DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN WINX CLUB. Why...oh why...*sigh*
Thank you to each and every one who reviewed. I try to personally thank each and every one of you, but only a few of you who reviewed are users. Since I can't message the guest users, I'll just do it here: thank you so much! It only means a lot to me and makes my day. Literally :) Thank you so much to all of you :) *sends hearts to your way*
And I would like to address one particular reviewer:
Amelia Winder: Hi! First of all, thanks for the review :) Well, I didn't mean to end it like that so abruptly. I actually got the idea from a friend of mine who suggested it to me. I think the reason why they (her parents) asked her to do that is probably because they don't want her to be alone. And for them to ask her to marry Brandon also means that they trust Brandon to keep their daughter safe.
P.S. I love, love Radius and Luna too! It's so sad that they don't get together until season 6. Anyways, I didn't want to kill them because they're one of my favorite couples (along with Bloom's parents). But I had to do that anyway because I guess I wanted to show readers how Stella becomes stronger again. As the name suggests, shattered heart refers to Stella's. She'll become a broken woman and she'll eventually rise up again. Well, I don't really know how to explain, but hopefully you'll enjoy the future chapters. Anyways, thank you, thank you for the review! It means a ton to me!
Okay, that's enough of me blabbering!
P.S. I sort of didn't have time to proofread this, so do excuse any grammatical errors. That was me being too fast in typing.
Moving on...!
~ Brandon's Home - 6:30 PM ~
Stella's POV:
A week.
It's been a week since mom and dad...
I started to tear up because I still can't believe that I'll never see them again. That they're gone. I don't have anyone to live for. I mean, sure I do have cousins, aunts, and uncles, but they can never replace my parents. I didn't even bother contacting them. I love them all, but right now, I don't want sympathy. I want to be alone. I want to grieve as painfully and as long as possible. Isn't that ironic? I want to escape this grief, yet I also want to drown in it.
Right now, I'm in Brandon's home. I don't even know why he's letting me stay here. I don't even see him that much. Ever since that night when he took me to some beach which I now remember so vaguely, we didn't talk much. He left me alone although he did check on me quite often.
Referring to his residence as a house would be a heavy understatement. He's practically living in an oversized penthouse. I was a little surprised that he lived alone, but he did have a very beautiful house. He must be extremely rich. Each section of the penthouse was furnished with unique materials. I haven't seen the whole house, but his penthouse was sophiscated and quite modern. Also, this area is a little secluded neighborhood. The house was surrounded with a ten-acre plot.
So that's where I am right now. I'm aimlessly roaming out in his land. Tears flowed out of my eyes as I thought about mom and dad again. I'll never forget this pain. I don't even know how to live from here on out. I was talking to them one minute and a phone call arrives a few hours later. I just...I'll do anything to see them again. I'll give up everything if I could just spend one more minute with them. If I can just tell them how much I love them, I won't feel as agitated as I'm feeling right now.
I didn't even bother wiping my tears knowing it's futile. I was a mess on both inside and the outside. I stopped walking when I felt my body shake. I slumped to the grassy ground, which was perfectly trimmed free of any weeds, as I let out a cry of anguish. I sobbed loudly. No one would hear me anyway. I'm alone.
"Please let me wake up from this nightmare!" I cried as I desperately prayed. I was literally on the brink of sanity. I wanted this horrid nightmare to end. I can't live like this anymore. Please, please, please! My prayers are futile and utterly useless.
People say that the grief on the first day is the worst and that time heals all wounds. I disagree. Sometimes, the days that follow are worse than the day it happened.
Time didn't heal my wounds. It only broke me even more. It tore and burned me from the inside. Each day, I felt worse than the previous one.
I let out another cry of hopelessness and pain. Why me...? I cried even harder. I momentarily gasped when I felt two strong arms wrap themselves around me. I didn't even bother turning around. Brandon. We're the only ones here. I didn't move from my sitting position as I cried.
This wasn't natural. They were supposed to watch me get married, grow up, have kids of my own, and grandchildren of my own! Mom was only forty years old and dad is forty-three. They were still young. They weren't supposed to die!
Even though life goes on, we can never prepare ourselves for the natural order of things. No matter how hard we try to strengthen our inner resolve, we'll never be able to bear the pain of watching loved ones pass away.
I sobbed. Brandon didn't say anything. He simply held me in a warm hug and gave me silent comfort.
"We have to go," he said softly making me cry even harder.
"I can't," I sobbed. "I can't be there!"
"If you don't come...you'll regret it. Maybe not now, but later. It's your last chance to see them again, Stella. You won't see them again," he replied on cue. I shook my head helplessly. I heard him let out a small sigh. His grip on me loosened instantly and he stood up.
