“Mom, when’s Daddy coming?” Alyssa tugged on my sleeve, eyes sparkling with excitement.
The gym was buzzing with noise—everyone chatting, laughing, waiting for the program to kick off. I forced a smile, trying to calm my nerves, even though they were slowly getting the best of me.
“Soon, sweetheart,” I said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “He’ll be here in just a minute.”
She nodded, but I could see the impatience in her eyes. She always loved when Damon came to these events, especially this one. It was her favorite.
“Can I get a balloon?” she asked suddenly, eyes locked on the vendor at the other side of the gym.
“Sure, go ahead,” I told her, watching her run toward the stand, pigtails bouncing with each step.
I let out a breath, trying to relax, but my gaze kept drifting across the room. Selena was talking to a few other parents, her daughter Clara by her side. My stomach twisted. She was always around, always finding a way to be near Damon. Even after her husband passed, it felt like she was just waiting for her chance to worm her way back into his life, into our family.
But I wouldn’t let that happen. Not on my watch.
I focused on Alyssa, still hopping around in front of the balloon stand, too far away for comfort. I was about to go check on her when the floor beneath us shook, a deafening crash splitting the air. The lights flickered, and then everything seemed to tilt as the gymnasium collapsed around us.
“Mom!” Alyssa screamed.
My heart stopped. I turned, only to see the roof give way and debris falling everywhere.
“No! Alyssa!” I screamed, but my legs wouldn’t move fast enough.
I sprinted toward her, but before I could get there, a huge chunk of the ceiling crashed down, and everything went dark.
I blinked, the dust settling around me. My head was pounding, and my chest crushed under the weight of debris. My heart raced as I searched for Alyssa.
“Alyssa!” I gasped, struggling to move but feeling paralyzed.
A loud, guttural cry cut through the wreckage—it was Damon. My husband.
I heard him shouting for Selena. Then, a frantic voice—Selena’s, calling for help.
“Selena!” Damon’s voice was hoarse, almost desperate. “Where are you?”
“Damon!” I screamed, my voice barely audible as I tried to push the rubble off me. But it was useless. I was trapped. “Damon, help me! Alyssa’s hurt!”
He hesitated. One breath too long.
“I have to help Selena first!” Damon’s voice sounded far away, frantic. “Hold on, Florence! I’ll come back for you!”
No. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.
Tears burned my eyes as I twisted, trying to crawl toward Alyssa’s limp form. She was bleeding, her little body still, and I couldn’t reach her.
“Please, Damon!” I sobbed, reaching out. “Help us! Help me save her!”
But the sound of his footsteps faded, and I realized, with a sickening clarity, that he was leaving us behind—choosing Selena and her daughter first.
No. He couldn’t. But he did.
Desperate cries filled the air, and I heard Selena’s voice again, loud and shrill. “Damon! Please! Please help us!”
Damon’s voice answered her, frantic and panicked. “Selena! I’m coming! Hold on!”
Tears streamed down my face as I cradled Alyssa in my arms, feeling her tiny body grow colder by the second.
She was barely conscious, her face pale. "Mom... I'm hurt... I'm hurt..." she whimpered.
I held Alyssa close, whispering comforting words I didn’t even believe. "I love you, baby... Please don’t go. Please."
But her small body grew colder in my arms. And before the rescue team could even reach us, Alyssa’s breath stilled.
I lost her.
And Damon... Damon had chosen Selena.
Everything shattered.
Minutes later, Damon came rushing back, his face full of regret. But it was too late. His choices had crushed me, and there was nothing left to say.
“Florence,” he whispered, looking at Alyssa’s lifeless body in my arms. “I—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off, voice thick with anger. “Don’t say a word.”
His eyes flickered to Selena, standing with Clara—miraculously unharmed—who shot him a grateful smile.
I couldn’t look at them. I had nothing left. Not after all this.
“Florence, I’m sorry,” he said, barely above a whisper. But those words would never be enough.
I turned away, pulling Alyssa closer, unwilling to look at him anymore. The man who chose his ex-wife over his daughter. Over me.
And as the sirens drew closer, I realized this was the moment everything shattered.
Then, here comes Selena’s voice pierced through everything. “Damon!” she screamed. “Clara—Clara can’t breathe! She’s gasping for air!”
Without a second thought, Damon turned and dashed toward her. And just like that, he was gone.
I was left in the rubble, clutching my daughter’s body, her warmth fading with each passing second.
I couldn’t even be angry. The pain in my chest was too much. I was numb. Completely numb.
Rescue teams finally arrived, pulling people out of the wreckage, but all I could do was hold onto Alyssa. The paramedics tried to help, but I knew—deep down—that it was already too late.
The hospital was a blur. All I remember is walking through the sterile, cold halls with empty eyes as they told me what I already knew in my heart.
“Mrs. Nightshade, we did everything we could, but…” The doctor’s voice wavered with pity.
I didn’t need to hear it. I already knew.
“Alyssa is dead,” I whispered to myself, my voice so small.
And then I realized—Damon wasn’t there. He wasn’t there to comfort me. He wasn’t there for us. He was still with Selena.
