Waves of Destiny chapter 5

The moment Reha’s trembling voice echoes through the hallway, time seems to stop.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

Mrs. Hae-won turns around sharply, her eyes wide with disbelief.

[Taejoon – Riva’s Older Brother

Taejoon, stands frozen by the couch, clutching a photo frame in his hands, as if holding on to a piece of the past.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

(stammering) “Reha…? You—why are you here…?”

Reha stumbles forward, her grip tightening on the walking stick, breath ragged and uneven. Her eyes, filled with desperation, search Mrs. Hae-won’s face, silently begging her to say it isn’t true — to deny the reality.

reha

“Tell me it’s not true… Please… tell me she’s okay… That she’s just mad at me, or hiding somewhere, or—” (sobbing) “Tell me anything but this…”

Mrs. Hae-won rushes forward, wrapping Reha into a tight embrace, both women collapsing to the floor as grief shatters through them like glass.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

(weeping) “I’m so sorry, Reha… I wanted to tell you so many times, but… You were in a coma… your condition was so fragile… We didn’t know how to say it…”

Reha buries her face into Mrs. Hae-won’s shoulder, her cries raw, aching, and helpless.

[Taejoon – Riva’s Older Brother

(quietly) “She died instantly, Reha… There was nothing anyone could have done. It wasn’t your fault.”

Reha slowly lifts her head, her tear-streaked face locking eyes with Taejoon, but her expression is twisted with guilt.

reha

(broken, shaking) “No… no, you don’t understand. It was my fault. That car accident — it happened because of me. My father warned me… He told me there were people out there… enemies of our family. He said they might hurt us, might do anything to destroy his company. And still… I didn’t listen.

reha

I went to pick Riva up from the airport. I brought her into that danger. She died because of me… everything happened because of me.”

She lets out a loud sob, collapsing further, her forehead nearly touching the floor.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

(firmly, shaking her head) “No. Don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault, Reha. It never was. You wanted to see her… because you loved her. You didn’t cause this. Life did.”

A heavy silence fills the room, thick and suffocating. Only the sound of quiet weeping lingers in the air.

[Taejoon – Riva’s Older Brother

After a moment, walks over and kneels beside Reha. He gently offers her the photo frame.

Inside is a picture of Reha and Riva, dressed in their high school uniforms — arms around each other, beaming at the camera as if the world could never touch their joy.

[Taejoon – Riva’s Older Brother

“She always said you were her other half. That she couldn’t imagine a life without you in it. She thought about you every day, even when you were far away.”

Reha’s fingers tremble as she takes the frame into her hands. Her eyes fall upon their younger selves — bright, unbreakable, inseparable. She presses the frame to her chest, holding it tightly as if trying to bring Riva back through sheer force of memory. A sound escapes her — not quite a sob, not quite a scream — a grief that doesn’t know how to shape itself.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

Mrs. Hae-won slowly pulls Reha into her arms again. This time, Reha doesn’t resist.

She curls into her, like a lost child. And Mrs. Hae-won holds her, gently swaying, whispering soft nothings, though nothing could ever be enough. Time seems to fade away. The storm outside the windows goes unnoticed. Eventually, Reha’s cries grow quiet. Her eyes flutter shut. Her face, though tear-streaked and pale, seems… still. And then — she goes limp.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

(alarmed) “Reha? Reha!”

Panic floods her voice. She gently lowers Reha to the floor, brushing the damp hair from her forehead.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

“Taejoon! Get some water! Hurry!”

Taejoon rushes off. But Reha lies there, still and silent — not in pain, not in fear — but in a moment of unconscious peace. Mrs. Hae-won places a hand over her heart, feeling it still beating. She cradles her carefully, holding her close again, her voice trembling.

[Mrs. Hae-won – Riva’s Mom]

Softly) “You’re still here… And as long as you’re alive, Riva’s memory lives too. She’s not gone, Reha. She’s in you. Always.”

The photo frame, still clutched in Reha’s hand, gleams faintly in the dim light — a frozen moment of happiness, surviving the ruins of goodbye.