Chapter 15: 1 day left!

The climate in the room rises as hours count down to a critical moment of our assignment. Moving around the ill-organized table covered in maps and papers, the team gathers, standing in the midst of the preparations. Jake is looking straight at me, and although it is only for a few seconds, I can discern a shyness that does not often show itself.

“How do you even manage it, Zea?” Jake’s voice is soft, his face intense. This is the question that was raised by the character: ’’Can I have fife being a mother and a killer at once?’’

I keep the mask of tolerance and resolve, and looking at him, I feel drained but decisively steady. “It’s give and take, really,” I say calmly. However, my voice has a tinge of sadness. There is a constant oscillation between duty and love; every decision is a burden, and every choice is a revolution that echoes throughout one’s life.

Jake nods again, they stare at each other for a moment as if to finally register what has been said. ‘This is the story o