Chapter 38: The news break

DURK’S POV

The call came in the morning. I had been half asleep on the couch when the phone buzzed on the table. My head felt heavy from not sleeping well, but the moment I saw the name flashing on the screen, I sat up fast.

I answered. “Yeah?”

The voice on the other end spoke quickly. I listened without interrupting. When the words finally sank in, I rubbed my face hard, trying to make sure I heard right.

I didn’t say anything at first. My chest felt tight. I should’ve been relieved, he survived. That was supposed to be good news. But the rest of it… it was like being handed hope with a hole in it.

“Thanks,” I managed, before ending the call.

For a minute I just sat there, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor. How the hell was I supposed to tell them? Izzy especially. She’d been tearing the house apart these past days, snapping at everyone, refusing to hear any bad news. And now I had to put this in front of her.

I stood and stretched my back, then walked to the kitchen. Matteo was there, leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee. He looked up at me right away.

“What is it?” he asked. His eyes narrowed. “You got news?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Call Izzy and Janet to the iving room.”

He didn’t argue, just set the mug down and went down the hall.

I walked into the living room and sat on the edge of the couch. My hands were clasped tight, and I kept rubbing my thumb against my palm to calm myself. The sound of footsteps came closer. First Matteo, then Janet, then Izzy stormed in last.

Izzy’s eyes locked on me. “You know something.”

“I do,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“Well, spit it out!” she snapped, throwing her hands up. “I’m sick of waiting, Durk!”

Janet touched her arm gently. “Izzy, give him a second.”

“I don’t want a second!” Izzy shouted. “I’ve been waiting three days. I want the truth now.”

Her voice was sharp enough to cut through the air. Matteo crossed his arms and stood beside her. “Sit down, Izzy.”

She glared at him. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Then at least keep quiet long enough to listen,” Matteo shot back.

I raised my hand. “Enough. Just let me talk, alright?”

They all went quiet, though Izzy was still fuming, shifting from foot to foot.

I cleared my throat. “I just got the call. It’s about your father.”

Izzy’s eyes widened. “Where is he? When’s he coming back?”

“Listen first,” I said firmly.

She froze, then nodded stiffly.

“He made it,” I said slowly. “He survived.”

Janet gasped and covered her mouth. Matteo’s shoulders sagged, the tension in his body easing for a moment. Izzy’s eyes filled with sudden tears, and she almost smiled.

“He’s alive?” she whispered.

“Yes,” I said.

She took a step forward, her voice rising with hope. “Then what are we waiting for? Why isn’t he here? Why haven’t they brought him back yet?”

I looked down at my hands, trying to find the right words. “There’s more. You need to hear all of it.”

Izzy frowned. “What do you mean?”

Matteo’s eyes narrowed. “Durk. Say it.”

I sighed. “He survived… but he’s not the same. The injury, he won’t walk again.”

The room went still.

“What?” Izzy’s voice cracked.

Janet let out a quiet sob and sat on the arm of the couch, her hands shaking. Matteo just stood there, his jaw tight, saying nothing.

Izzy froze in the doorway for a long second after I told her. I could see her shoulders shaking, her fists clenched at her sides.

Then she spun around and glared at me, eyes blazing. “Say it again.”

I swallowed hard. “I said… your father is alive, but he can’t walk anymore.”

Her face twisted. “No. No, that’s not true. You’re lying.”

“You’re lying!” she screamed, pointing a finger at me. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You just want to keep me quiet, keep me in this house while you make all the decisions.”

Matteo stepped forward. “Izzy, he’s telling the truth.”

She turned on him fast. “You shut up. Don’t you dare take his side.”

“I’m not taking sides,” Matteo said calmly. “I’m repeating what he said. If Durk got the call, then it’s real.”

“Then he heard wrong,” Izzy snapped. “Or they told him wrong. Or you’re both covering something. There’s no way. My father doesn’t break like that. He’s strong. He doesn’t lose.”

Janet wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Izzy, please…”

I stood slowly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Nobody said it was fine. It’s not fine, but it’s the truth. The sooner you accept it, the sooner we can figure out what to do next.”

Izzy’s voice cracked. “Don’t talk to me like that. Don’t you dare talk to me like he’s finished.”

“He’s not finished,” I said. “He’s alive, that matters, but you have to face what’s real.”

She shook her head over and over, like a child refusing to hear. “No. He’ll walk again. You’ll see, He’ll get better, and you’ll look stupid for even saying this.”

Matteo stepped in, his voice firmer. “Izzy, listen. You need to stop pretending. We’ve all been waiting, praying, and now we know. He’s alive. That’s the part we should be grateful for.”

“I don’t want to be grateful for half a life,” she shouted back. “He’s my father. He’s not some broken man you have to wheel around. He’s not!”

Janet tried again, her voice soft. “Izzy, it doesn’t change who he is..”

“Yes, it does!” Izzy cut her off. “Don’t lie to me. It changes everything. Don

’t you see that? Everyone’s already looking at me like I’m supposed to take over. Like he’s gone. He’s not gone!”