I heard distant screams: "Mia! Mia!"I opened my eyes, my vision blurred, and saw Brandon's face soaked with worry.
"My God, Mia! What happened?" my father asked, his voice tense.
"I'm calling an ambulance!" Mrs. Ruth said, running off. The emergency lights lit up the garden, flashing red and blue.
I woke up in a hospital bed. My father and Abigail were by my side.
"What happened, Dad?" I asked, still confused.
He hugged me tightly. "Honey… why did you do this?"
"Dad, I didn't do anything! What happened?"
He wiped his tears and said, "I'm going to call the doctor and tell him you're awake." Then he left.
Abigail ran her hand through my hair. "You don't remember, Mia?"
I shook my head. "No…"
"We were sleeping when we woke up to Emma and Brandon screaming," she explained. "He pulled you out of the pool… you were drowning. It was almost midnight."
"Emma was there?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes," Abigail replied. "She went to see Adam, and Brandon and Jhenna went with her. When they arrived, they found you in the pool."
"Mia… your father is devastated," she added.
The doctor came in next, asking questions, looking at me as if he believed I had tried to end my own life. But I didn't remember anything. I would never do that. None of it made sense.
"I didn't do anything!" I started yelling.
The doctor injected something into my vein, and I slowly blacked out.
I woke up again, this time with Emma and Adam beside me. They told me the same story Abigail had. Whenever I said I hadn't done anything, they looked at me with doubt.
Suddenly, I heard distant shouting growing closer. It was Chad.
"I want to see her!"
He entered the room and hugged me, squeezing me tightly. Everyone fell silent, watching the scene. I was deeply moved.
"Mia… why did you try?" he cried.
I looked at him, confused. "Guys, I didn't try to kill myself. I swear, I would never do that."
They stared at me as if they didn't believe me. Then my father entered the room.
"She's being discharged. After speaking with the hospital psychiatrist, you can come to my house to see her tomorrow."
Emma asked to be excused and left. Chad followed her without looking at my father. Adam and my father also left. Abigail helped me change my clothes.
I talked to the psychiatrist, but I had nothing to say. He was an elderly man, more concerned with adjusting his glasses than with listening to me.
When we left, we went straight to the car. As soon as we got home, I went directly to my room and lay down.
"Sweetheart, you'll stay home for the rest of the week and rest. On Friday, you'll see a psychologist," my father said. I nodded. He left, and I stayed alone, staring at the pink ceiling until I fell asleep.
I woke up to Abigail bringing me a snack. She placed the tray on the bed. "Mia, you have visitors."
Before I could ask who it was, Brandon and Jhenna walked in. Jhenna hugged me.
"Wow, I was really worried," she said.
She stepped back a little, and Brandon asked, "Can I give you a hug?"
I nodded. He hugged me tightly and for a long time.
"It was Brandon who saved you," Jhenna said. I smiled and thanked him. She held my hand and added, "Mia, don't ever do this again. Life is so precious. Next time, Brandon might not be there to save you."
I took a deep breath. "I didn't do anything."
They looked at me suspiciously.
While we were talking, I heard my mother's voice.
"Mia! Mia!"
The sound of her heels echoed down the hallway. She entered and hugged me tightly.
"My daughter, why did you do this?"
"Please leave me alone with her," she asked, looking at Brandon and Jhenna. They left, and we stayed embraced for several minutes. I hadn't even told your grandparents; they are old and wouldn't be able to handle hearing this.
Through tears, I said, "Mom, I didn't do anything. I don't know how I ended up in the pool."
She caressed my face. "Sweetheart, you're coming with me to France. Alex is worried, just like I am."
I thought quickly. Alex… it was the same name as my uncle who had passed away. What a coincidence. The truth was, I no longer liked hearing that name. A name that used to be ordinary now felt cold whenever I heard it.
I liked my stepfather, but our relationship was distant. With Abigail, on the other hand, I had a deep connection.
My father entered the room. "Camilly, with this story again? Mia is not leaving here."
She stood up. "Yes, she is, Luck. Enough! Mia hasn't been the same since she came here. She has never done anything like this."
He replied firmly, "She's a teenager now. These crises are normal."
She stepped closer, her voice heavy. "Normal, Luck? She almost died!"
"She's not leaving. If you want to take her out of the country, file a request with the Florida family court. If they authorize it, you can take her."
She laughed, ironic and sarcastic. "That's exactly what I'm going to do. And if they don't authorize it, I'll come back here. She lives with me."
My father remained firm. "With you? No. I'm not giving her up. Custody will be shared equally."
She exploded. "You're a bastard! While you were enjoying single life and traveling the country, seeing her once or twice a month, everything was fine. Now you want to start a family with the maid and play the perfect father!"
He grabbed her arm. "Don't talk about Abigail like that."
She pushed him. "She's not your maid, Luck! Get out of my house now, Camilly!"
"Yes, but Mia is coming with me."
He let out a bitter laugh. "Of course. All she needs right now is to go to a noisy hotel room with an irresponsible woman who left elderly parents and a teenage daughter behind to live a romantic adventure like a little girl."
My mother slapped my father across the face. I froze. He stood in silence, his hand on his cheek.
They stared at each other, breathing heavily. Tension and hatred filled the room. In that moment, I realized they hated each other. They couldn't be together without fighting. I finally understood why, since the separation, they had never shared the same space again.
The intensity of that moment took my breath away. The past, fear, and unresolved love collided there while I merely watched. I wondered whether every great love always ended in fights and chaos, or whether it never truly ended at all, despite the fights and the chaos.