My eyes fluttered open. I was breathing hard, my chest rising and falling too fast, sweat clinging to my forehead. I dozed off in the bathtub. After more than a decade of forcing myself to run from that traumatizing past, it found its way to crawl back into my head. I stood up, grabbed a towel, and dried myself off. I changed into my pajamas and prepared for bed, but sleep refused to come. No matter how tightly I shut my eyes, my mind would not rest. Hours passed as I lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. Eventually, I gave up. I got out of bed and went to the kitchen, drinking a glass of cold water, hoping it would calm the restlessness gnawing at my mind. *** My hands trembled as I lowered my mom down. Her face was drained of color, her lips tinged with purple, her body unnaturally still and cold. A scream tore out of my throat, tears spilling down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around her lifeless body, clutching her as if I could still keep her here. My emotions crashed in
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