He turned around and faced me sideways. "I don't want to regret anything, so I'm going."
I watched his retreating figure. The tears still didn't stop.
Today is the day. The day of the funeral. I can't go. I don't want to. I'm only twenty one and I didn't have the heart to see my parents get buried. I'm not that strong.
The more I think about it, the more the pain starts to fill in. It's excruciating at the thought that I'll never see my parents again. Reality sank in my head as I stood up with my wobbly knees. I ran across the lot as fast as I can.
I sighed in relief when I saw the car in view. I opened the passenger seat and joined him. He didn't leave.
...He was waiting for me.
The doors clicked as he locked the car and started the ignition.
~ Memorial Service - 7:00 PM ~
No One's POV:
Stella adjusted her simple black dress as she stepped out the car. She appeared taken aback when she saw the people here. There were at least two hundred people here, quite contraine to her expection of a bare fifty. Stella's eyes clouded as tears flooded her eyes. The funeral was outside of a chapel, near the cemetery. Even the weather looked gloomy to match the occasion, despite it being noon.
With every step she took, Stella felt the weight of her body increase substantially. She didn't know half of these people. She recognized her extended family, but kept mum.
"Stella!"
Stella's head whipped to the side when she heard two very familiar voices. Tears cascaded down her cheeks when she saw her very own best friends.
Musa...
Layla...
The two girls reached her and enveloped her in a huge hug. Stella completely broke down as she cried. She was finally relieved to see familiar faces. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brandon leaving her alone.
"We're here for you, Stel," Musa sniffled. To say that they were beyond shocked about the deaths is an understatement. When Musa and Layla heard about the fatal accident two days ago from Stella's relatives, they rushed here as soon they could. How could thing go so horribly wrong over one night?
"C'mon, let's go. It's starting," Layla whispered sadly as she held on to the blonde. It was heartbreaking to see their friend like this. Stella has always been an optimistic, light-hearted, and cheerful girl. To see her in tears was painful to all of them especially since they rarely see her cry.
The three walked arm in arm and heard the pastor speaking as they approached the beautifully floral decorated caskets. Stella was mildly relieved to see the caskets opaque. She didn't think she had further strength to see her deceased parents' injuries again.
"... We are here today to show our love and support for a very precious family. Not only have we sensed our own personal feelings of loss over Radius Solaria and Luna Solaria passing, but our hearts have been drawn toward them, and will continue to be with them," the pastor solemnly spoke. Stella sadly eyed the caskets. She would do anything to see them again. She'd give her whole life just for three more seconds with them.
She felt so emptied and hollowed out. Stella could feel Brandon's eyes on her as well as his' parents. However, she didn't bother looking up. She didn't owe anything to them. She wanted to spend as much time as she can with her parents. Before they disappear into the ground forever.
She watched silently as people gathered around the twin caskets the moment the pastor spoke his words. One by one, each person who was close enough to the Solarias spoke. Stella recognized some of them. And some of them, she didn't.
She didn't hear any of their words. She tuned out everyone's voice. She still couldn't wrap her head around this. This is more than just a tragedy to her. This was a more of a blow to her life. Her entire life just changed for the worse. She snapped back to reality when she felt Musa shake her.
"Stella," Layla simply said. The two nodded to the caskets and then back to her. Already? Stella thought wildly. She's supposed to say goodbye already? Sniffling hard, she ignored the large lump in her throat which practically choked her. Her heart ached even more.
"..." Stella remained silent for a few moments. All eyes were trained on her, but she took a moment to treasure this moment forever into her heart.
"...when my mom was eighteen, she became pregnant with me. Dad was three years older than her. But...they told me that at that time, they were still in school and definitely not ready for a baby. They weren't financially independent. Even then, mom chose not to abort me. Even during hard times, mom and dad were both optimistic and in the end, things will somehow turned out to be...o-o-okay," Stella stuttered.
She continued, "They were intelligent and well off. Even when they became successful entrepreneurs, mom and dad never neglected me. They gave me a beautiful childhood and a blessed teenagehood. I'm just...sad that they'll never get to see me grow up and I'll never get to see them grow older. I wish they're here right now. Mom...dad...I love you so much." A few tears leaked out of her eyes as onlookers gazed at her sympathetically. Some of them knew her although Stella didn't. It wasn't a secret to anyone that Radius and Luna doted on their daughter and that she came first before anyone else in their lives.
Stella lightly smiled at all of them. "Thank you to everyone who came," she said softly.
Goodbye, mom. Goodbye, dad...Stella thought as her misery only broke her further.
Their graves were side by side and engraved with their respective names.
