Chapter 001

Today would be perfect. I am so happy. Matty will propose!! He has invited me to Riverside. I am so excited, I must look pretty for him. He doesn't know, I have already seen the ring.

Cornelia was literally floating as she got ready for her date with Matt. She had put on a turquoise dress that perfectly complemented her dark complexion. She was wearing light makeup when she received the phone call she never expected. On the other end was the nurse from City Hospital. Cornelia couldn't process what she heard from the other end of the line, so she asked the nurse to repeat those dreadful words.

"Ms Von, Mr Clement has gotten into an accident. He is currently undergoing surgery at the City Hospital. Please come here as soon as possible."

"I am on my way, " she said in shock, feeling her knees go weak. She was on the floor for a while, whispering to herself...... accident.... surgery.

She didn't spend much time there. She quickly composed herself, put on a pair of shoes, got into her car and started driving rapidly towards the City Hospital. She needed to see her Matty! She had never felt so helpless in her life, not even when she arrived here at 17 years of age, alone, with no money and no change of clothes.

When she reached the hospital, Matty was still in emergency surgery. She was sitting outside in the operation theatre's waiting area, her forehead had developed so many lines, her eyes were teary, and she was in a trance. Remembering how sweet her Matty was, how he used to roll over her every morning and wake her with cuddles and kisses.

She wanted to kiss him so badly now. It was so painful not knowing what her love was going through. A nurse walked up to her and handed her some surgery-related paperwork and a ring box, which the paramedics found in Matty's pocket.

She completed the paperwork, clutched the ring box tightly, and tears started flowing from her eyes. The nurse tried to comfort her, but it was of no use. She blamed herself and said to herself that she should have said yes when Matty asked her the first time, and she shouldn't have made them wait. She didn't believe in God, but at that moment, she had somehow joined her hands and prayed under her breath.

"God, please save Matty, save my love. Take everything from me, but just allow Matty to live, please... please..... I will be better!! I will even forgive my parents..... just allow Matty to live... I will give anything.... please."

Her prayers were interrupted by her boyfriend's surgeon. He told her in an unattached manner, " Sorry, Ms Von, we could not save Mr Clement... despite our best efforts, he had lost too much blood by the time he was brought here."

She started crying and bawling like a child, with one hand, she clasped the ring box so tightly that it made her knuckles pink, the other hand she brought to her mouth to stop her bawling and screaming. The doctor gave her a hug and then left.

She was still in her turquoise dress and now on her knees clutching the box and covering her mouth.....crying.....bawling. She suddenly composed herself before the hospital staff could walk up to her to comfort her. She got up, wiped her tears and asked the staff for paperwork. They told her to take some time, but she insisted, so they told her to wait a bit. So she started making other arrangements, she called the funeral home, and then she started calling their friends alphabetically, she only stopped and let a tear escape her eyes when she reached Mrs. Clement's number. She was choked up and didn't know how to tell her that she had lost her son.

She quickly composed herself and asked the staff again for paperwork, which she got this time. While filling out forms, a nurse invited her to see Matt one last time before he was transferred to the morgue. She plainly refused and continued filling out forms. Her response was so cold that it led to a young nurse remarking that she was glad this happened.

After some time, a senior nurse approached Cornelia and asked her to help with something with Matty. She complied and walked with the nurse to Matty. The senior nurse soon left the two of them alone. Cornelia's eyes were now filled with tears again, but she wasn't bawling this time; she placed her head on Matty's chest one last time, wanting to hear his heartbeat, but she got nothing. She murmured to Matty while lying on his chest.

"I love you, I will always love you...... Thank you for these beautiful years together, for showing me what pure, innocent love feels like."

Then she planted a gentle kiss on his blue lips and his bandaged forehead and broken nose. She fixed his hair and kissed him gently before getting up and calling the nurse back. She wanted to thank the nurse but choked, but the nurse understood and hugged her, whispering to her, "It will be alright".

When she left Matty's room, she finally pulled out her phone and called Mrs. Clement.

" Hey Corry, how are you, honey?............. what happened?"

Mrs Clement could hear Cornelia's sobs from the other end. Marianne got pretty uneasy and asked her husband to come in. It felt as if someone was squeezing her heart.

" Corry, honey, are you......alright? ..... what has..... happened?"

Through her sobs, Cornelia managed to finally tell her,

"Marianne,..... we.....we......lost Matty....... he had an accident..... I am sorry... I am so sorry...."

Marianne and Mr Clement started sobbing. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. Cornelia cut the phone. She sat on the floor, leaning into a wall, and continued her sobbing.

She took the ring box she was still holding, opened it, took out the ring, placed it in her handkerchief, and tied it around her wrist. She threw the box out the window in a rage. She finally made sense of the past 20 hours. She screamed and scratched herself and finally said to herself, " I am all alone now... Matty left me... I am so angry... how can he leave me.... like this.... so early."