Chapter 0005

I woke slowly, groggy and disoriented, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling my nostrils. The soft beeping of machines was a constant, steady rhythm, a reminder that I was still alive. My body ached all over, a dull, persistent pain that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

I tried to shift slightly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my side. My eyes fluttered open, the harsh overhead lights making me squint. The room was a blur of white walls and medical equipment. It took me a moment to remember where I was and what had happened—the accident, the lorry, the crash.

As my vision cleared, I noticed a familiar figure standing at the foot of my bed. My mother. For a moment, a flicker of hope sparked within me. Maybe she had come to apologize, to show some semblance of care. But the look in her eyes was cold, calculating, devoid of any warmth.

She approached the bed, her steps deliberate and slow. My heart pounded in my chest, the beeping of the monitor quickening in response. I wanted to say something, to ask her why she was here, but my throat was dry, and the words wouldn’t come.

Without a word, she reached over to the machines, her fingers moving with unsettling precision. I watched in horror as she began to unplug the various cords and tubes connected to me. The beeping of the heart monitor became erratic, then flatlined into a continuous, ominous tone.

"Now it is so quiet right?"

"Mother," I croaked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

She looked down at me, her expression icy and unyielding. She bends a little and takes a seat beside me.

"Finally, we're here alone, just the two of us," panic surged through me, my body struggling against the pain and weakness. I tried to reach out to stop her, but my limbs felt like lead.

"Can I be honest with you now?" she said, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Emma, from the get-go, I never liked you," desperation clawed at me, but my body was too weak, my voice too faint. I could only watch aimlessly.

Her face twisted with a cruel, cold smile. "Do you remember? The day we first met," her voice eerily calm. "At the orphanage, you were just a small, frightened child, and you offered me a cup of water."

I remembered. I remembered the small kindness, the way I had looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

"You tried so hard to win me over, and you succeeded. But when you moved in with us, you cried saying you felt bad that you were now living in a nice house, eating good food when the other kids at the children's home weren't," tears welled up in my eyes.

"I was baffled when you did that and I became more curious over time. I wonder how much longer you will be able to hide your greed. I always ask you if you need anything and you always turn me down. I waited for the day you won't be able to keep your pathetic ways until the day I saw your genuine smile at Zayn and I think I caught you."

"Observing this, you taught me everything. A life where you can't even say what you want. And living that life, not even knowing that people look down on you and badmouth you for that. It really is the worst," tears begin to find a way to flow out of my eyes because have never imagined this angel would turn into my worst nightmare.

As I lay there, feeling life slip away, she straightened up, reached into her bag, and pulled out a small mirror with meticulous care. She adjusted her hair, ensuring every stand was perfectly in place.

"Let me give you a piece of advice for our last times' sake," she moved closer to the bed I was laid on, bending little to a level of kissing me.

"In your next life, don't be too nice," another drop of tear fell from my eyes. "It only makes your own life more difficult," she said softly, almost to herself.