Eighteen Days to Forget You
Eighteen days after giving up on Jarrett Sheppard, Alayna Dickerson cut off her waist-length hair and called her father, announcing her decision to move to California and attend the UC Berkeley College of Music.
Her father, Samuel Dickerson, surprised, asked about the sudden change, reminding her how she'd always insisted on staying with Jarrett. Alayna forced a laugh, revealing the painful truth: Jarrett was getting married, and she, his stepsister, could no longer cling to him.
That night, she tried to tell Jarrett about her college acceptance, but his fiancée, Kisha Prince, interrupted with a bubbly call, and Jarrett's tender words to Kisha twisted a knife in Alayna's heart. She remembered how his tenderness used to be hers alone, how he had given her her first harmonica when she was eight, becoming her musical mentor, and how she had poured out her heart to him in a love letter at seventeen, only for him to explode, tearing the letter and yelling, "I'm your brother!"
He had stormed out, leaving her to painstakingly tape the shredded pieces back together. Her love, however, didn't die, not even when he brought Kisha home and told her to call her "sister-in-law."
Now, she understood. She had to put that fire out herself. She had to dig Jarrett out of her heart.
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Chapter 13
Alayna's father, Samuel, drove her to a modern, high-rise apartment building near the Berkeley campus.
"I bought this place for you," he said, handing her a set of keys. "It's close to school, and it's safe."
The apartment was spacious and filled with light, with a balcony that overlooked the city. It was more than she could have ever imagined.
"Dad, this is too much," she said, overwhelmed.
"Nonsense," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "You're my daughter. You deserve the best." He then handed her another set of keys. "These are for the beach house in Malibu and the cabin at Lake Tahoe. They're yours. Go whenever you want. You have your freedom now."
He looked at her, his expression serious. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more when you were growing up, Alayna. I regret it every day."
Alayna thought about her childhood. Her mother had always wanted her to be a certain way, to fit into the wealthy society of the Sheppard family. Her father, on the other hand, just wanted her to be happy.
She remembered the feeling of being abandoned after the divorce, how she had clung to Jarrett like a piece of driftwood in a storm. He was the only stability she had.
"It's okay, Dad," she said, comforting him. "The past is the past. We're here now."
She settled into her new apartment, a sense of peace and independence washing over her. For the first time in her life, she felt truly free.
That night, exhausted from the travel and the emotional turmoil of the past few weeks, she decided to take a long bath. The warm water was soothing, and she accidentally fell asleep in the tub.
She woke up hours later, shivering. The water was cold, and she felt a deep chill in her bones. She got out, dried off, and went to bed, but she couldn't get warm.
By morning, she had a high fever. She felt dizzy and weak.
She thought about calling her father, but she didn't want to worry him. She had just arrived. She wanted to show him she was independent.
She decided to go to the campus health clinic herself.
She got dressed, her head spinning. As she left her apartment, she felt a wave of dizziness and stumbled, bumping into someone who was just getting out of the elevator.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, trying to steady herself.
But the world was already going black.
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