Her legs gave out completely, and she fell to the floor, sobbing. 

Steve simply stood there. Silent. Motionless. A man who was supposed to be the pillar of their family, now reduced to nothing but quiet devastation. He turned, sinking onto the bench beside the ICU door, pressing his hands against his face. His shoulders heaved, but no sound came. 

Roman, however, did not cry. His expression was unreadable as he approached the one person who might have the answers. Thomas. Roman stood before him, his body radiating cold fury. 

“How did this happen?” he asked, his voice sharp, yet terrifyingly calm. 

Thomas opened his mouth. Nothing came out. Roman’s dark eyes burned into him, demanding an answer. But Thomas… he couldn’t give him one. His lips parted, closed, and parted again. His throat felt like it had closed up entirely. How was he supposed to say it? 

That she had called him just before the accident? That she had tried to say something to him only moments before her world had been turned upside down? That while he lay on the cold street, bleeding, she had been racing toward him, only to end up worse than he had? How was he supposed to tell Roman that this, all of this, was because of him? Thomas took a slow step back. 

Roman’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” 

Thomas took another step back. 

Roman advanced. “Tell me.” 

Thomas couldn’t. He just… couldn’t. 

His hands tightened around the plastic bag still clutched in his grip, the one with Azure’s belongings. Her phone. Her bracelet. And that blood-streaked diary. His name. His name had been inside. 

He hadn’t read it. Not really. But he had seen enough to know. He needed to know more. Without another word, Thomas turned on his heel and walked away. Roman watched him go, his fists trembling at his sides. 

Thomas pushed open the heavy door of the emergency exit and stepped into the quiet, dimly lit stairwell. It was cold. Isolated. Perfect. He dropped onto the steps, exhaling shakily as he set the plastic bag beside him. His fingers hovered over the diary, hesitant. 

He shouldn’t be doing this. And yet, his hands moved on their own, pulling the blood-streaked pages open. Azure’s handwriting filled the paper, messy at times, neat at others. Some words were smudged, some were underlined. But his eyes latched onto the ones that mattered most. 

Thomas. Over and over. Some pages had nothing but his name, written again and again. 

Thomas.

Tom.

Thomas.

Tom.

Thomas. 

Tom.

His chest ached. He turned the page. 

"

I don’t know when it started. Maybe it was always there. Maybe I was just too afraid to acknowledge it. But it’s there. It’s been there all along. I love him. I love him so much that it scares me.

"

Thomas clenched his jaw. 

"

I keep telling myself it’ll pass. That it’s just a phase. But then he smiles, and everything feels right. Then he looks at me, and I forget how to breathe. And he says my name, my entire world shifts.

"

He shut the diary, his hands shaking. She loved him. He had known it the moment she left those voice notes in her chat late at night thinking he didn't hear them, but seeing it written in her own hand, in ink, in a book filled with nothing but thoughts of him. It was too much. Too much and yet not enough. A sharp knock against the stairwell door snapped him out of his thoughts. A nurse peeked in. 

“Mr. Holland?” 

He shot to his feet, the diary slipping from his hands. “Is she okay?” 

The nurse hesitated before shaking her head. “No change. But her family needs you.” 

Thomas swallowed hard, nodding. He shoved the diary back into the bag and followed her out. The scene was unchanged. Nancy was still on the floor, her sobs endless. Steve was still sitting on the bench, hands over his face. Roman was still standing, arms crossed tightly, his entire body tense. 

The police were speaking to them now, explaining protocol, discussing statements, but it was clear they weren’t listening. All they cared about was Azure. Thomas stepped forward, unsure of what to say. But then, Nancy lifted her tear-streaked face. And when she saw him, something inside her snapped. She pushed herself up and rushed toward him, grabbing onto his arms with a force he didn’t think she had. 

“You...” Her voice cracked. “You were with her before this, weren’t you? She called you, didn’t she? You know what happened!” 

Thomas’s lips parted, but no sound came out. Nancy’s grip tightened. “Tell me! Tell me why my daughter is in there!” 

Roman placed a firm hand on her shoulder, pulling her back slightly. “Mom...” 

But she didn’t listen. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “Please… please just tell me she’s going to be okay.” 

Thomas’s chest caved. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to promise her that Azure would wake up, that everything would be fine, that she would open her eyes and smile again. But he didn’t know. And that was the worst part of all.

Thomas’s breath hitched as he stepped away from Nancy, his hands trembling at his sides. He couldn’t do this. Not now. Not with the sound of her sobs echoing in his ears, not with the weight of Roman’s stare burning into him. He turned and walked away, ignoring the voices calling after him, his footsteps quickening until he reached the fire exit once more. 

The second the door shut behind him, his knees buckled. He slumped onto the cold steps, his hands digging into his hair. His body shook, whether from exhaustion, fear, or grief, he didn’t know. His eyes dropped to the diary. The blood-streaked cover. The worn-out pages.

The words she had written, words meant for no one but herself. Thomas bit down on his lip, his vision blurring. This was his fault. If he hadn’t asked her to meet him, if she hadn’t been on that road, she wouldn’t be lying in that ICU bed, barely breathing. A choked sob escaped his lips as he clutched the diary to his chest, pressing his forehead against his knees. 

“I’m so sorry, Azura,” he whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Thomas sat on the cold stairwell, gripping the blood-streaked diary in his trembling hands. His heart was racing, his chest tightening as he thumbed through the delicate, ink-filled pages. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to stop, that this was too personal, that he shouldn’t be doing this. 

