The soft hum of cold breeze filtered through the sheer curtains, the early sunlight casting golden strips across the room. Esther stirred beneath the covers as her phone vibrated gently against the nightstand.
Groggy but alert, she blinked twice and reached for it.
Incoming Call from her sister Zianab
Esther sat up immediately. Her heart always skipped a little when it came to calls from the U.S. She answered.
"Zee?" Her voice was still wrapped in sleep.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Zianab's familiar, calm voice came through, bright despite the time difference. "Did I wake you?"
"No, no… well, yeah, but I don't mind. What's going on? Is everything okay with Ma?" Esther rubbed her eyes, already alert.
There was a pause, brief but enough to make her stomach clench.
Then Zianab said, with a warm exhale, "The doctor just gave us the best news. Esther, they've scheduled Ma's surgery. In three months' time."
Esther's mouth parted slightly, her heart pounding in relief. "Wait, are you serious? They… they said she's strong enough?"
"They did," Zianab confirmed, her voice trembling with joy. "The chemo's shrinking the tumor faster than expected. The oncologist is optimistic. If all goes well with the surgery, we might be back home in six months."
Esther dropped her head, covering her mouth to muffle a tiny sob of relief.
"Thank God… Zianab, I've been praying so hard. I didn't know how much more I could take," she whispered.
"I know, Ezzie. Me too. We're not there yet, but we're on the road."
They stayed quiet for a second, both soaking in the news.
Then Zianab's voice lowered.
"Have you heard from Sarah?"
Esther sighed, leaning back against the headboard. "Not once since Ma started the last round of treatment. No calls. No texts. Not even a check-in."
"She hasn't even picked up my calls," Zianab said, tension creeping into her voice. "I don't want to judge her, but… Ma keeps asking about her. Keeps hoping she'll call."
Esther bit her lip. "She's been acting off since I started working here. Distant. Snappy. And now with everything going on.."
"Do you think she's hiding something?" Zianab asked softly.
Esther hesitated. "Honestly? I don't know. But the Sarah I grew up with wouldn't just go silent when Ma is fighting for her life."
There was a pause, heavy with unspoken worry.
"We'll talk when I get back. For now, let's focus on the good news. I'll update you once we get confirmation on the surgery date," Zianab said, pulling the tone back to calm.
"Okay. Thanks for calling, sis. And give Ma a kiss for me. Tell her I love her."
"I will. She misses you."
"I miss her too."
As the call ended, Esther sat quietly for a while, her phone resting against her chest.
A smile formed on her lips, hopeful, fragile, but real.
As soon as the call ended, Esther gently placed her phone down and quietly slipped out of her room. Her heart tugged her toward Betty's. After everything that happened the previous night, she needed to make sure the little girl was okay.
She softly knocked on the door before peeking in.
"Sunflower?" she called gently.
Betty sat curled up on her bed, cocooned in her blanket like a fortress. Only the top of her dark curls peeked out. The room was dim, the curtains still drawn, holding in the silence like a breath no one wanted to release.
"Good morning," Esther said, stepping closer. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Betty's forehead. But the child turned away, giving her back.
"Have I done something wrong?" Esther asked, her voice quiet but tinged with concern. She walked around the bed to face her, but again, Betty rolled over, silent, withdrawn.
"You know you can always tell me if I've upset you… I'll fix it, I promise," Esther continued, her voice now laced with emotion. "I've even planned a morning walk and a cookout, like you always wanted."
Still nothing. Not a word. Not a glance. Just a tiny body hidden under covers, shrinking further at every word spoken.
"Sunflower, please talk to me. You're starting to scare me," Esther whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand resting lightly on the blanket. "Did I do something? Anything at all, please just tell me…"
Seconds passed. Long, heavy seconds. Every silent moment cut deeper into Esther's heart.
Then her voice cracked, the fear finally slipping through.
"Don't you want me anymore?"
There was a rustle. Betty shifted.
Her tiny hand slipped out from beneath the blanket and reached for her speech tablet. A soft mechanical voice filled the room as words formed on the screen:
"It's not you. I'm the problem.
I don't want you to get hurt by staying with me."
Esther's breath hitched.
"Sunflower…" she whispered, pulling the child close. Betty resisted at first, then collapsed into her arms. Esther held her like something precious and breakable.
"You're not a jinx. Don't ever let her words stick to you," she murmured fiercely. "You're not poison. You're just a little girl who's been through too much."
Another message appeared on the screen, shaking in Betty's hands.
"But she was right… I killed my mother."
The tablet fell silent. But the room didn't. Betty's quiet sobs filled the space, raw and unguarded. Tears streamed freely down her face. Esther had never seen her cry before. Not like this.
"No," Esther choked out, holding her tighter. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that. It wasn't your fault. You were just a child. You never meant for any of it to happen."
"If I hadn't distracted her with my whining…"
"If I hadn't kept calling her name…"
Esther looked at the screen, her own tears matching Betty's.
She reached for her again, brushing wet hair from the girl's face, and held her cheeks with both hands.
"Listen to me, your voice didn't kill her. The accident did. And you don't have to carry that guilt anymore. It's too heavy, Betty. It's not yours."
