Chapter 1

“Please sign here.” The doctor’s voice cut through Elena’s thoughts. From looking for the cause of her mothers death, Elena was also on her way to meet her in the grave

“Okay, Doctor” Elena stretched her hand from the hospital bed, mere hours away from her last breath. Diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, she lacked the means for surgery. Determined to make a difference, she opted to donate her functioning organs, a chance to grant life to others. Orphaned and self-reliant since fourteen, she had no one in the world and she knew what it felt like to lose someone dear.

Elena signed the document, consenting to share her unscathed vital organs, a final act of altruism amidst her impending fate. While at it with her broad smile, her heart still pounded heavily.

“You’re a hero, Elena,” the gray-haired doctor said, a warm smile despite the tears pooling in Elena’s eyes. Her dreams for the future crumbled into nothingness. All she wanted in life was to be a successful entrepreneur just like her Mom but that too was taken away from her like her parents were.

Resting on the bed, Elena reflected on her life as she awaited the surgery that would mark her last moments. Gazing out the window, tears traced the contours of her cheeks, illuminated by the sun’s fading rays. She had the only picture of her parents wrapped in her right hand.

Minutes later, Elena, prepared for surgery, was wheeled towards the operating room. Some of the parents and guardians of those she was giving out her organs to help stood outside, waving through tears as she passed, a hero in their eyes. Elena’s desire to help others had persisted since childhood, a noble trait that had cost her dearly, a lingering scar from losing her parents.

Elena lay on her back, encircled by a cluster of doctors, gripped by the fear of the unknown. Thoughts of the afterlife consumed her as she contemplated what awaited her beyond this world and memories of her childhood beamed on her repeatedly as she stared at the lights over her. The yearning to meet her late mother surged within her, holding onto one unanswered question that had haunted her for years.

As the sedation approached, anticipation mixed with an odd sense of relief as she envisioned reuniting with her mother, the one wish she’d always harbored.

Just as Elena teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, a nurse hurried into the room, whispering something urgently to the doctor. A sudden glow of joy radiated across the doctor’s face.

“I’ll be right back. Please, stay calm,” the doctor reassured Elena.

“Is everything alright?” Elena’s tension seeped into her words as her eyes widened.

“Not yet,” the doctor replied with a strained calmness, nodding and beaming a smile before darting out of the operating room.

Elena’s worry deepened as she glanced at the remaining nurses, their obliviousness adding to her apprehension.

Minutes later, the doctor hurried back into the room, evoking a furrowed brow of concern from Elena.

“What’s wrong, doctor?” Elena’s worry etched onto her face and various thoughts roamed her mind while her chest tightened and became heavier.

“Do you believe in God and miracles?” The doctor’s smile softened his words as he looked at Elena.

Elena narrowed her eyes, shaking her head dumbfoundedly. “No, I don’t believe in anything like that.” The loss of her parents had shattered her faith long ago.

“Then maybe you should, because a miracle just happened,” the doctor’s grin widened.

“What do you mean?” Elena’s confusion mingled with the lump forming in her throat, tears pooling in her eyes. Her chest felt both relieved and heavy with emotion and the bright and shallow ambiance of the lights added to her tension.

“You’re not dying anymore,” the doctor announced, his excitement changing the aura in the room. Their bond had transcended the typical doctor-patient relationship. He admired Elena’s audacity, her willingness to donate organs at such a young age.

“What are you saying?” Elena’s voice quivered, her hand trembling as the doctor clasped it. “How is that even possible? You already told me there’s no way I would make it without surgery? Or didn’t I hear you right?” She added with tears pooling in her eyes.

“Yes, you heard me right. You’ve been saved. Someone paid your entire medical bill for the surgery” the doctor shared, his joy mirrored by the nurses and doctors who held a deep affection for Elena.

Elena felt her eyelids grow heavy as the sedative coursed through her veins, its effects beginning to blur her senses.

“You… You’re joking, right?” Elena’s words slurred, her struggle to articulate intensifying as the sedative took hold.

“No, I’m not,” the doctor affirmed, shaking his head. “Actually, the person who paid your bill is right outside.”

Rushing to the room’s side, the doctor drew the curtains aside, hoping Elena could catch a glimpse. But the sedative overwhelmed her, plunging her into unconsciousness before she could see the benefactor. She fought against the drowsiness, desperate to catch a glimpse of the mysterious savior.

Hours later, Elena stirred, her eyes fluttering open with a groan. Numbness enveloped her, and a sharp pain throbbed at the base of her skull. Her eyes widened as she realized she was no longer in the hospital bed. Ignoring the ache in her chest, she struggled to rise, her hand instinctively reaching for her shirt. As she peeled it back, her fingers traced over stitches, a sudden wave of pain and weariness flooding her.

“Who’s there? What’s happening?” Elena’s voice trembled as she struggled to stand, the wooden bed creaking beneath her weight.

Moving toward the cell’s entrance, she grasped the iron rods, rattling them, but they remained steadfastly locked by a hefty padlock. Confusion clouded her thoughts, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. Her heart pounded against her chest, the rapid beats matching her escalating panic. She scanned her surroundings, half-expecting to wake up from a bewildering dream.