Georg's journey to South Tyrol had been long and grueling, but as he finally stood in front of the car repair shop, the weariness from travel was overshadowed by a mix of anticipation and dread. He had to find Franz and get to the bottom of what had happened to Maria.

He stepped inside, the scent of oil and metal filling his nostrils as he scanned the workshop. There, hunched over a car engine, was Franz. The older man looked up, his expression hardening as he recognized Georg.

Georg wasted no time. "Where is Maria?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the noise of the shop.

Franz straightened up, wiping his hands on a rag with deliberate slowness. "I don't know where she is," he replied coldly. "That girl cost me my job because of her stupidity."

Anger flared within Georg, and before he knew it, his fist was clenched, ready to strike. He lifted his arm, but before he could make contact, several of the other workers rushed over, pulling him back and urging him to calm down.

"You're lying!" Georg spat, struggling against the men holding him. His voice was filled with frustration and disbelief. "Tell me the truth!"

Franz sneered, his eyes narrowing. "I've got no reason to lie, boy. Everything your father said is true. I was there; I saw it all." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "No doubt that man she ran off with already had a claim in her. She's gone, Georg. You're better off forgetting about her."

The words hit Georg like a punch to the gut. His mind raced as he tried to process what Franz was implying. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing the fear that gnawed at him. But before he could say another word, the weight of the revelation settled in, leaving him standing there, stunned and silent.

With Franz's final words ringing in his ears, Georg felt his world shift beneath him.

Georg stood frozen in the repair shop, Franz's cruel words echoing in his mind. He couldn't reconcile the image of the Maria he knew—the vibrant, laughing girl who brightened his days—with the story Franz was telling. It felt like a nightmare, one he couldn't wake up from. His heart ached, a deep, gnawing pain that made it hard to breathe.

How could Maria be gone? How could the girl who sang with him, who made him feel like he belonged somewhere, just disappear like that? His father's words, the lies Franz insisted were true, they all swirled together, creating a suffocating fog in his mind. The people he had trusted—his father, his sister—they had all turned against Maria, against him.

Georg thought back to the afternoons they spent together by the stream, the way Maria would make him laugh so effortlessly, the comfort he found in her presence. He remembered sneaking her into the music room, her voice blending beautifully with the notes he played on the piano, creating a harmony that felt like home. And Hede, sweet Hede, who had always been the bridge between them, now caught in the web of their father's lies. He couldn't bear it. The guilt of leaving Maria alone with people who despised her was crushing.

Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of despair, Georg turned on his heel and walked out of the shop, his thoughts a chaotic mess. He didn't know where he was going—he just needed to get away, far away from the pain that seemed to be choking him.

He drove aimlessly, the familiar landscape blurring past him as he sped through the countryside. Memories of Maria and the life they might have had together haunted him, each one stabbing deeper into the wound. Eventually, he found himself in a small, dimly lit tavern on the outskirts of a town he didn't even recognize. The world outside felt distant, irrelevant. All that mattered was the bottle in front of him.

Georg began to drink, each glass dulling the sharp edges of his grief. He didn't care how much he drank; he didn't care if he drank himself to death. What did it matter anymore? The one person who had given his life meaning was gone. The laughter, the music, the love—it was all gone, leaving behind only an unbearable emptiness.

He raised his glass, his vision already blurring, and downed another drink. He could only hope that the alcohol would numb the pain, if only for a little while. But deep down, he knew that no amount of drinking could ever fill the void that Maria had left behind.

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That's the end of Part 1! Part 2 will have longer (and hopefully better) chapters, so I'll only be posting a chapter per week. If you are still reading this, thank you for reading my first ever fic! I hope I'll continue to captivate your attention in the next chapters...