Chapter 1 :A Mother's Struggle

Emma's pov.

Emma is my name, and I revolve around my son, John. He is only eight years old but has been fighting heart disease for a year now. Doctors claim he needs treatment, yet treatment is worth a lot of cash which is far from me. I am a cleaner at a game development firm and make both ends meet with difficulty by using what Little I earn

Every penny I make goes towards John’s medical bills. There are days when I go to bed hungry, sacrificing myself to make sure John gets the care he deserves. I even tried working two jobs but it only left me exhausted and sick. I had to stop before it took a toll on my health.

I turned to my family for help but they couldn't provide enough to save John. My cousin Mia, whispered words of hope, telling me to seek help from John’s father – William Martinez, the billionaire heir. But William denied John’s existence, even though he was the one who got me pregnant during high school.

I didn't tell anyone the truth about John’s father to save my parents and myself from being threatened with death. When my parents found out I was pregnant, they kicked me out to preserve their reputation in the church. My dreams of education were shattered, replaced by the harsh reality of survival.

What hurts the most is that William never reached out to me, not even after he went to college. His silence fueled my resentment towards him, making me reluctant to heed Mia’s advice to seek his help for John’s sake. How could I go to someone who abandoned us without a second thought?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I got to work this morning. There was a buzz in the air and whispers spreading like wildfire – there had been a change in CEO. And to my utter shock, the new CEO was none other than William Martinez.

For over a year and a half, I had been working at this game development company unaware I was working under the Martinez name. This realization hit me like a ton of bricks and suddenly it felt like fate was nudging me to go to William.

But at the same time, seeing him filled me with a mix of emotions – anger, resentment, and maybe even a hint of longing. I tried my best to avoid him, to keep my distance and shield myself from the memories of our past.

However, fate had other plans for me. I was assigned to clean the new CEO's office that morning, and there was no escaping this inevitable encounter. As I entered the office, a sense of dread washed over me, knowing that William would soon walk through that door.

Luck seemed to be on my side, at least for a minute. William wasn't there when I began cleaning, giving me a fleeting sense of relief. But as I finished up and turned to leave, there he was – William Martinez, standing in the doorway, his presence looming over me like a dark cloud.

"Hey, good morning!" I managed to greet William, trying my best to sound polite and composed, even though I was feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside.

"Morning," William replied casually, his eyes lingering on me for a minute longer than necessary.

Just as I was about to walk away, hoping to create some distance between us, William's words stopped me in my tracks. "Your voice... it reminds mе of someone," he said, catching mе off guard.

I didn't dare turn back to face him and instead kept my еyеs fixed ahead. "Wow, that person must be special to you," I replied, carefully keeping my tone neutral, before hurrying out of the room. I left behind a trail of unresolved emotions and unanswered questions.

As the day went on, I made sure to keep my distance from William, avoiding any chance encounters that might bring up old wounds. But fate had a cruel sense of timing, and just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I received a call from the hospital.

Three days. That's all thе time they were giving mе to come up with thе money for John's medical bills, or else they wouldn't be able to provide thе treatment he so desperately needed. My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest at the thought of losing him.

Amid my panic, Mia's voice echoed in my mind, urging me to turn to William for help. With a determined nod, I made my way back to the company, my mind racing with possibilities.

When I approached Stephanie, the head of the cleaning department, I poured my heart out to her and explained my difficult situation. "Do you think there's any way you could help me?" I asked, hoping she would understand and offer some support. Stephanie's expression turned sympathetic as she listened.

"Well, I was thinking... maybe you could help mе talk to thе person in charge of salary disbursement. Perhaps they could advance mе five years' worth of salary?" I suggested, trying to grasp any possibility of a life.

Stephanie's laughter cut through the air like a sharp knife, snapping me back to reality. "Emma, as much as I feel for your situation, you know thе rules. You can only request such an advance if you've been with thе company for at least five years," she explained gently.

Deflated but not defeated, I persisted. "Is there any other way you could assist me?" I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice.

Stephanie shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Emma,". There is job that pays well, that I can help you get. just impress thе boss there, maybe you can present your case to him directly," she suggested.

I assented gladly. "I'm ready. What is thе job all about?" I questioned firmly in my determination.

"It's still a cleaning job, but this time it's inside William Martinez's mansion. That time, if you impress thе boss, maybe you can present your case to him directly,", Stephanie proposed, her words hanging in the air like a lifeline.

As I stood there, processing Stephanie's words about the job offer at William Martinez's mansion, a wave of apprehension washed over me. Every fiber of my being screamed no, but I forced a smile and promised to get back to her later that day.

As I came out of thе company building, thе weight of thе world seemed to bear down crushingly upon mе. Why was fate so insistent on pushing me back towards William, that same man who denied responsibility for John?

Lost in thought, I began the walk home, my mind swirling with conflicting emotions. Why did life have to be so complicated? Why did I have to keep facing the man who had abandoned us?

And then, in one instant, everything changed.

I did not see thе car coming as I crossed thе street Deep in thought, it happened in the screech of tires, thе sickening thud, and then darkness.