Sara awoke the next morning to the persistent vibration of her phone on the small table beside her bed.
She opened her eyes wearily, but the moment her gaze fell upon the screen, her breathing quickened.
So many messages… all from her mother.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the first one:
"Your father is very ill… his condition has worsened… we have taken him to the public hospital… the doctors say he needs to remain under observation …"
It felt as though the ground had been pulled out from beneath her feet.
Without thinking, she pressed the call button.
The phone rang… once… twice…
Then her mother's voice came through—weak, broken, as though it carried the weight of the entire world.
— "Sara…"
The words caught in her throat as her heart pounded wildly.
— "What happened to my father? How is he now?"
The reply came hesitant and fragmented… as if every word was being painfully dragged out:
— "He… he is fine… don't worry… the doctors just want to monitor him…"
But her tone was far from reassuring.
She was hiding something… something far greater than a simple illness.
Sara tried to ask more, to understand… but her mother kept repeating the same words, as though avoiding the truth.
— "Focus on your studies, my daughter… we are here… the villagers are helping us… everything will be fine…"
The call ended…
But the worry did not.
Sara remained seated, staring into the void.
Everything around her was beginning to collapse.
She had left Lina's house and rented a small room with a few other students, trying to start over…
But life had given her no time.
A suffocating financial crisis…
Endless expenses…
And a scholarship was barely enough to cover the simplest needs.
She buried her face in her hands, feeling silent tears slip down her cheeks…
She did not cry out… She simply broke in a painful silence.
Loneliness… poverty… fear…
All had descended upon her at once.
She slowly raised her hands and whispered a quiet prayer, clinging to any hope that might save her from this overwhelming despair.
And as she sank deeper into her weakness… sleep overtook her.
When she awoke, something felt different.
A strange calm…
As though something within her had changed.
A voice… faint… indistinct… yet undeniably present.
"Rise… life shows no mercy to the weak …"
Her eyes snapped open, as if she had been forcefully pulled back into reality.
She looked around… no one was there.
Yet the feeling lingered.
She stood up slowly and took a deep breath.
She would not surrender.
She remembered the job application she had sent days ago to a café…
A reply had come: an interview.
She put on her simple clothes and left.
Every step felt heavy… yet it was still a step forward.
She arrived at the café, her heart beating rapidly.
She entered… sat down… waited…
Minutes passed like hours.
Then the answer came.
She was accepted.
She froze for a moment, unable to believe it…
Then she smiled—a small smile… but a genuine one.
The working hours were suitable…
And the pay—though modest—was enough to give her a sense of stability.
For the first time in days… she felt a glimmer of hope.
She stepped out of the café, and the first thing she did was call her mother.
— "Mom… I got a job!"
Her voice was full of life this time.
"My first salary… I'll send it to you so you can buy the medicine and everything Father needs."
Her mother cried… but this time, her tears were different.
Her prayers filled Sara's heart with warmth… and strength.
She ended the call and headed toward the university with lighter steps and a brighter heart.
But that feeling did not last long.
Inside the campus, she met her classmates.
She hesitated for a moment… should she tell them about her new job?
Before she could speak, Lina interrupted her enthusiastically:
— "Tomorrow is our friend's birthday! A big party… in a luxurious hall!"
Sara froze.
A party?
At a time like this?
When she could barely manage her expenses?
— "You must wear your best outfit… the people attending are very important!"
Sara fell silent…
She did not know what to say.
But Lina smiled and added:
— "Don't worry… I'll come pick you up."
Sara looked at her, hesitation clear in her eyes…
Then she slowly nodded.
A reluctant agreement… one that brought her no comfort.
Deep inside… something was stirring.
An unexplainable fear…
A heavy feeling… as though she stood on the edge of something unknown.
Who were these people?
And why did she feel that this party was more than just a party?
She stood still for a moment, staring into nothingness…
Her heart whispers questions with no answers:
What if her father's illness was not merely a passing condition… But is this the beginning of something far more dangerous?
What awaited her at that party?
Would it be an ordinary night… or the beginning of something she could never escape?
Then came the question that made her heart tremble:
What if everything that happened was not a coincidence?
If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to add it to your library