Beyond Love

CHAPTER ONE

While the city streets were bursting with activity, I was left standing still, as if I were caught in an ocean of hopelessness and were suffocating in the harsh currents of existence. My fingers shook as they brushed against the crumpled job applications inside the old bag, and I gripped it even more tightly. My responsibilities appeared to weigh too heavily, crushing my hopes under their relentless strain.The interviewer's voice reverberated, "I'm sorry, Miss Anderson, but the position has been filled,"Each word conveying an echo of sadness. I had gotten used to hearing stories about doors shutting one after another. My goals of becoming a well-known doctor were vanishing into the night, sliding through my fingers like sand.I kept walking through the packed streets while a jumble of emotions swirled inside of me. Not only were my goals at stake, but also the welfare of my family. We were trapped in the devastating eye of my brother's deteriorating health, which had turned into