CHAPTER 1

Silvia pushed the door open as she tried to exit her boss's office. It was her duty to make sure she cleaned the office every morning before his arrival. Today was no different—except for the disaster that was just about to unfold.

As she stepped out, she bumped into a solid object, leaving her momentarily dazed. Slowly looking up and ready to lash out at whatever that was, her heart skipped a beat as she saw what, or rather whom she had collided with — her boss, Ralph.

“I am sorry sir,” she muttered apologetically. As she tried to regain her balance, she knocked over a cup of water which spilled over his crisp and expensive shirt. This was a really tense moment because she could see her boss fuming in great anger.

“What in blazes is the matter with you?” Ralph asked angrily. He had just arrived at the office in a really bad mood, and this was not the best way to start his day.

“I am really sorry sir,”  Silvia kept pleading to receive mercy from her boss. But Ralph is a man who hardly lets a mistake go unpunished. She had heard rumors and had even witnessed his ruthlessness on more than one occasion.

“I will let you go today because it is just a cup of water. Next time, you'll be pleading I let you die,” he threatened, with a firm look on his face.

“Thank you so much, sir,” she replied as she scurried off from his sight as fast as her trembling legs could carry her before he would change his mind.

“Oh my! That was close,” Silvia said under her breath as she pushed her cart along the hallway. She had other places to clean in the company as well and needed to do that fast. Instinctively, her hand flew to her chest to calm her racing heart.

She was on her way to the changing room when she met Rebecca gorgeously walking into the company.

“Good morning, Rebecca,” she called absentmindedly.

Rebecca and Silvia have been friends since high school. Silvia wasn't opportune to go to college anyway, but Rebecca had the opportunity to do so and she did.

“Hey, Silvia. You're looking tense this morning. I hope everything is alright?” She could read through the expression on Silvia's face with ease.

Silvia hesitated before admitting, “I just spilled water on the boss this morning. I barely escaped his wrath,” she replied, as she heaved a deep sigh of relief. "You know he can be a real tyrant sometimes,” she added barely above a whisper.

“Pheew girl! That was a close one. You know how he is,” Rebecca said, a hint of sympathy in her voice. She placed a gentle hand on Silvia's shoulder. “But you’re tough. Remember when you stayed late back then in school just to finish a project even though the teacher said you wouldn't be able to? Relax babe. You'll be just fine."

“Thanks, Rebecca. You always know what to say,” Silvia replied, a slight smile breaking through her worry.

As Rebecca walked to her office, Silvia felt a glimmer of reassurance but still had lingering thoughts of doubt and inadequacy.

Their lives had taken such different paths. They had been once inseparable but life had been more fair on Rebecca. While Silvia had to take whatever job she could find to support herself and her mother, Rebecca had gained a degree and now worked in the same company as a junior executive, climbing her way up the ladder.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Silvia returned to work.

When Silvia clocked out for the day, she spent a bit of money she had on hand on some minor shopping. Stopping by a grocery store not too far from the house and with a few crumpled dollars in her pocket, she carefully picked out the necessities—rice, greens, fish, and a small pack of tea. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for dinner.

Her mum was home alone, so she could hardly wait to get back in time to cook her something to eat. She always looked forward to her mum's welcoming smile whenever she got back home from work. That smile was always the highlight of her day.

"Mum! I'm home!" She yelled as she opened the door, the shopping bag held against her hip.

The house was awfully quiet, and this caused Silvia to worry. “Mum…” She called out as she walked towards her room.

She found the kettle whistling in the kitchen, so she quickly went to turn it off and set down the bag of groceries.

She looked very perplexed and troubled as she carefully approached her mother's room.

Heart thumping, she pushed the door open slowly and was greeted by a rather troubling and shirking sight.

Her mother was lying on the ground, limp and unconscious. Her breathing was labored and shallow.

“Mum! Mum!! Mum!!!” Silvia hurriedly rushed to where her mother was and tried to check for any pulse and sign of life.

