Chapter 1

Elora never felt she had any luck in life, and this theory only became more true when her husband let their child die all because of his pregnant best friend who had only just gotten widowed.

Riella, Elora's first child was born with a hole in the heart. The doctor had presumed the child wouldn’t live past 5 years, but Elora never gave up on her child. So she started researching for a way to heal Elora.

On Riella 5th birthday, just when Elora was just a step away from finally cracking the code to complete her discovery, the fund sponsoring her research was completely withdrawn, and the research case was forced to close.

And as Elora held Riella’s pale hands, she felt all hope leave her. All her hard work, years working behind a screen, mixing ingredients that could help close her little girl's heart– it was all for nothing. She had been so close. So close to the finishing line.

Hot tears rolled down her eyes as her body trembled with painful sobs.

“Riella, can you hear me? Mummy is here now… mummy needs you to say something. Please…don’t do this to your poor mother. You can’t leave me all alone here, baby,” Elora sobbed, but there was no response, only the beep of the flat-lined monitor.

Her only child was gone.

Elora picked her phone with shaky hands and dialed Cedric’s line for the sixty-seventh time that day. She had called him all through the day. From the time Riella started convulsing to the time she was taken to the operating room.

He had once picked on the eleventh call.

“Elora, I’m in a meeting, what’s wrong?” His voice sounded calm. He’d never raised his voice at her, and this often made people think he was the loveliest husband any woman could pray to have. But only Elora knew the kind of man he was.

“Ri–Riella,” Elora’s voice trembled as she watched the doctors perform defibrillation on her poor daughter's chest.

“What?” Cedric shouted, and Elora heard a chair scraped on the floor.

“She had another relapse… and it doesn’t look she will sur–“

“Cedric, is everything okay?” A woman’s voice spoke up from the other end. Elora didn’t need to see her face to know who it was. Alexandra. Cedric’s childhood best friend.

Didn’t he say he was at a meeting? Elora thought. So why was she there?

Elora heard him tell Alexandra that his child just had another relapse, and the latter let out a loud gasp. Elora would have believed Alexandra was truly worried, if she didn’t know what kind of woman she was.

“Cedric, are you even listening to me?” Elora spoke softly on the phone. She was too weak to even scold him. She had used her strength to run to the hospital from her home, since Cedric took the only car they had to the office– or more precisely, Alexandra’s house.

“Yes. I’m currently with Alex at the hospital. The doctor said she might have to sign up for a CS delivery,” he rushed out. “Let me finish here, I’ll meet with you right after,” he told her.

Elora opened her mouth to tell him that their little daughter might be no more before he came, but just as she was about to speak, she heard Alexandra’s voice.

“Cedric please pay attention to what the doctor is saying. You know I’m not well versed in medical terms. You came here to help me, didn’t you?” Alexander’s voice was soft and pitiful, and Elora could just see her husband’s eyes melting at the sound of it.

Without another word, Cedric cut off the call, leaving Elora staring blankly at the phone.

One hour later, Cedric was still not with her. Two hours passed. Then three hours but still no sign of Celdric.

Elora pressed her back on the wall and slid down to the floor. She sobbed into her arms, praying her daughter made it out alive.

Cedric wasn’t always like this. When they had first gotten married, he had been doting to her, almost a simp even. When she got pregnant with Riella, Celdric had treated her like an egg. He employed the best nurse on her behalf and made sure they were available 24/7. Gave her the best nutrition plan. Elora remembered thanking God for his blessings. Being an orphan she was never loved right, but now she had the best husband by her side.

That was why she didn’t hesitate to obey when he asked her to quit her job as a medical researcher in the biggest hospital.

When Riella clocked one year old, Celdric brought up a tradition. He promised to always take the family to different countries for their vacation. And he made good of his promise. Well, until Alexandra entered the picture.

Alexander, his best friend who was once rumored to be his first love, lost her husband six months ago and came back to the city to find ‘peace’.

Just like that, Elora’s whole life switched. She became invisible to her husband. He became Alexandra’s shadow, following her everywhere and whenever Elora complained he would calmly tell her there was nothing.

“She just lost her husband, Elora. Why can’t you understand that she has no one there for her?” He said one time.

“And your daughter? Riella is sick. This is the time she needs you the most!” Elora had screamed back, clearly frustrated with his excuse.

Why couldn’t he see that Alexander was just trying to destroy their relationship?

How had he forgotten about his family so quickly? For a woman that didn’t even turn back once when marrying another man?

She wanted to scream, hit him– but she knew it wouldn’t suddenly make him love her. He needed to come back on his own.

“Riella is my daughter, Elora, and I love her more than anything in this world. You know that, honey,” he said the last word so plainly. “I promise, just this time. I just need to make sure her prenatal is going well,” he said calmly as he held her shoulder.

“She’s sick, Cedric. Your daughter has been asking to see you. Won’t you see her just once?” Elora had felt the tears burn at the back of her eyes, but refused to let it fall. “You can go see Alexander anytime. Just spend this night with her,please. I don’t want to see her cry again tonight, all because of you. I can’t bear to see her in pain, Cedric.” A tear finally slipped down her face.

Cedric nodded his head seeing the pain behind his wife’s eyes. Though he promised Alexandra to be with her for her prenatal visit, he couldn’t ignore his sick child.

That night Cedric stayed with little Riella reading her favorite story book, until she fell asleep.

“Daddy, I’m so happy you’re here with me today?” Riella touched her fathers cheek with weak hands. Celdric could feel how warm it was, but made no comment. His heart twisted in pain.

Seeing his daughter this sick often made him feel like a failure, and so he tried to ignore that fact and pretended like the sickness didn’t exist.

“I know, my little bear. Daddy will always be here, don’t worry,” he said before kissing the inside of her palms.

Elora watched their interaction behind the door with a sad smile on her face.

“Will you stay here with me tonight? I want you to stay here with me even when I fall asleep. Please don’t leave. I miss you.”

Celdric watched his precious daughter with a sad smile and nodded. “I’ll be here till you wake up, my little bear.”

Riella fell asleep a few minutes after that, and Celdric watched as her chest rose and fell. Just as Celdric was settling to rest his head on her bed, his phone pinged with a new message.

“Celdric, I need you… I don’t think I can go through this session alone. My stomach hurts, please…” the message from Alexandera read.

Celdric immediately stood up and was about to walk out of Riella’s room when he heard Elora’s voice.

“Leaving so soon?” She stared at him with a stoic face.

“I– I need to attend to something urgently. I will be right back.”

Before Elora could say anything, her husband ran out of the house like a man who had just found out his wife was dying.

“Ma’am.” Elora felt someone tap lightly at her shoulder. She jerked up seeing it was the attending doctor and quickly rose to her feet.

“I’m sorry we tried our best, but there’s nothing more we can do. I’m afraid your daughter can’t make it this time. I’ll advise you to call your husband so you can both spend this last hour with your child. This might be the only time you get to see her alive.”

The moment the words left the doctor’s mouth, Elora’s eyes closed, and she felt the ground beneath her disappear.