The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Amy's knees buckled, and she was about to crumple to the ground when Rachel's voice rang out
"Hold her! What are you standing there for?"
Her voice cracked like a whip. Tony blinked, still stunned, but her urgency jolted him into motion. He rushed to Amy's side, her body sagging like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Her face was a pale mask of shock. "What… what the hell am I looking at, Rachel?" Her voice trembled, every word dragged out like it cost her pieces of herself.
Rachel's eyes glistened red, swollen from tears she could no longer hide. She didn't answer. She couldn't.
Amy's trembling hand stretched toward the rows of cold marble cenotaphs. Names etched in gold. Her children's names. Their ashes, sealed away.
"No… no, no, no… Why—why are my babies in there?" Her voice broke, each syllable shredded into sobs. "Why?!"
Silence. Only Rachel's quiet weeping filled the air. Tony lowered himself beside Amy, but no words came. What could he possibly say?
Amy collapsed fully, her body crumpled on the cold floor. She didn't scream anymore. She didn't rage. The light that had carried her through months of pain, therapy, and fragile hope had been snuffed out.
They sat with her until the last light of day faded. By the time the keeper reminded them that the columbarium had to close, Amy's eyes were dry, but her face was hollow. The vibrant woman they'd tried to piece back together was gone.
"Tony, help me," Rachel whispered, choking back her own despair. Together they lifted Amy—her body limp, spirit shattered—and guided her out.
THE SILENT RIDE
The car ride home was a graveyard of silence. The city outside bustled, neon signs flickering, cars honking, life moving on as if nothing had happened. Inside the car, Amy stared blankly through the window, eyes glassy, lips unmoving.
Tony clenched the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. As soon as they got home, they carried her to her room. Tony went to find Doctor Chidi, and Rachel pulled out her phone, her hands shaking as she pulled her boss's contact to send him a voice message, stepping into the role she always hated: bearer of bad news.
"Boss… it's Rachel." She kept her voice steady, but her hand trembled. "Yes, sir. The Miss… she isn't doing well. She cried until there was nothing left, and now she hasn't spoken for hours. Her eyes are… empty. I'm scared for her, sir. What should we do?"
Before she could finish, Tony's desperate cry shattered the silence.
"Rachel! A little help, please!"
Her heart lurched. She shoved the phone into her pocket and sprinted toward Amy's room.
THE UNTHINKABLE
Rachel froze at the doorway.
Amy hung from the ceiling, a white bedsheet twisted around her neck. Her body swayed faintly, lifeless, while Tony strained beneath her, his shoulders pressed against her legs to keep her from fully hanging. Tears streamed down his face.
"What are you doing?! Help me!" His voice cracked into a scream.
Rachel's shock broke, and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Amy's waist, holding her weight. Her throat burned as she screamed for help.
"Doctor Chidi! anyone! Somebody, please!"
Chaos erupted. Feet thundered down the hallway. Doctor Chidi, the butler, and two housemaids burst in, eyes widening in horror.
The butler darted to the kitchen and returned with scissors, climbing onto the bed. Doctor Chidi scrambled up beside him, trying to untangle the stubborn knot. The sheet refused to loosen.
"Cut it! Quickly!" Rachel cried.
The scissors ripped through the cloth. Amy's body collapsed into their arms.
Doctor Chidi dropped to his knees beside her. He pressed two fingers to her neck. Nothing. No pulse. Her skin was clammy, lips bluish.
"CPR, now!" he barked.
Tony fell beside him, pressing down hard on Amy's chest, counting through sobs. Rachel fumbled with the defibrillator, her hands slick with sweat.
"Two hundred joules! step aside! Clear!"
Tony moved away quickly as the machine discharged. Amy's body jolted, but the heart monitor still screamed its flatline.
"Again—two twenty! Move! Clear!" he yelled to Rachel, who turned it up.
They shocked her once more. Still nothing. Tony kept pumping, sweat pouring down his face, wrists straining.
"Switch!" Rachel yelled, shoving her brother aside and taking over compressions.
250 joules!" he yelled.
"Doctor Chidi!" Rachel yelled, but he ignored her.
"Two seventy joules! move! Clear!" Chidi ordered.
Another jolt. Another flatline.
SECTION FOUR – TONY'S PLEA
Tony walked up to his sister. "Switch!" His sister didn't move. "Switch!" he yelled, his voice strained with frustration.
"I think it's about time we called it," she said, her voice filled with a heartbreaking finality.
