The rain had not stopped for three days.
Lina Hart lay quietly in the narrow nursing home bed, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the window. Her hands rested on the thin faded blanket as the familiar smell of disinfectant and old flowers filled the room. At sixty-one years old, she felt every single year of her life weighing heavily on her.
Thirty-eight years of marriage to Lucien Cole, the most powerful man in the city, and it had all come to this. A cold room, a face-down photograph on the bedside table, and no one who cared enough to visit.
She still remembered the will reading three months ago.
Lucien had passed away quietly in his sleep. His lawyers had handled everything swiftly. Aaron, the son from his previous relationship, received the entire Cole Group, all the properties, and every asset. To Lina, Lucien had left only nine cold words.
"Thank you for your care of Aaron all these years. You always understood."
Nine words after thirty-eight years.
During the reading, Ivy had stood beside Aaron in a dark red dress, her eyes cold as she looked at her mother. Lina had not seen her daughter in three years. When Ivy finally spoke, her voice was calm but each word cut deep.
"You must be pleased, Mother. You spent your whole life loving someone else's son. Now it is official."
Ivy continued without raising her voice.
"When I was eight and begged you to attend my school recital, you said Aaron had a fever. When I asked why Father never hugged me, you told me to be more understanding. When he slapped me at fourteen, you said I was being too sensitive. You sacrificed your own daughter just to chase a man who never chose you. Look where that got you."
After saying those words, Ivy picked up her bag and left without looking back. That was the last time Lina ever saw her.
Now, in the quiet nursing home room, Lina picked up her phone with a thin, trembling hand. The screen showed no new messages and no missed calls. She scrolled to Ivy's number and pressed call.
It rang twice before going to voicemail.
Lina closed her eyes and said nothing. Outside, lightning flashed across the sky as an old song began playing on the small radio beside her bed. It was one from the early days of her marriage.
"You said forever, and forever slipped away..."
A weak laugh escaped her lips. It sounded small and broken.
"Forever was never meant for me," she whispered to the empty room.
A sharp pain suddenly tore through her chest. Lina closed her eyes as the rain grew louder against the glass.
If I had another chance, I would do everything differently. I would choose her first. I would always choose her first.
Then everything went black.