Her Substitute Groom

Claire POV

Staying at the hospital with Carl was really boring, especially when I didn’t want to see his face or even have anything to do with him. You would ask, isn’t he my brother? Of course, he is… Wait, he was my brother, until the moment he betrayed Connor, and I guess the rest is history.

I didn’t like how disorganized our family was, but then, I guess things were meant to be like this, anyway. It was all Carl’s fault, and he should take the cross for it.

I stopped in front of the ward and looked at him through the transparent door, and as usual, he was staring into space. He looked like a depressed person, but not that I care, anyway.

Taking a deep breath, I held the doorknob and twisted it, pushing it open and walking in afterward. He tilted his head to look at me as soon as I walked inside.

“How are you feeling now?” I hate to ask him, but I didn’t want to seem heartless. Not that I cared about whatever happened to him, anyway.

“I’m fine. Did Mom call you?” He asked me, and I rolled my eyes as I sat on the chair beside the bed.

“Yes. She called me earlier,” I replied to him, and he slowly nodded his head.

“What about Chase?” He asked me, and I scoffed.

“I don’t think you should be asking that knowing where he would be now, right?” I couldn’t hold back my displease for being here, so I spoke up, and he sighed deeply.

Silence assumed the atmosphere, and I wondered what he was thinking about. At times, I missed the old days when we were still the closest siblings. I missed those days when I have all my brothers by my side, protecting me. Connor was the brother anyone would ask for, he could literally lay down his life to protect us, and Carl? Although he was stubborn, he used to be the closest to Connor. They were so close that Chase was sometimes jealous of them, and all of a sudden, he messed everything up. He ruined the relationship we have built for years, and our family has been a mess since then. As much as I hated him for what he did, what made me hate him the most was how he ruined the bond we built between us siblings, and how he has made Connor miserable until now.

“What should I do, Claire? What should I do to earn your love back?” He asked, staring into space, but I remained silent.

“You know, whenever I look back in time, and think about the life we’ve lived as siblings, I couldn’t help but miss those days, yeah?” He scoffed, and a drop of tears slid down the corner of his cheek.

“I missed us… I missed the Hughes… I missed everyone,” He whispered, more tears streaming down his remaining eye.

“If you know that I don’t care about those tears, then you would stop acting pathetic and focus on getting better,” I replied to him coldly, even though I know I was being mean. I shouldn’t be treating him like this, but whenever I thought of what Connor went through because of him, I just couldn’t help but hate him the more.

“I don’t want to be here… I don’t want to see your disgusting and pathetic face, and I don’t want to remember that I have a brother like you existing… But what about Mom and Dad? They are going to be hurt, and that is why everyone is still treating you like a king!” I couldn’t hold it back anymore, so I yelled at him, and he scoffed.

“Treated like a king? Is this what being treated like a king means?” He scoffed and sighed briefly.

“Yes. If it weren’t for our parents, maybe you wouldn’t be breathing until now. You are a very despicable person… The worst person I hate the most. I can’t stand your presence, so know your place and stop thinking that I’m your sister…”

“Claire!”

“You ruined the bond we had the moment you did that despicable thing, and for that, I won’t ever forgive you. Nobody will ever forgive you,” I slowly shake my head, and disappointment laced up his face. He stared at me with pain written all over his face, but who cares about that? I didn’t give a damn about how he felt.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked after a long silence.

“Disappear, Carl. Go to a faraway place where I won’t ever have to see your face again. Maybe then, I would be satisfied, we all will be satisfied,” I replied to him, and he huffed, turning his face away.

I guess he wanted to say something, but the nurse that just came in, disrupted him.

“The doctor asked to see you, Miss,” She said to me, and I glared at him before leaving to see the doctor.

After I left the doctor’s office, I went to the rooftop to get some fresh air. The view here was cool and beautiful, so I decided to have a feel of it, and who knows, maybe it would help clear my head.

“Ugh! Why did Connor send me here of all people?” I groaned angrily and sighed.

My phone beeped, and I sighed before I checked to see that it was a text from Carl.

“What does he want now?” I mumbled, unlocking my phone, but I froze when I checked the text.

‘I miss the days we were still loving siblings, the days we always got each other’s back and would always stick together, no matter what happens. You were my favorite, even though you have always preferred Connor to me. It always felt good whenever I got the chance to protect you, and I could still remember how it would always make me feel bad whenever I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry for disappointing you and breaking the bond between us. I thought I could hold out for long… I thought we would eventually pull through this, but even after many years, it didn’t seem like this was ever going to end. Let’s end this once and for all, Claire. It breaks me to know that you don’t want to see me, but I’ll be more glad to do it if it’s the only thing that would make you happy. Just as you said, I will leave and never come back. Stay safe, and remember that I love you, and I always will’ My eyes narrowed after I read the text, and without wasting another second on the rooftop, I turned and dashed into the hospital, heading to his ward.

My heart dropped when I got closer and found the door ajar, but I finally lost it when I pushed the door open and found the bed empty. He left. He really left. At that moment, I froze on the spot when I realized the great damage my words has caused. I shouldn’t have said those words, I guess.

I dashed out of the ward and headed to the doctor’s office, and after I alerted him, he told the nurses to look for him in the hospital.

“Where are you, Carl?” I mumbled, my eyes glistening with tears. I tried to reach his phone, but he didn’t answer my call, and it only drove me crazy. I thought calling Connor won’t help, so I boarded a taxi to go look for him.

“Miss, where did you say you are going?” Again, the cabby asked me for the second time as he sped on the driveway, but I couldn’t provide an answer, because even I had no idea where I was going.

“You should come down if you don’t know where you are going,” The driver pulled over at the side of the road, and I suddenly was able to track his location. He was driving toward Lake Hollywood reservoir.

“Lake Hollywood. Please hurry,” I said to the cabby, and he sighed, starting the car again.

‘You need to meet me at Lake Hollywood right now. Something urgent happened’ I texted Chase, and proceeded to check his location again, and he was still driving. Five minutes later, he stopped moving, and this time, he was already at the lake. My heart dropped for a moment.

“Can you please hurry up?” I said to the cabby, and he increased the speed.

We finally got to the lake after about ten minutes of driving, and I found his car parked in the garage.

“Carl… Carl… Where are you?” I yelled out, looking for him, but there was no sign of him anywhere, just his empty car that was parked.

“Where the hell are you, Carl?” I yelled again but got no answer.

“Car…” My voice trailed off when I finally got to the side of the lake and found his phone laying on the ground, and my eyes narrowed.

“Carl… Carl… Where are you?” I shrieked. I didn’t want to believe that it was what I was thinking. Well, that was until I saw the ripple in the water. Did he jump into the water? Is he planning to commit suicide by drowning himself?