Without listening to her, he shoved her aside and started CPR on her, ignoring calls for him to stop. "Please! Please!! Please!! You can't go through all this and give up like that! You need to fight! Don't you want to find out what happened to them? I am sure they didn't want you to leave just yet. What about your husband? You wanted to meet him and explain things to him. Although I have no idea what those things are, they seemed very important. Do you want to give up like this? After everything you have been through? All the hard work you put into rehabilitation? Does that make sense? You fought very hard to still be with us. You suffered for over a year. You can't just leave like this. You have to come back."
His sister tugged his shirt. "That's enough! Tony, you tried your best. Let's call it," she yelled at him, frustrated, tears streaming down her face.
The others in the room were very quiet as they watched everything unfold. They, too, had tears in their eyes. Although they didn't know Amy very well, Tony's words struck a chord. The woman had really been through something very rough. They were there when she was first brought in. And the state she was in wasn't very good. They saw all the work and progress she made to get back on her feet. They were also aware of how worried and excited she was about seeing her children at the same time. They didn't understand why she had committed suicide after all the excitement.
Doctor Chidi noticed the room was feeling too crowded. Her heart hadn't come back for the past ten minutes. Rachel was right; they needed to call time. He went over to Tony, rubbing his sweat-covered back. "Tony, that's enough. Let's call time." His uncle gently tugged him, but he just shook his head, stubbornly refusing.
He faced his uncle, fear and sadness written all over his face. "Doctor," his voice broke as uncontrollable tears streamed down his face. They were all a crying mess. "She can't go like this, right? She fought so hard."
"I know, I know. You did your best," Doctor Chidi said. He looked at Tony's wrist. It was swollen and red from the pressure of giving CPR. "Tony, that's enough. Look how swollen your wrist is. If you keep this up, you may never realize your dream of being a surgeon."
Tony shut his eyes. His clothes were stuck to his body from sweat. He hadn't realized it, but he must have sprained his wrist. The pain shot up straight to his shoulder. His arms were getting very tired. He tried to keep going, but his hands could not keep up anymore. Not only was he in pain, but he was completely drained, with no energy. His vision was starting to get hazy, but he refused to let up.
"There must be a reason why you fought so hard to get out of the coma. You need that reason to come back to us. Please, Amy!" he whispered weakly before his body collapsed, succumbing to exhaustion.
The room erupted in shouts. "Tony! Get him up!"
Through the haze, Tony heard his uncle's voice, clear as a bell:
"Patient Amy, today, Monday, January 30, 2023, time of death 19:07 PM."
He hit the floor.
SECTION FIVE – THE OTHER SIDE
At the other side of town, Wren and Tonna were in an important investors' meeting. Tonna's phone rang, and as he listened, his face drained of all colour.
"I need to leave, Wren," Tonna said, his voice a low, urgent whisper.
Wren stood up and politely excused himself, as the investors looked at them, confused and upset. Once they were outside, Wren immediately held Tonna's arm. "What are you doing? Do you not know how important this meeting is for the future of your company?"
But as soon as he saw Tonna's face, he let go of his arm. In the fifteen-plus years he had known the man, this was the first time he was showing any emotions. His face was ashen, his eyes red, and he looked panicked. He remembered when Tonna had lost his whole family in one day. He hadn't even shed a tear or looked sad, but somehow, he was seeing a whole new side of this man he never knew existed.
"Wren, I am so sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you. But for now, I have to go." Without another word, he put his phone back to his ear and started walking away as quickly as he could, even breaking into a run.
Wren watched him, a worried expression showing up on his face and disappearing as quickly as it appeared. He turned around and went into the meeting room.
Slowly, he smoothed his suit and returned to the stunned investors.
"Gentlemen, I must apologise," he said with an easy smile. "But to show my sincerity…"
He snapped his fingers. Aides, his personal assistant, entered, laying thick folders in front of each investor.
The men flipped through the pages. Their anger melted into wide-eyed shock.
"Yes," Wren said smoothly, "You are seeing it correctly. Consider this a token of sincerity. But remember…" His smile sharpened. "Don't betray me. You know what I'm capable of."
The investors chuckled nervously
"If you sign, it's all yours."
They all scribbled their signatures without hesitation before he could finish his statement, and he smiled.
"Well then," Wren said, snapping the folder shut, "shall we celebrate with dinner?"
Dave, the boldest of the trio, grinned. "Of course. Max, Grant—" he said to the other two investors, "let's go."
The three men whooped in excitement as they left, clutching their new contracts.
But Wren lingered a moment longer, eyes narrowing toward the door Tonna had stormed out of, and sighed before joining the others