In Loving Memory Of
Luna Solaria
August 10, 1977 - June 8, 2017
A Devoted Wife, Affectionate Mother, Beautiful Daughter, Trusted and Loving Friend
You were taken from us far too soon, but we will never you leave from our hearts. We love you and miss you greatly.
...
In Loving Memory Of
Radius Solaria
April 28, 1974 - June 8, 2017
A Loyal Husband, Loving Father, Dedicated Son, Honest and True Friend
No one can erase you from time or from our hearts. Your absence is a silent grief and your life remains a beautiful, yet tragic memory.
Tears fell onto Stella's already damp cheeks. The look in her exhausted eyes is enough to break anyone's hearts. It seems as if she too died along with them. She cried silently, too exhausted and too tired to keep this up. Her eyes turned puffy and red and she seemed oblivious to the slowly disappearing crowd. Heather, Brandon's mother, fainted and Lucas, Brandon's father, took her away. Soon, it's just the girls. Brandon stayed back a few feet away and silently watched the blonde.
But Stella...she didn't budge an inch. Her face felt numb of any emotions. It's the kind of monotonous emotion that one carries only in sad occasions. A funeral is definitely more than just sad. The passing of her parents still seems so surreal.
A moment later, she spoke. "Please. Leave me alone," she said softly to her friends. Her words are barely above a whisper.
"No way."
"Never."
The two spoke simultaneously at once. They refused to go. Sadness pricking her eyes, she trained her eyes on the gravestones in front of her. "Please. I have to be alone for a while. Please leave me alone," she said. Musa and Layla sadly stared at each other.
Stella let out a small sigh when she felt their grip loosen on her. She could hear their footsteps slowly disappearing from her. She shut her eyes and let out another breathe. She was struggling not to lose it right then and there. The graves were decorated with flowers and the ground showed evidence of the freshly dug up soil to hold the graves.
She never felt so void, so deprived of life before. Stella took a deep breath. She allowed the agony to consume her like a fire. She heard of people dying of broken hearts before. How is this any different? Maybe she can die soon and then she'll be able to see her parents in heaven.
"...Mom...Dad...you know...I'm so angry right now! How could you do this to me?!" she wept as she struggled not to break down again. Her world turned black and white in a matter of moments. She cried harder.
Her parents were dead because of some drunk driver couldn't hold his liquor down enough to drive properly! All because of an extra bottle of liquor...her parents paid the ultimate price.
The atmosphere not only looked gloomy, but also felt gloomy. Clouds loomed up above in the skies that dark shadows soon started to emerge from under her feet. She was oblivious to the sounds of an impending thunder storm.
It didn't take long for the horizon to darken with stormy clouds. How fitting. A shitty weather for a shitty day. It soon started to pour, not that it bothered Stella. Her eyes still blankly trained to the graves. Her tears were lost somewhere within the raindrops on her face. Her lips quivered slightly.
Unbeknownst to her, Brandon stood by still watching her. He sighed internally. He honestly didn't know what to do. He never encountered anyone who got lost in mourning. But with Stella...it was so much more than just mourning. He was scared inside because he can't begin to fathom how much torn up she must be on the inside. But then again, he knew that he can't leave her alone. He can't just let her walk away. Slowly, but softly as to not disturb her, he took small steps and joined beside her. He didn't care that he was sopping wet, but he did care about her.
He wrapped an arm around her, to which she jumped out of fright. He didn't say anything. Obviously she thought that everyone had left.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him. "You should go," she said with a hint of demand.
"So should you," he said quietly without looking at her.
"Leave me alone, please," she said as she shook his arm off. Her body started to shake again. She turned away from him. It seems as if each word she uttered broke her even more. Brandon pursued his lips. How can he comfort her? No words will bring any solace. They probably won't even reach her ears, let alone comfort.
He placed an arm on her shoulder. "You're allowed to cry, Stell," he said quietly. "You don't have to hide it, you know."
Within mere seconds, his breath was knocked out of him when she wheeled around and threw her arms around his torso. He heard a choked sob and then sobs turned to heartbreaking cries. Recovering from his surprise, he wrapped his arms around her.
Even though Stella was freezing cold in this rain, she oddly sought comfort from him. Isn't it ironic? She wanted to push everyone away, but at the same time...
She wanted someone to push past her barriers and comfort her.
She buried her head into his chest and cried her heart out.
"It's okay, Stell...it's okay. I'm here for you," he whispered quietly near her ear as his grip tightened on her.
I do apologize for the lengthy update, but I really am busy with college. Real life gets in the way and all...
Anyways, I'd love to know what you think. So, if you have any feedback, I'd love to hear about it :)