She gently but firmly tapped her mum to rouse her but she was unresponsive.

Just then, something caught her eye that caused an icy shiver down her spine.

Blood.

“No, no, no, no!!! Please, wake up!” she firmly squeezed her mother’s hand. Panic gripped her chest as she quickly scanned for any signs of physical injury on her mother but she didn't find any. She immediately knew it was not as a result of an injury.

Without wasting any more time, Silvia grabbed a phone from her back pocket and punched in the emergency line.

As she spoke to the 911 dispatch operator, she took deep breaths to get a hold of her emotions and calm down.

"911, what’s your emergency?” the dispatch started.

“My mother...she’s unconscious! I— she’s barely breathing! Please, I need an ambulance now!”

“Ma’am, I need you to stay calm. Is she bleeding? Is she responsive?”

“I—I don’t know! There’s blood on the floor, but I don’t know where it’s from—please, please just hurry!”

“Help is on the way. Stay with her.” Silvia nodded frantically.

She barely heard the dispatcher’s words after that. All she could do was clutch her mother’s hand, whispering desperate prayers.

Minutes later, sirens blared outside, piercing through the street noise.

Paramedics rushed in, assessing her mother quickly.

"Ma’am, please step back," one of them instructed.

Silvia did, watching helplessly as they worked. In no time, her mother was on a stretcher, being wheeled out the door. Silvia trailed behind, her heart thudding in her ears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silvia paced the waiting room as she waited to get a reply from the doctor or nurses who had carried her mother into the emergency ward.

She was not ready to lose her mother now. Her mother is the only person she had had growing up.

“Please,” she whispered to herself, “not now. She’s my anchor.”

She was single-handedly raised and nurtured by her mother and had watched her go through hell, just to make sure that she survived and lacked nothing.

Her mother had faced struggles just to ensure Silvia had a better life—after losing her father when she was just four.

The memory of her father leaving for work, his shadow disappearing without a trace, haunted Silvia. He never made it home again. The only thing that came back was the news of his demise.

She had always leaned on her mother for support, especially during tough times.

The nurse at the reception tried to soothe her, “Just sit down, ma'am. The doctor will be with you shortly.”

Silvia shook her head vehemently. “I can’t! How can I be calm when my mother is in there fighting for her life?” The words spilled out, and as she looked down, the floodgates opened. She broke down and cried, overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty.

Just then, her eyes blurred by tears, she caught sight of the doctor exiting the emergency ward. Without thinking, she rushed to him, gripping his arm tightly with her clammy hands.

“Doc! My mother, how is she?” she asked anxiously. Her face was filled with so much worry and fear, her eyes searching his frantically.

“Miss Silvia, right? The daughter of Mrs Theresa?” He inquired.

“Yes sir.” She affirmed with a nod.

“Follow me,” he said as he politely took his arm out of her grasp and ushered her to his office. He gestured to her to take a seat, which she obliged without wasting time, as he made his way behind the table and sat on his chair.

Silvia's breathing and heart rate had gone up, and she could not stop sweating profusely, as anxiety just had the best of her.

“How is my mother? Talk to me doctor, please,” she pleaded. The doctor braced himself while he sat properly on his chair.

The doctor exhaled, his expression unreadable.

“Relax ma'am. Please. Your mother is stable. I need you to calm down,” he finally said.

A sensation that felt like a feeling of great ease just overwhelmed Silvia. Relief hit her like a crashing wave. She heaved a deep sigh of relief as she cleaned off the sweat on her face with a scarf she was holding.

“Can I go and see her now?” she said, standing up from the chair quickly.

“Wait! I haven't finished talking with you ma’am,” the doctor called her attention back immediately.

She sat back down. The look on his face told her he had something really serious to tell her.

“Your mother...We ran some tests.”

He slid a paper across the desk.

She stared at it, her hands trembling.

"Dear universe, not today!" she mumbled under her breath.

What now??