Chapter 1

Lila's POV

En route back to the house after work, I took sluggish steps as I walked across the street. 

I watched as cars sped by like there's no tomorrow, the wind swirling unpredictably. The few people left on the street ran to seek shelter as the first drops of rain began to fall.

It was like I was seeing all of that without really seeing, because I was only staring into space. 

I was too broken to be affected by the activities going on around me. 

Even as the rain crescendoed, pouring down in torrents, I didn't stop. I kept moving with a melancholic gait. I would have worried if I currently had a phone on me, but my quirky phone won't come on for days, so I saw no need to take it along with me to work this morning. 

As though the rain carried the power to wash all my sorrows away, I let myself get drenched by the downpour, each raindrop on my skin a painful reminder of the harsh words my boss hurled at me today. 

“You're always absent minded at work,” Greg roared, his eyes blazing red. “I'm not responsible for the miserable life you live, remember?”

I don't know how I managed to fight back my tears in his presence, just like I'm doing right now.

I tried to get the words he said to me off my mind, but the more I tried, the more they stubbornly popped up in my head, reminding me that I can't win this mental battle for now.

“This is not some charity organisation,” he thundered at me. "This is my business! so if you know you have too many problems to deal with, just quit before I help you.”

Greg didn't lie. The realisation that all that he said was true hurts me so bad. As much as I try to put away anything unrelated to work while I'm at work, sometimes I just can't help but wonder how I would raise the huge amount my mum needs for her leg surgery. 

She's going through too much pain and it hurts me so bad that I can only do little to help her.

I thought Greg's words would end there when I apologised and turned to leave but his voice stopped me in my tracks again. 

“Any more shortcomings from you, trust me, I won't hesitate to let you go, you lowlife!”

Remembering those last words he said to me before I left, I couldn't fight back my tears anymore at this point. 

I thought I've always been strong. I thought I've been doing well at smouldering my emotions throughout my back and forths, but not this time. 

Right now, I'm not that strong girl that I used to appear to be. I finally broke into tears, and it felt as though what held them bound was cast away as tears cascaded down my face, embracing the raindrops on my face like long-lost lovers while I continued walking home.

I didn't realise that I had been so lost in my own moment, oblivious of what was happening around me until I heard the loud screech of car tires behind me which jolted from my reverie.

I froze instantly when I turned back to see a man alight from the car, storming angrily towards me before stopping right in front of me. 

Every word from his outburst danced into one of my ears like an awful rhythm and escaped from the other just as it entered. My head couldn't register all that he said to me in a fit of rage. My mind was busy registering the extent of danger that would have befallen me if the man hadn't hit the brakes on time and swerved to avoid running me over.

It took another slam of the car door, accompanied by the ignition of the car to finally jolt me out of my shock before the man could gain my attention. 

“You had better watch where you're going next time,” he yelled at me before driving away. 

Damn! I can't believe I could have lost my life just some moments ago. If anything happened to me, who would take care of my sick mother, the only one I have right now?

I ignored the ugly incident and the cold that the rain which had just stopped left on me. I tried to stay strong again as I quickened my steps in anticipation to see my mother.

After a little more walk, I finally emerged from the last turn that leads to our home. Our doorway came into view from a distance and I started to beeline towards it.

My gaze settled on our window and I noticed the dim light showing from the cotton. This is how it used to be, but I wonder why I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something is still amiss. 

As I kept walking, a particular scent wafted through my nose. If I had that patience, I would have tried to figure out what it was, but I was so eager to see my mum so I kept moving. 

It baffled me that as I moved closer, the smell got stronger. Now, I've figured out that someone's food must be burning. 

At first, I waved it off, assuming that the person must have figured that out and the smell just hadn't dissipated completely.

But it unsettled me more that as I kept walking, I could only trace the smell to nowhere else but our apartment in particular. As if to confirm my ugly speculation, I started to see smoke exuding from our door and windows as I got nearer. 

My heart skipped a beat, and I blinked my eyes twice to be sure I'm not overthinking or imagining anything, only to see that what I'm seeing is far from imagination.

The cold I felt as a lasting effect of the rain suddenly vanished into thin air as panic and anxiety seized me in turns, each one seeking to gain supremacy over the other. 

My heart began to pound in my chest.

Urgency from no where instantly fueled my legs as I raced and closed the remaining distance between me and the door in what seemed like a split second. 

“Mother?” I called out from outside as I fumbled tremulously with the door knob, my heart still pounding so loud in my chest. 

The moment I pushed the door open, my heart felt like it would explode. I couldn't believe the sight before me.