Chapter 1: Tragedy
A boy with earth-brown hair, and hazel eyes, adorning a casual outfit, was driving his car toward the shopping centre.
Seated beside him was a beautiful lady with honey-blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes, scrolling through her phone.
"Lily, aren't you bored, scrolling reels all the time?"
The boy asked, his gentle voice resounding through her ears.
She scoffed lightly and replied, "Aren't you bored, reading novels all the time?"
Her sarcastic tone was quite evident as the boy just helplessly shook his head with a smile.
"Babe, they aren't boring at all. Once you get hooked, you're completely addicted. I just recently read this new story and it was amazing. The MC did–"
The girl felt annoyed by his continuous ranting and lightly pinched his waist.
ouch
"What was that for?"
Rubbing his waist, he inquired.
"Focus on driving."
A silence issued inside as Luke quietly handled the steering wheel. He feigned a hurtful expression on his face as a soft sigh escaped Lily's lips.
"Fine. You can go out with your boys, but just for a single day."
"Really?!" His face lit up upon hearing those words. He turned towards her and flashed a charming smile. "Thanks, babe."
Hmph
Lily snorted, turning away from Luke's face, but her smile betrayed her true intentions.
It was cold outside, and snowflakes were falling from the sky. Christmas was approaching, marking the end of the year.
Luke gazed outside the window, reminiscing about everything that he'd accomplished this year.
Haa
'At least I'm not single anymore.' A sweet smile appeared across his face as he lovingly gazed at Lily.
"Babe, you could take a nap. It's gonna take a while." Luke suggested, gazing at the foggy road before him.
He was not a big fan of winter. It's not that he hated it, rather, he just feels lazy during the winter season.
He was an outgoing, nature-loving person who liked traveling, hiking, camping, etc. Sadly, Winter made it quite challenging with all the snowing, coldness, and common flu.
Suddenly, A looming shadow of something big appeared before his car. The fog made it difficult to focus, but Luke understood the gravity of his situation.
Accidents were quite common around his country during winter, thanks to the everyday snowing and foggy atmosphere.
'Shit!'
Feeling the looming shadow approaching rapidly, He gripped the steering wheel tightly and sharply turned it left.
creak
The tires changed their course in a swift motion, creating a loud creaking sound.
"Luke!! what's happening?!"
Lily screamed, feeling shocked by the sudden lack of balance. She was sleeping peacefully a while ago when suddenly, her body jerked left and banged itself on the door. A sharp pain inflicted her shoulders, waking her from her slumber.
Her back was plastered on the back door, preventing her from struggling. Her eyes darted straight as a massive shadow popped out from the white fog.
A massive truck appeared before them from the fog. It honked its horn loudly and passed by their car.
Luke's back was covered in cold sweat as he released a sigh of relief. 'That was a close call.'
His quick reflexes saved them from a sudden accident that might have cost them their lives. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his raging heartbeat, feeling the looming death pass by.
He thanked the gods for their grace and continued driving. Controlling the car's momentum, he loosened his grip on the steering wheel and turned toward Lily.
"Sorry about that." He quickly apologized.
Lily blinked as a vacant look appeared in her eyes. She felt the death knocking on her door when the truck had appeared before her vision.
Her hands were still shivering from the after-shock. "L-Luke?"
"I'm here, babe." Luke gently placed his hand above hers and squeezed them tightly. "It's alright. We are safe." His kind, reassuring words brought her back to her senses.
She jumped into his embrace and started sobbing silently. Fresh tears fell from her eyes, wetting Luke's jacket. He slowly caressed her back, providing her the much-needed support.
"It's fine. Don't worry, I'm here with you–"
bang
His words remained unfinished as a sudden collision jerked his body backward. He felt the weightlessness crept around him, covering his entire body. He had spaced out with only his vacant gaze staring above.
The car flung high from the collision, landing a few meters away. Luke and Lily got crushed inside under the car's immense weight.
They couldn't even react properly before a high-speed cargo truck slammed into their car.
A pool of blood leaked continuously, alarming the truck driver. The car had completely turned over, making it impossible to exit in a short time.
The driver panicked. His mind provided him with two choices in this situation.
Call the ambulance or run away.
Fear crept inside his mind, stopping him from making the wise choice as he subconsciously picked the latter one.
He hastily rotated the truck and dashed away from the crime scene.
Sadly for him, a CCTV camera was lurking on the light pole, capturing the entire scene.
Luke's body trembled as the weight of the car pressed him down. The world around him felt muffled like he was sinking into an icy abyss. His vision blurred, but his gaze clung to Lily's fragile form. Blood streaked her pale face, her body crumpled at an unnatural angle.
With every ounce of strength he had left, Luke reached out. His trembling fingers brushed against hers, cold and still. A single tear traced a path down his cheek.
"I… I'm sorry… Lily…" His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. "I couldn't… protect you…"
The last flicker of light in his hazel eyes faded as his hand fell limp.
With those words, The final strand of his consciousness disappeared completely, marking the end of the tragic love story between Luke and Lily.
Their body lay flat on the cold floor, devoid of any life inside them.
Death…the eternal resting place of everyone.
The snow fell softly, indifferent to the chaos below. Each flake seemed to whisper the quiet finality of death.
Winter had arrived…
A few minutes later, an ambulance rushed over and retrieved their crushed body from the car's inside.
Even in death, Luke's arms were wrapped protectively around Lily, as if shielding her from a world that had already taken too much. The responders separated them gently, their somber expressions reflecting the weight of the loss.
As the snow blanketed their broken forms, a bystander whispered, "They must've loved each other deeply… even at the end."