Chapter 1
Present Day
I was leaning against the doorframe at the back of the nightclub, watching the girls dance on stage.
My mother, a waitress there, hurried back and forth serving tables.
She’d lost a lot of weight. I knew something was wrong, but she wouldn’t tell me anything.
Depression had consumed her—she only stayed sober during work hours, then headed straight outside to smoke.
At just seventeen, I helped my mother with the bills, working at a coffee shop while studying business administration at college, thanks to a scholarship that covered most of the tuition.
Our life was simple but happy in a small apartment in the London suburbs.
I’d take Elena to school and head straight to class; my mother would pick her up later.
Until one day, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
An unknown number appeared on the screen, and for a moment, fear gripped me. But with some hesitation, I answered.
“Good afternoon, am I speaking with Chloe Brooks?”
A woman’s voice asked from the other end.
“Who is this?” I asked, already afraid of what it might be.
“I’m calling from the emergency department at St. Thomas General Hospital. Mrs. Scarlett Brooks was brought in, and your sister gave us your number as a contact.”
Those words knocked the ground out from under me.
I felt my body go cold, as if time had stopped.
Dread washed over me, and finally, I knew for certain my mother had been hiding something important.
I sank onto the nearest bench, trying to process what was happening.
My boss came running over, worried, took the phone from my hands, and started talking to the person on the other end.
“Your mother isn’t well, Chloe. Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
I needed to be strong for them, so I took a deep breath and held back the tears. At the hospital, I went straight to the reception desk and got permission to go in. Elena was sitting in a room with a nurse beside her, her worried expression telling me something was very wrong.
“Elena, what happened?”
“Mom and I left school, we were heading home, and suddenly she felt sick and asked to sit down. I was helping her when she fainted and just collapsed. I tried to catch her, sis, but I couldn’t.”
Elena started to cry. I crouched down in front of her, gave her a hug, and said:
“It wasn’t your fault, sweetie! You did what you could, and everything’s okay. I’m going to go check on Mom—just wait here for me, okay?”
“You can go, Chloe. I’ll stay with her.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Vera!”
I thanked my boss for offering to look after my sister, then followed the nurse to a room filled with the steady beeping of monitors. For a moment, I froze at the door—I couldn’t make myself go in—but I took a deep breath and stepped forward. A doctor stood inside with a clipboard, making notes.
He noticed me and walked over, gesturing to a chair.
“Please, have a seat. I’m Dr. Jullian Muller, surgeon and oncologist here at the hospital.”
“Oncologist?” The word caught me off guard. “What does my mother have, doctor?”
“I can see she didn’t tell you. Well... Chloe, your mother has advanced-stage liver cancer. [1] We’d been treating her for some time with oral chemotherapy medications. But since she continued drinking, unfortunately, none of our treatments had the effect we’d hoped for.”
“Wait, you’re saying my mother...” My voice broke, and I felt a tightness in my chest. “She can’t be sav—” The words wouldn’t come out, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Chloe. We’ll keep her here at the hospital for palliative care, to make sure she doesn’t feel any pain or discomfort. At this stage, family visits are allowed anytime—you can come whenever you want.”
“She’s not coming home again, is she...” I shook my head, desperation finally taking over. “She was fine—yesterday she worked all day. Just this morning, she woke up and made us breakfast... You must be mistaken, doctor. My mother isn’t going to die... she can’t leave us...”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this way. But I don’t want to give you false hope.”
I stood up and walked into that cold room, with its relentless beeping. My mother lay in a narrow bed, wires attached to her yellowed skin. I remembered always thinking it was strange she had that color, but not knowing any better, I’d assumed it was because she wasn’t eating right.
My body seemed to have a life of its own, and I could no longer control it.
I leaned against the white wall and slowly slid down until I was curled up in a fetal position.
I hugged my legs and let the tears flow freely.
The pain was overwhelming. It had always been just the three of us—my mother, my sister, and me—fighting together, supporting each other.
Now I felt like everything was falling apart.
It would be just Elena and me, a child who had already suffered so much... How would we deal with this?
I felt a hand stroking my hair. Someone leaned down and placed their hand over mine:
“You need to be strong now, Chloe. There’s a little girl who’s going to need you.”
“And what about me? Who’s going to support me? My mom was all I had…” I sniffle, still crying. “How am I supposed to go on without her?”
“I understand your despair and fear. I also know it won’t be easy. But your mother tried—that in itself was a big step. Unfortunately, now she needs to rest.”
I lift my head and look at the doctor standing before me, offering me strength and trying to help me understand how much my mother needed rest. Even though the pain was enormous, I needed to accept it.
As difficult as it would be, I would have to be strong.
I wipe away the tears and stand up. I look again at my mother, who remains motionless. I take her thin hand and say:
“Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner. I promise I’ll take good care of Elena.
I’ll give her all the love and care she needs.
” My voice trembles as tears flood my eyes again.
I blink, trying to chase them away, but they refuse to cooperate, streaming down my face.
All I can promise in that moment is that I’ll try to be strong, just like she always was, and take care of little Ele, just as she always took care of us.