But he couldn’t. Azure’s words pulled him in, her world unraveling before his eyes. He turned to the very first page. The ink was slightly smudged, the handwriting childlike and wobbly, letters too big in some places and too small in others. He took a shaky breath and began to read. 

"

Date: April 15th, 2009,

Dear diary,

Hello, I'm Azure harrington, I am 9 years old, I'm a good girl, and I like to dance, sing and sometimes act. I don’t know if I will be a writer when I grow up, but I do know that writing makes me happy. 

Today, I wrote a poem about flowers. It’s not very good, but Mommy said it was beautiful, and I like that word, beautiful. I want to write beautiful things. Things that make people smile. Things that make people feel warm, like a blanket on a cold day.

Maybe one day, I will write a story so big that people all over the world will read it. Maybe I will write about castles and queens or about pirates on a ship. Or maybe I will write about a girl like me, who dreams a lot and talks to the moon when she can’t sleep. Writing feels like magic. I want to do this forever.

Azure....

"

Thomas exhaled a trembling breath, his fingers gently tracing the words. She had been writing since she was nine. The thought of little Azure, sitting with her notebook, pouring out her heart onto a page, made his own heart ache. Even at such a young age, she had wanted to create something beautiful, something that made people feel something. 

And now, here he was, sitting in a stairwell, feeling everything. He flipped the page, the paper slightly stiff from dried blood, and found himself staring at the next entry. The date at the top made him pause. 

"
Date: December 24th, 2011,

Dear diary,
 
It’s Christmas Eve. The snow outside looks like sugar, and the whole town smells like cinnamon. Everyone is happy. Laughing. Singing. I made a wish today. I don’t know if Santa is real, but if he is, I hope he hears me.

I wished for love.

Not just any love. I wished for the kind of love that makes you feel like the stars are just for you. Like the world is a little softer, a little kinder, just because that person exists. I don’t know who he is yet. But one day, I hope I find him.

"

Thomas closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek. She had wished for love. For something that made the world feel softer, kinder. And the part that hurts the most? She had found it. In him. And he had never even known. He swiped at his eyes and turned to the next entry. 

"

Date: August 19th, 2013,

Dear diary,

My Grandma is gone.

I don’t know how to write about this. Everything feels wrong. Like I’m floating in an ocean, but there’s no land, no sky, just water everywhere, and I can’t breathe. She used to tell me stories before bed. She said stories make the world feel a little less lonely. But now she’s gone, and I don’t think any story can fix this.

I miss her so much.

"

Thomas swallowed hard. He knew that kind of pain. The kind that sat in your chest like a stone, pressing down, refusing to leave. He had lost people too, but reading it in her words, seeing the rawness of her grief, it felt different. It felt like holding a piece of her heart. He turned the page. 

"

Date: September 2nd, 2018,

Dear diary,

Today, I saw him. I mean this guy.... I don’t know his name yet, but he walked into the cafeteria like he belonged to the sun. He had this way of running his fingers through his hair like it was nothing, but it was something. He looked… different. Like someone who doesn’t just pass through your life, but stays. I didn’t talk to him. I don’t even think he saw me. But it’s okay. I saw him.

"

Thomas let out a shaky laugh, rubbing his forehead. She had written about him. From the very first day. And he hadn’t even noticed her back then. Hadn’t seen the way her eyes followed him, hadn’t felt the weight of her presence in the same way she had felt his.

"

Date: September 7th, 2018

Dear diary,

I saw him today. He was laughing about something with his friends, his head thrown back like he didn’t have a single worry in the world. It made me smile. I don’t think he noticed, but that’s okay. He never has to.

"

His fingers trembled as he flipped to the next entry. His fingers trembled as he flipped to the very beginning. 

"

Date: November 13th, 2018,

Dear diary,

I think I have a crush on him. Today, some guy in the library was being rude. He pushed past me and made my books fall. I was embarrassed. People were staring. And then... He was there.

I don’t even know when he walked over, but suddenly, he was telling the guy off. And it wasn’t just the words, it was the way he looked at me afterward. Like he was making sure I was okay. I felt it then. That tiny pull in my chest. The start of something I don’t have words for yet.

"

Thomas let out a breathless laugh through his tears. That day. He remembered it. Barely. It had just been another moment for him, something small, something that passed in seconds. But to her? It had been everything. His vision blurred as he flipped the page again. 

"

Date: February 14th, 2019, 

Dear diary:

I think I love him, but he doesn’t even know I exist. I don’t want to hide it anymore. I love him. I love him so much it physically hurts. I wonder… if I told him, would he smile at me the same way he does everyone else? Or would he look away? I wish I could tell him. But what if it ruins everything? What if he stops looking at me the way he does now? I’d rather have him as a friend than not have him at all.

"

Thomas choked on a sob. The words blurred before him, but he read them again and again. She never proposed him. Never. She had loved him. For so long. Silently. And he had never known. 

He pressed a hand to his mouth, shaking his head as a bitter laugh escaped. How? How had he been so blind? How had he gone so long without noticing the way she had looked at him, the way her world had quietly revolved around him? He turned to the next entry, his heart hammering. 

"

Date: August 5, 2019,

Dear diary,

First day of college. New beginnings. Fresh start. Maybe this is the year I finally talk to him...

"

His whole body was shaking. She had been waiting for him. Hoping for him. And now, she was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. And he didn’t even know if she’d ever wake up to see the love she had been waiting for.