Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for this chapter being really late. I was planning on posting this chapter much earlier, but life got too busy, and I ended up having to split the chapter. But I would like to thank DarkJanet, GreedyGrim, melia2, and swiftly-sweetheart for reviewing!

Belladonna

Chapter Two

Hearing those two words, Nancy's whole world came to a screeching halt. Her heart almost stopped beating as the color in her face drained to chalk white. But the officer had more to tell her.

"His car collided head on into a truck, and the impact completely destroyed the front of the van. He was killed instantly. I am so sorry for your loss, ma'am."

Putting the phone back on the hook, Nancy stared at it, hoping that the officer would call back and tell her that the man who was killed wasn't her husband, and she would soon hear Hiroaki come home into the apartment.

Minutes ticked by but she continued to wait, keeping her eyes on the phone.

The minutes turned into hours.

But the phone remained silent and the reality of what had happened began to slowly sink in.

Hiroaki was dead.

She was now a widow.

And it was all her fault.

Completely.

Unable to withstand the guilt gnawing at her, Nancy broke down and cried.

I drove him to his death! She thought as tears continued to cascade down her face, If I hadn't started arguing with him, this never would've happened, and he'd still be here!

Then a sudden realization struck her.

She would not be the only one to suffer. Matt and T.K. will have to bear the horrible pain as well.

And they would now have to grow up without their father.

How am I going to tell my sons?

…

The gentle rays of the morning sun brightened the room, but Nancy remained awake, staring blankly at the wall, quietly shedding tears.

The phone suddenly rang, breaking her from her trance and her heart immediately began to fill with hope.

Hiroaki! I knew it!

But when she picked up the phone, her hopes were quickly dashed.

It was the officer from before calling back to talk about the truck driver's involvement in Hiroaki's death. When he asked about pressing charges against the driver for involuntary manslaughter, Nancy was far too distraught to give an answer and ended the call. As far as she was concerned, she was the one driving the truck.

As she put the phone back and looking up at the clock, Nancy realized that her sons would be waking up soon and she would have to tell them the awful news. With great reluctance, she got up from the bed, changed out of her nightgown and picked out a blouse and jeans to wear.

Heading into the kitchen, Nancy gradually went into autopilot as she began preparing breakfast. Everything felt cold and distant to her now, but Nancy kept her focus on cooking, becoming more and more detached until the sound of her children's approaching footsteps snapped her back to reality.

"Good morning, Mom," greeted Matt.

She briefly turned away from the stove top to face them, forcing herself to smile while trying to appear as normal as possible.

"G-good morning, Matt, T.K." she answered in a faint voice. "I'm making scrambled eggs."

Her unusually quiet response caught Matt off guard, but he said nothing.

"Has Daddy come home yet?" T.K. asked hopefully as he and his brother sat down in their seats.

Nancy flinched.

"Yeah, where is Dad?" asked Matt, looking around, "Is he in bed?"

Nancy didn't answer and turned off the stovetop, splitting the cooked eggs into equal shares on her sons' plates before joining them at the table.

While T.K. happily began to eat, Matt looked at his portion in confusion and saw that his mother did not set a plate for neither herself nor his father.

"Mom, aren't you gonna eat? What about Daddy? Should I go and wake him up to tell him?"

Nancy swallowed hard. "N-no Matt."

"Why not?" the eight-year-old questioned.

"Your father's not h-here." she replied, her voice quivering a bit. "He hasn't come home."

T.K. stopped eating when he heard his mother's answer.

"Why? How come? Doesn't Daddy love us anymore?"

"He does, dear…it…it's just that…"

Nancy took in a deep breath and forced herself to look directly into her children's eyes.

"Your father was in a car accident last night and he…"

She paused; the words she was forced to utter caught in her throat but after taking in another sharp breath, the words left her lips.

"Didn't…make it…"

The kitchen went completely silent.

T.K. stared at his mother in wide-eyed shock, unsure whether to believe her or not.

"W-what? It's not…true…" Matt whispered, his body trembling, "It can't be true!"

Nancy bit her lip, feeling her eyes water again.

"It…it is true…" she replied, covering her face with her hands unable to hold back her tears anymore. "I really wish that it wasn't…"

At those words, T.K. burst into tears.

"NO, DADDY!"

Sobbing frantically, T.K. got out of his chair and ran back towards his room.

Matt looked at his mother with tear-filled eyes before leaving the table and running after his younger brother in their bedroom.

Nancy wanted to bolt from her seat in the hopes of comforting them, but her legs refused to cooperate. And as she sat listening to her sons mourning the loss of their father, she quietly wept, remembering how those cruel words Hiroaki said to her before he died had come true.

"Well then, I hope you're happy, Nancy…for selfishly tearing apart this family!"

You were right, Hiroaki, she thought regretfully, I did tear my family apart!

…

It wasn't long until the day of Hiroaki's funeral.

During the service, Matt and T.K. had to be escorted out by an usher from crying so loud that the attendants couldn't hear the eulogies clearly. Nancy initially wanted to go after and be there for her sons but was stopped by one of her husband's coworkers.

"Your boys will be fine," the coworker told her, "They just need some time."

After Hiroaki was laid to rest, Nancy, Matt, and T.K. lingered for a little longer before returning home but as they left the graveyard, a figure was standing amongst the headstones in the distance, eyes glinting as they watched each step that was taken.

When night came, Matt was abruptly awakened by his little brother.

"Matt, Matt, are you awake?"

The older blonde groaned and turned over in bed to face T.K. in the darkness. "What's wrong?"

"W-why did Daddy have to d-die?" T.K. asked, his voice barely audible.

Matt felt the tears running down his face and he quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve but didn't answer.

"Matt…"

"I don't know why, T.K." the older boy replied, feeling the lump in his throat return, "I just don't know."

He turned back on his side, about to fall back asleep when he felt T.K. wrap his arms around him.

"Matt…I'm afraid."

"Afraid," the eight-year-old repeated, "afraid of what?"

The younger blonde didn't reply but whimpered, tightening his hold.

Instinctively, Matt laid a gentle hand over his brother's and began to quietly hum a song to him. Gradually, the five-year-old relaxed, his grip loosened and after a few minutes, the two were soon sound asleep.

Nancy felt her heart grow heavy when she went to check on her sons and soon felt an intense wave of remorse overwhelm her.

I'm…so sorry, Hiroaki! She thought, her eyes welling up with tears. It's my fault that our children are going through this!

As she headed back towards her room, a sudden sheen got her attention. Looking down at her hand, she saw that it was her wedding ring, accompanied by the simple but elegant engagement ring, shining in the moonlight.

A determined feeling then washed over her and Nancy wiped away her remaining tears.

I have to keep going…No, I need to keep going! For them!

-To be continued…