29 - Jack

For the first time in a long time, when I woke up, my mind felt clear and revitalized. When I thought back on all that took place the previous evening, I instantly sat up and looked at the space next to me. As soon as I realized it, my face sank, and my heart stopped beating.

That space on the bed was empty. There was no sign of Mom.

My veins were suddenly flooded with a chilling iciness that I couldn't deny. As I forced myself to get from the bed and walk away from it, I couldn't even begin to describe how I was feeling. Mom was supposed to be there, but she wasn't.

Had I just been dreaming about everything again? How many times had I dreamed of being with mom? Since I left the country to pursue that project, she had never left my thoughts when I went to bed at night, and she continued to do so even when we had stopped talking. My thoughts kept returning to her as if she were the only person in the world. All day and all night...

It had been her and no one else.

It was beyond my con