Betty looked at her, eyes swollen and trembling.
"I'm scared of losing you. But I don't want to hurt you…"
Esther pulled her back into a fierce embrace.
"You won't. You'll never lose me, and you'll never hurt me," she whispered into her hair. "I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."
Her eyes burned with resolve.
"And I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Not even her."
Just beyond the doorway, in the narrow shadow between light and dark, Daniel stood frozen.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
He'd only come up to check on his daughter, to see how she was holding up after the previous night. But the moment he heard Esther's voice, gentle, pleading, and pained, he'd stopped, unable to interrupt.
What he witnessed next would stay with him forever.
Esther's arms wrapped protectively around Betty, her words so full of compassion, so fierce in defense of his daughter. She didn't flinch at Betty's breakdown. She didn't recoil from the guilt. Instead, she held her closer.
As if she were her own.
Daniel's fingers tightened slightly at his side.
He had seen therapists and doctors come and go. Teachers, caretakers, even family. They tried, they all did. But no one had ever gotten through to Betty like this. No one had ever made her cry, not because she was hurt, but because she finally felt safe enough to let the pain out.
And Esther didn't run from it.
He watched as his daughter trembled in Esther's embrace, her small body soaked in guilt and fear, fear of losing again, fear of being the cause of it. And he watched as Esther whispered to her over and over: "You won't lose me… you won't hurt me… I'm here."
Daniel's throat tightened. He leaned against the wall beside the doorframe, eyes low.
This wasn't a nanny or a hired assistant.
This was a woman who had stepped into their broken home and filled the empty spaces with warmth.
For a moment, he saw a flash of his late wife, Marian, the way she used to comfort Betty when she had nightmares, the way her voice would drop when she said, "We're okay now, it's just us." Esther had the same softness. The same quiet strength.
He wiped a hand across his jaw, pushing down the emotion swelling inside him.
A few more seconds passed, and he finally stepped away before he was seen.
He would give them this moment.
But one thing was clear:
Esther wasn't just healing his daughter.
She was healing something in him too.
It was 9:00 a.m, the LewisTech towering thirty-story building buzzed like a hive, floors bustling with calls, meetings, and strategic deadlines. But on the tenth floor, things moved at a slower, more calculated pace, HR business, where decisions were made not just with resumes, but with instincts.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, and Sarah stepped out with the same elegance and confidence that made her a force in the upper circles. Today, however, she wasn't here for her usual executive duties. Today was different.
Today, she came to make a deal for the devil she knew would likely kill her. But, hee mind was set on protecting her lies.
She had rather have Harriet around than loose everything built.
Her eyes scanned the department, finally locking onto John, one of the junior HR officers with just enough ambition to be useful, and just enough weakness to be manipulated.
"Miss Williams," he greeted with a surprised smile, adjusting the cuff of his sleek grey suit. "Didn't expect to see you down here."
Sarah smiled, flirtation laced beneath her words. "Just checking in. Thought I'd see how things are going with the hiring round."
John chuckled nervously, already hooked by her magnetic charm. "Oh, well, we're… uh, still sorting through the final list. Few good candidates actually."
Before Sarah could press further, a sharp voice interrupted.
"Williams. What brings you to our humble domain?"
Hawa, the head of HR, emerged from her office, arms folded, her presence commanding. Her eyes flicked to John, who instinctively straightened his posture like a student caught cheating.
"She's here to check in on us," John replied quickly.
Hawa's glare cut him down instantly. Her silence asked: Did I ask you to speak?
Sarah stepped in with a saccharine smile. "Just making sure everything's on track. You know, easing Mr. Lewis's mind and all. I heard you were close to a decision."
Hawa didn't blink. "We are. And rest assured, Mr. Lewis trusts our judgment."
"I meant no overstep. I just, out of curiosity, wanted to know if you've considered Harriet. I believe she was good yesterday ?" Sarah kept her tone casual, but her eyes told another story.
Hawa raised a brow. "Harriet? She was one of the weakest candidates we interviewed. no credentials. No refine character . Why the sudden interest?"
"True, but I did a little digging," Sarah replied smoothly. "Her socials show potential. She's got drive, creativity. Sometimes, that's more valuable than a fancy résumé."
Hawa's voice dropped an octave, firmer now. "This isn't your department , Williams. This is HR. And I would strongly advise you to stay in your lane."
With that, Hawa turned and disappeared into her office, heels clicking in final punctuation.
Sarah stood still for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. Hawa was going to be a problem. She had to find another way in, or Harriet would marched in that building and drag her to mud.
Then, like a whisper from the shadows, John leaned close.
"You know… I could help you."
Sarah turned her gaze to him slowly, knowing too well that nothing came free.
"And what would that cost me?"
He smirked. "Nothing much. Just meet me up here later. Say… after hours?"
He slipped a sleek business card into her palm and walked away.
No words needed.
She looked down at the card in her hand, her jaw set in quiet resolve. She'd rather feed a snake than lose control, but she wasn't naïve. Every deal came with a price.
And this one?
She'd make sure she never paid it in full.