"In my eyes, Dr. Braun shouldn't have operated the surgery if he didn't have the skill to save lives."
From that day on, my life was shrouded in darkness.
After the SAT exam, I returned home to find my mother lying on the floor, an empty bottle of sleeping pills beside her.
She followed my father to the grave.
I wasn't really surprised. After my father's death, she had lost all hope for life and was seeking an escape. She simply chose to leave after my exams so as not to delay me.
"Annika, remember, your father was a good doctor. He never wronged anyone," she would grasp my arm at night, her eyes vacant, repeating this over and over.
Overnight, I became an orphan. My home was gone, and everyone I loved had died. I had no idea how I endured those three months of summer vacation.
So it was no wonder that on the first day of college when I saw Willie, I rushed over to him with tears in my eyes.
"Willie…" My voice trembled, but just as I uttered his name, he pushed me away.
He straightened his clothes with a hint of disdain, looking at me with such indifference that I almost thought I had mistaken him for someone else.
Had he forgotten me?
"Annika."
He called my name.