Lily had spent the rest of the day in a fog of confusion. Damien had made it clear that she was to stay in his estate for her recovery, though he hadn't been around much, she had been attended to by the servants. The day wound down in a haze of pain and uncertainty. She wasn't sure what to believe anymore - was she really alive?
Was everything she had known before the crash just part of some dream?
Or was she still in the hospital, slipping in and out of consciousness?
But this morning was different. The heavy silence of the house was broken when the door to her room opened, and a young girl stepped inside.
Lily's eyes shot up from the book she had been trying to read. She hadn't expected any visitors today. But standing in the doorway was a girl who looked barely older than a teenager, with bright, inquisitive eyes and a confident posture that seemed at odds with her age. Her hair was a striking shade of gold cascading in loose curls down her back, and she wore a simple yet chic school uniform that radiated a certain wealthy elegance.
Lily blinked, trying to process the sudden intrusion. "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice still hoarse from the crash.
The girl smiled softly, stepping further into the room. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I'm Cassandra - Damien's younger sister. I was told you were recovering here. I just thought I'd come by to introduce myself."
Lily's heart skipped.
Damien's sister?
She hadn't known he had any family, though, in hindsight, it made sense. With his wealth and power, he must have come from somewhere. But she wasn't prepared for this. She had no idea what to expect from someone so young, especially when it seemed like Damien himself was so distant.
"Nice to meet you, Cassandra," Lily said, forcing a smile despite the weight of the tension in the air. "How is Damien?"
Cassandra's face lit up at the mention of her brother. "Oh, you know him, right? He's - well, he's Damien. He doesn't show it, but he's been pretty worried about you."
She said it with a playful roll of her eyes, as if she knew more than she was letting on.
Lily's heart beat a little faster at the mention of Damien.
What did she mean by worried?
He hadn't been around much, and the cryptic way he spoke left her with more questions than answers.
Cassandra walked closer to the bed and sat down on the edge, crossing her legs beneath her.
"I think it's really sweet that he asked me to come check on you. He's not the type to care so openly about anyone." Her tone was light, but there was an underlying note of something that Lily couldn't quite place.
Before Lily could respond, Cassandra's face shifted slightly, as if she were weighing her next words carefully.
"I know this is a lot to take in. Your whole life has probably been turned upside down." She paused, her fingers playing nervously with a bracelet on her wrist. "I mean, I saw the news. I'm sure you've heard by now, but…" She trailed off, her words hanging in the air.
Lily frowned. "What do you mean? What news?"
Cassandra looked away for a brief moment, as if unsure whether to continue. Then, almost as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she said, "Well, the police have confirmed it. You're… you're dead, Lily."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut.
Dead.
Lily froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and the room around her seemed to tilt. For a long moment, the world around her went silent, and all she could hear was the pounding of her own blood in her ears.
Dead?
How could she be dead? She was right here, sitting on the bed, alive, breathing, thinking. How could anyone say she was dead?
"What… what do you mean?" Lily's voice trembled, her hands gripping the sheets beneath her. Dead. How could she be dead?
Cassandra blinked, realizing too late what she had said. "Oh, no, I-I didn't mean it like that. I just meant-"
But it was too late. The floodgates had opened. Lily's mind raced. She was alive. She had been in an accident, yes, but she was alive. Why was everyone treating her like she wasn't? She began to shake, her breath coming faster as panic set in. Her chest constricted, and she could feel the walls closing in.
"I'm not dead!" Lily's voice was frantic now, her hands trembling as she pushed herself to stand, though her body ached in protest.
She stumbled, the room spinning as her vision blurred.
"*I'm not dead! I'm right here!*" She gripped the edge of the bed to steady herself, trying to hold on to something solid, something real.
Cassandra jumped to her feet, looking alarmed as Lily's panic escalated.
"Lily, please, calm down! It's okay!"
"No!" Lily screamed, the room seeming to close in around her.
She felt as though she were suffocating, drowning in the overwhelming confusion.
"I'm alive! I'm not dead!"
Despite Cassandra's attempts to calm her down, nothing worked. Lily's breath became ragged, and her heart hammered in her chest. The panic was overwhelming, a tidal wave of emotion that she couldn't control. The reality of being deady - of having been declared dead - was too much. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't…
Her knees gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor, her vision going black at the edges. She was drowning, and there was no way out.
Cassandra's frantic voice echoed in her ears as she tried to regain control of her body.
"Lily! You need to calm down, okay? Just take a breath!"
But nothing could calm Lily. She had been alive, and now everything she knew was being torn apart.
How could everyone think she was dead?
How could they say that?
Why do they even think so in the first place?
What did it even mean?
It wasn't until she felt Damien's presence - powerful, overwhelming - that she was snapped out of her spiraling panic. The door to the room flew open, and there stood Damien, his tall figure filling the doorway.
His gaze immediately locked onto her, and in a single stride, he was at her side, kneeling down beside her on the floor. His hand grasped her wrist, pulling her gently but firmly back to her feet.
"Lily, breathe."
His voice was quiet but commanding, the tone unlike anything she had heard before. It was as though his very presence calmed the storm inside her, but only slightly.
"Damien, they said I'm dead!" Lily's voice cracked, and she struggled to keep her emotions in check.
She clutched at his sleeve, the fabric cool under her fingers. "Everyone thinks I'm dead!"
Damien's eyes softened for a brief moment, and he looked over at his sister, who was standing nearby, looking guilty and unsure. He turned his gaze back to Lily, his expression unreadable. "You're not dead."
The words were simple, but there was an undeniable finality to them. His presence anchored her in a way nothing else could. Slowly, as though realizing the weight of her panic, he gently cupped her face in his hands.
"You're alive, Lily."
Her breath began to slow, the *panic* slowly dissipating as she looked up into his eyes. She felt a strange, unspoken connection to him, as if his calmness could somehow reach deep inside her and quiet the storm.
But she still had so many questions.
"Why did Cassandra say I was dead? Does everyone also think I am dead?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Damien didn't answer immediately. His eyes darkened, and the brief, soft touch he had placed on her face lingered. "It's complicated, but I think a newsletter will explain everything better. You'll understand soon enough when I have one sent over."
Lily nodded dumbly. For now, she felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest. She was alive. And for the first time since the crash, she wasn't alone.