Chapter 007:

Alicia's POV.

It felt as though my world was unraveling, the agony almost unbearable. My mother, the one person who had always been there for me, was gone… she was dead.

My whole world collapsed.

In the next few minutes, I couldn’t understand what was happening around me. I refused to accept the truth, the horrible truth.

The doctor and the nurses left me, and the door to the emergency unit creaked open.

My heart dropped as I turned toward the door, only to be met with the harrowing sight of my mother’s body being wheeled out on a stretcher.

She was covered from head to toe with a stark white sheet, a cruel act indicating her death.

My eyes widened in deep pain, the tears momentarily freezing in my eyes as the gravity of the scene hit me with a jarring force.

Slowly, I forced myself to stand, my legs shaking uncontrollably beneath me, each step toward the stretcher feeling like an eternity.

The stretcher halted in front of me. I moved closer, my heart pounding with an intense, almost unbearable pain.

I reached for the white sheet, driven by a desperate need to see my mother one last time.

My gaze was locked on the stretcher as I slowly, tremblingly, lifted the sheet.

Her hair, once so familiar and comforting from my childhood; hair I had lovingly brushed while singing to her, was the first thing I saw. Her eyes were closed, her face serene and still.

Tears began to flow freely down my cheeks as I revealed her beautiful face, now peaceful yet irrevocably lifeless.

My hands trembled as I reached for her cheeks. Her every word replayed in my mind as I stared at her lifeless body. My mother was really gone.

Gently cupping her cheeks, I leaned in close and whispered desperately, “Wake up, Mom. I know you’re just pretending. This is one of your tricks, right? Please, wake up!”

My voice was a soft, pleading murmur as I shook her lightly on the stretcher, clinging to a fragile hope that she would respond.

My eyes darted to her hand, which lay motionless, not a single finger twitching. The cruel stillness drove my desperation to a new level.

“You can't leave me...” My voice cracked and rose in frantic cries.

I felt as though the world had come crashing down around me. My cries were relentless, each sob reaching my shattered heart.

In the midst of my despair, a sudden voice cut through the haze of my grief.

“Alicia?”

I froze, my body momentarily paralyzed by shock. For a few agonizing seconds, I stared, and then, a bitter, pained laugh escaped me, but it was short-lived.

The laugh quickly faded into a scowl as reality crashed in; Andrew was standing there before me, intruding on my darkest moment.

“Alicia, I…” he began, his voice hesitant, but I didn’t want to hear it. My anger erupted uncontrollably.

I stormed toward him, driven by a raw, searing pain, and slapped him hard across the face.

His eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively raised a hand to his reddened cheek. The surprise in his gaze only fueled my fury.

“You don't deserve to be here now.”

My voice trembled with the intensity of my emotions. I glared at him, each word laced with the pain that his late presence had only increased.

Why didn’t he show up when I needed him the most? He was always so late, coming home late when I was pregnant, late when I gave birth, and late when I feared for my mother’s death.

"I called you a thousand times, why are you late again?" My heart had begun to hate him, and years of pain and torture were vented at this moment.

"I was in an important meeting and my phone was turned off." His explanation was so pale and ridiculous.

"Don’t be so ridiculous, Andrew." I ignored him directly and followed the medical staff to send my mother to the morgue. Andrew didn’t follow me, and I didn’t care about him anymore.

After arranging my mother, I sat on the ground, exhausted, and digested my pain alone.

I didn’t know how long it had been when I looked up and saw Andrew standing in front of me. His expression looked surprisingly gentle. He squatted down and wanted to hug me. "You still have me."

I avoided his arm and stood up to leave. He chased after me. "Alicia, wait. Where are you going?"

“Home.”

“I will drive you back. You are not suitable to drive a car right now.”

He didn’t even know I nearly lost my life on the road earlier.

“No need. I can handle everything by myself.” For so many years, I have been helping myself alone.

“Please let me drive you. You can’t put your life in danger.” He walked fast and stopped my way. “For Elisa.”

His expression looked serious, as if he really cared about my safety.

But the belated concern was worthless, and I didn't need him anymore.

"Andrew, let's make things clear. I will return to a home without you. And my daughter doesn't need a father like you."

"What do you mean?" His words seemed a little unstable.

“I want a divorce.”

He was stunned, his outstretched hand to grab my wrist hanging in the air. I wished I were joking, but I wasn’t.

Andrew and I were done now.