Page 1 of Shattering

Chapter 1

The corridor felt too bright, the fluorescent lights burning down on her as though they were interrogating her, exposing her. Cadi inhaled sharply, but the air felt thin, metallic, as if she were breathing in something tainted. Her heart slammed against her ribs, a steady, punishing rhythm that didn't match the slow, deliberate pace she forced her feet to take.

One foot in front of the other. That's all she had to do. Keep moving.

The sounds of the hospital pressed in—snippets of conversation, the beeping of monitors, the faint squeak of rubber soles against the linoleum floor—but they all blurred together, distant and unimportant. Her brain refused to make sense of them. Everything had narrowed to the sound of her own breathing, shallow and uneven, and the way her pulse roared in her ears.

Sue's desk was just ahead, the cluttered surface a familiar sight in a world that suddenly felt alien. Cadi swallowed, trying to summon the composure she knew was expected of her. But her fingers trembled as she gripped the edge of the desk, forcing herself to meet her secretary's gaze.

Sue looked up, her sharp eyes immediately scanning Cadi's face. "Dr. Hughes?"

"I'm not feeling well," Cadi managed, surprised at how steady her voice sounded when everything inside her was fracturing. "I need you to cancel my afternoon clinic."

Sue frowned, concern flickering across her face. "Do you need me to call someone? You don't look well at all."

No. No one. There was no one to call. Cadi forced a small, tight smile. "Just reschedule the patients. I'll be fine."

Sue hesitated, as if weighing whether to argue, but then she nodded, her hands already reaching for the phone. "I'll take care of it. You should go home, Dr. Hughes."

Home. The word made Cadi's stomach twist. She didn't know what home was anymore. But she nodded, murmuring a quiet, "Thank you," before turning away.

Her legs felt heavy as she made her way through the hospital's side entrance, stepping into the car park. The air was cold, the sky an unbroken expanse of grey that mirrored the emptiness inside her. She stopped beside her car, pressing the key fob with numb fingers, but she didn't open the door. Just stood there, staring at her own reflection in the darkened window. The pain was crippling

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, unmoored and adrift. The edges of her vision blurred, her thoughts tangled and looping back to the same questions, the same aching realization. She had trusted him. And he had taken that trust and crushed it, leaving her gasping in the wreckage.

A car door slammed somewhere nearby, jerking her back to the present. Cadi blinked, exhaling shakily. She wasn't fit to drive. Not like this.

Her fingers fumbled as she pulled out her phone, navigating to the Uber app. It took only seconds to book a ride, and as she stood there waiting, her thoughts drifted to Tomos. He'd be getting out of school soon. Would she be able to pick him up? Should she?

Her hands clenched around her phone, the screen going dark.

One thing at a time. First, she needed to get home. Then... she would figure out what came next.

The Uber pulled up, and without a backward glance, Cadi slid into the backseat, closing the door on the world outside.

Chapter 2

Beginnings

Cadi's mother pulled up to the school gates, her car idling as she turned in her seat to give one last reminder. "Be good, girls. And Ana, make sure Cadi doesn't get into trouble." Her voice was warm, teasing, but Cadi only rolled her eyes.

Ana grinned, her dark curls bouncing as she unbuckled. "I'll do my best, Mrs. Hughes. No promises."

The two girls tumbled out of the car, hand in hand, their excitement bubbling over. They had grown up together, inseparable, and were ready to conquer the new world of Reception. But as they skipped toward the entrance, something caught Cadi's eye.

A woman stood off to the side, wiping her tears with the edge of her sleeve. Her son stood stiffly beside her—a small, serious-looking boy with dark hair, his expression caught somewhere between discomfort and forced patience.

"Ach, Mam, stop cryin', will ya?" the boy muttered, awkwardly patting his mother's arm. "I'll be grand."

His voice was low, but Cadi caught it. His mother nodded, pressing her lips together tightly before giving him one last squeeze and walking away. He stood there for a moment, staring at the ground before lifting his head, as if steeling himself.

They were ushered inside soon after, directed to a bright, colourful classroom where a cluster of parents lingered to see off their children. The boy had gone to sit in a corner, alone, while Cadi and Ana were quick to introduce themselves to everyone around them. Cadi looked at the boy from the corner of her eye as he reluctantly stood up when the pretty teacher asked him his name.

"Gray" he grumbled.

Then came the first scuffle of the year.

One of the bigger kids, a broad-shouldered boy with a mop of sandy hair, smirked as he sauntered past the boy in the corner. His Liverpool accent was thick and taunting. "Mummy's boy, eh? Need a cuddle?"

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