THE LOVE BETWEEN THE CEO AND THE CLEANER.

It was a beautiful morning, my birthday. The one day I looked forward to every year. I woke up with a wide smile, heart full of excitement, and ran into the living room shouting, Mom! Dad! It’s my birthday

My parents were already waiting, their faces were full of love. Mother gifted me a cute teddy bear, a necklace with my birthstone, and a silver wristwatch. My Dad hugged me tightly and gave me a matching gift set, which made me feel like the happiest girl alive.“Anything for you, my baby girl, my mom said, touching my hair with her usual warmth and I said, “I want pancakes for breakfast. She smiled and rushed out to get them, promising to be back quickly, but she never came back.

She had an accident on her way, news that came in was that she was hit by a driver who was drunk driving. My mom died at the spot, My mom died before I could even say thank you or goodbye.

That was the day my world changed. The day joy turned to pain. The day my birthday became my nightmare.

The days after her death felt unreal, like I was stuck in a bad dream I could not wake up from. The house that once echoed with laughter now felt cold. My dad cried more than I have ever seen a man cry. He barely spoke. Just sat in silence, staring at the door, as if hoping she would walk in. Everyone said, “Be strong. But how does a girl who just turned ten bury her mother in the same week? The funeral came. Family, neighbors, and friends were all in black. But nothing they said mattered. No one could bring her back. No one could give me that hug, that warmth, and that smile I lost.

Years passed, but the wound of losing my mother never truly healed. Just when I was learning to live with the silence, my dad dropped a new bomb, he was getting married again. Her name was Madison, a single mother of two daughters, Vivian and Ruthie. At first, I tried to welcome them. I thought maybe this could be a second chance at family. But I was wrong. 

A few  weeks after the wedding, Madison gave birth to a baby boy named Logan. My dad was overjoyed. After years of wishing for a son, he finally had one and in that joy, he forgot he already had a daughter. Madison changed. Sweet words turned bitter. Love became orders. I became invisible in my own father’s house, my once-loving home became a prison, I wasn’t a daughter anymore I was a maid. Daddy sent Logan to study abroad, Vivian, now working at “Silver Palm Hotel” as a manager, the biggest and best hotel in the city where only wealthy men and women can afford to stay, barked orders at me whenever she came home. Ruthie, still in college, treated me like I was nothing. And my dad? He looked the other way, blinded by Madison’s charm and the needs of his precious son, and  all I did was house chores. I was never asked how I felt, just told what to do. I was denied university, work still searching, my dreams of being a graduate were crushed, all I want is a job, even if it is a cleaner. Just something to escape this life. But my father never looked my way, all he cares is about his precious son and Madison his new wife. That is how my birthday became my worst nightmare.