Fatal Strings

Chapter 22: Shattered Reflection (Diane's POV)

The room was silent, save for the steady hum of machines and the occasional shuffle of nurses outside. Diane remained seated at Aaron’s bedside, her fingers still gripping his hand, as though her touch could somehow pull him back from the edge. She didn’t know how long she had been there—time seemed to stretch and bend, its usual rules forgotten. The only thing that felt real was the warmth of his hand in hers, and the overwhelming dread that this could slip away, just like everything else.

The weight of the past had been building again, crushing her chest in a way that was all too familiar. Diane had tried for years to push her fears into the darkest corners of her mind, to ignore the truth that she could never quite outrun—the curse that seemed to haunt anyone she loved. The ones she had let herself care for had always paid the price, whether it was through accidents, tragedy, or cruel fate.

Jack.

Lucas.

And now Aaron.

She glanced at his bruised face, the faint outline of bandages marking where his injuries had been. He was still alive, still clinging to some thread of existence, but the fear gnawed at her. Diane had never been so close to someone she cared about, not after everything she had gone through. She had kept everyone at a distance, telling herself it was safer that way. But the thought of losing him... it was unbearable.

"Diane," a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned to find Kaitlyn standing by the door, her face a mix of concern and caution. The others, Jana and Angeline, were just behind her, watching quietly from the threshold. Diane managed a weak smile, though it barely touched her eyes.

"You okay?" Kaitlyn asked, stepping into the room slowly, as if afraid to disturb the fragile atmosphere.

Diane nodded, but the gesture felt empty. “I’m fine.” The words were hollow, and she knew they wouldn’t convince anyone.

Angeline spoke next, her voice tentative but laced with an unspoken understanding. “You know we’re here for you, right? No matter what happens.”

Diane’s throat tightened, and she swallowed hard, trying to push the lump back down. She wasn’t ready to say what had been eating at her, the truth she had been too afraid to admit even to herself. The curse. The fear. It all came rushing back when she saw Aaron lying there, fighting for his life.

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Diane whispered, her voice strained. “I don’t know if I can keep living like this... watching people get hurt because of me.”

Kaitlyn knelt beside her, her hand resting on Diane’s shoulder in silent support. “Diane, this isn’t your fault. You’ve been through so much... but you’re not the cause of all this. No one would blame you for what happened with Aaron.”

“But I know what happens," Diane muttered, her voice low. "Every time I care about someone... every time I let myself fall for them... something happens. They get hurt. They leave me. They die. And I don’t know how much more of this I can take."

There it was. The thing she had always feared admitting out loud. The reason she had stayed so distant from everyone, including the people who meant the most to her. The thing that had kept her trapped in a cage of self-imposed isolation.

The room grew heavier with the silence that followed, her friends unsure of how to respond, how to help her escape the invisible chains she had wrapped herself in. They wanted to tell her it wasn’t true—that love wasn’t a curse, and she wasn’t a danger to everyone she touched. But how could they? Diane had already lived through it all, time and time again.

“Diane...” Jana’s voice was soft, but it cut through the tension in the room. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself. You have to believe that maybe things can be different this time.”

But Diane could barely meet her friend’s gaze. She was too afraid to hope. Too afraid to believe that this time, Aaron might make it through. Or that, even if he did, she wouldn’t lose him eventually.

"I just need to know... if it’s even possible for me to love someone without destroying their life."

A quiet gasp escaped from Angeline. She walked over to Diane and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s not about destruction, Diane. It’s about living. And you deserve to live, too.”

The words were kind, but Diane couldn’t help but feel like they were just empty comfort. She had heard similar things from her parents, from therapists, from everyone who had tried to help her through the years. But the truth was in her bones, a cold, suffocating truth that she couldn’t shake: Love had always been a threat. A danger. A destruction waiting to happen.

“Maybe you’re right,” Diane said, her voice barely audible. “Maybe I’ve been too afraid to live. But I can’t keep dragging people down with me.”

Kaitlyn, Angeline, and Jana exchanged glances, then all three sat down around her, a tight circle of support.

“Diane,” Kaitlyn said gently, her hand on Diane’s arm, “You’re not dragging anyone down. We’re with you, through all of it, whether you want us to be or not. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Tears pricked at Diane’s eyes, the dam she had built around her heart threatening to crumble under the weight of their words. It was the first time in so long that she had allowed herself to feel the warmth of that kind of connection. The kind of connection she had tried so hard to avoid.

And in that moment, a fragile thought flickered in her mind, a spark of something she hadn’t allowed herself to entertain in years: What if love wasn’t a curse after all? What if... it was worth the risk?

The thought terrified her, but it also filled her with an unfamiliar, tentative hope.

A quiet voice broke through the stillness, causing Diane’s heart to skip a beat.

“Aaron’s awake,” the nurse called softly from the doorway.

Diane’s breath caught in her throat, her body instinctively standing, her pulse racing.

“We can take you to him,” the nurse continued, her gaze warm but professional.

Diane felt her legs tremble beneath her as she moved toward the door. Her friends followed closely behind her, the sound of their steps a comforting presence in the background.

As Diane entered the room, her eyes immediately locked on Aaron. He was awake, his eyes slightly unfocused but alive—alive, despite the darkness of the situation. His lips curled into a faint, tired smile when he saw her, and it felt like the whole world paused for just a second.

“Diane...” His voice was hoarse, but there was something in it—a thread of hope.

“I’m here,” she whispered, taking his hand again, her fingers trembling.

And for the first time in years, Diane allowed herself to believe, even if only for a fleeting moment, that maybe, just maybe, love wouldn’t destroy her this time.