Chapter One
Aurora's POV
‘Ring. ring. ring.’
I woke up to the loud, insistent buzzing of my phone. My eyes were still clouded with sleep as I reached for it on the bedside table.
“Who could be….”
My eyes snapped open as I saw the recipient on the caller ID, my feet immediately ran cold and my temperature spiked.
“Hello…”
A chill snaked down my spine. It was my son’s nurse. There was only one reason why she would ever call at 2 a.m.
Something was wrong with Nico.
“Hello?” I answered, my voice and hands trembling. It was obvious something terrible had happened. I could only pray it wasn’t as bad as it felt.
“Hello, Miss Daniel?" The nurse's controlled, sympathetic voice grated against my nerves. "I'm sorry to reach out this late, but you asked me to contact you as soon as anything happened." She paused briefly before continuing, her tone tight with concern. "You need to come to the hospital."
I felt my heart drop to my stomach.
“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Nico?” i could barely get the words out.
The silence on the other end felt like an eternity. My worst fears were confirmed when she didnt reply right awy.
“You know what? I’m on my way.” I stood up from my bed, hanging up the call before heading towards the front door, not even bothered by the fact that I was in my pajamas. I grabbed my car keys, stopping at the door.
“Please...”
I drove to the hospital as fast as my old car could allow. My hands trembling on the cold steering wheel, my vision blurry with tears, and the sickening feeling of bile piling up. It was a miracle I was still sane enough to organize my thoughts and actually drive. pushed through the rotating door at the entrance, only to be stopped in my tracks by the sound of a doctor announcing the time of death for an emergency patient who had just passed in front of me.
“Nicholas Daniels, age five. Time of death: 3.a.m., September 2025”
“No!” I screamed before I could stop myself. But then I looked around, and it hit me—Nico wasn't even there. I was hallucinating.
I was on the verge of tears but I had to hold it together. The elevator ride went on for ions, and every minute was literal torture. The walk to his room was even worse, the corridors seemed to stretch forever, and the dim fluorescent lights casted a bright eerie glow on the walls. Nurses and doctors ran past me, their faces blurring as they passed by.
An organized chaos, leaving me feeling helpless in the midst of it all.
Ward 21, I had finally arrived and as I pushed aside the door to his room, my heart sank.
Different wires were placed on his body and as the robotic machines beeped around him, my heart shattered into a billion pieces. He was too young to go through all this pain.
I walked up to him slowly, afraid, and when I finally got to him, I gingerly took his tiny hands. They were warm and offered me all the comfort I needed.
“Nico...” I whispered, my voice breaking.
I was met with silence and the tears I'd been holding back finally fell.
Placing my head on his chest, I felt the rise and fall of his chest, albeit slowly.I clutched his clothes like they were my oxygen. I couldn't afford to lose him.
I jumped at the sound of the door sliding open, the doctor walked in with the nurse right behind him.
Wiping my tears, I stood up to greet them immediately.
“Hello ma’am. We are sorry we had to call you this late.” He courted an expression of sincere sympathy. That look scared me.
“Nico had a serious episode earlier today. He had an infection that almost led to sepsis but thankfully we were able to get his condition under control and he is being monitored closely. However, we need to discuss the urgency of the bone marrow transplant. We understand that this is a costly procedure but it’s the best course of treatment.” The doctor’s voice remained flat.
He paused before continuing, his eyes full of professional concern. “I know we’ve been waiting to see the result of the chemotherapy, but the cancer is progressing faster than we can control.” He added.
“I can donate, can’t I?” I quickly spoke, panic becoming predominant in my life.
“It’s not impossible but we'll need to run some tests to see if you guys are a match. Even if you are, there are still complications and risks involved,considering your age. You need to be prepared for anything.” he paused. “You need to know your donation has nothing to do with the cost of the procedure.”
I nodded, understanding what he meant immediately. Money.
“When can we take the tests? Can we take them today?” He nodded in reply.
“Nurse Laura will get you started on the testing process. If you’ll excuse me, I have to attend to other patients.” He offered a soft smile and politely left the room.
“What do I need to do?” I asked as I turned to face the nurse
“You’ll have to make payment at the front desk and I’ll take you to the lab.”
I nodded continually.
She paused for a second before grabbing my hand. “Everything will be fine. Nico is a strong boy and I’m sure he will fight this. He will get through this.”
Tears had gathered at the rim of my eyes as I heard her words.
I was led to the front desk to make the payment—three tests that cost nearly $5,500. I could barely process the numbers, but I handed over the money anyway.
Once the payment was made, she took me to the lab, where I was finally called in for testing after what felt like an eternity of waiting.
"When will the results be ready?" I asked the lab attendant, my voice quiet.
"By Monday. You’ll get a call with the results," he replied, his face impassive as he sealed the test tubes.
I whispered a quiet thank you—so soft, I wasn’t sure he even heard it.
I walked back to Nico’s room, standing outside for a moment, staring through the glass. I couldn’t bring myself to go in. I wasn’t ready to face him again—not like this.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
The days that followed blurred into one another, nothing went according to plan.
I was late for work today because my car broke down. Yesterday, the fridge’s circuit fried and most of the food in it spoiled. Things seemed to keep falling apart.
Work wasn’t much better.
I’d been with Marad Airlines for a year and a half as an attending air hostess. The job was time-consuming, often leaving me with little energy to visit Nico, but it paid the bills—and that’s all I really needed.
Despite my years of service, I was still stuck at an entry-level salary. I’d asked for a raise countless times, but my supervisor, Mr. Marcus, had either ignored my requests or just... refused to respond.
I was done waiting.
I marched into his office, determined to get answers. After knocking, I pushed the door open.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Marcus,” I greeted, trying to keep my voice steady despite my anger.
“How may I help you? What is your name again?” He looked up dismissively, before leering at my boobs.
“I’m here to discuss my salary increase with you, sir. I’ve been sending you official emails for months but you’ve not made changes or replied to me, sir.” I gritted out of my teeth before adding, “And my name is Aurora Daniel.”
“And what is wrong with your salary, Ms. Aurora?” He looked up at me before putting his hands under his chin.
"My salary has been at the entry level for six months, despite passing the company’s assessment test with perfect scores." I explained, though I knew he was already aware. "And yet, my colleagues—some of whom started after me—have all had their salaries upgraded."
Marad’s company policy is to have an assessment test every year. If passed, it comes with a promotion and salary increase. I participated and had the best score but my salary remained the same.
“Ms. Aurora, I already told you nothing is wrong with your salary but I can help you if you want my help.” He said, standing up and slowly walking towards me.
“I don’t need your help, sir. You just need to let HR know that I have not gotten my salary upgrade. I will leave now thank you for your time”
As I turned to leave, he grabbed my arm, his grip firm. A feeling of dread crawled up my skin. Before I could react, he leaned in and tried to kiss me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I screamed in his face.
“Stop acting like you don’t want this, you stupid bitch. Isn’t that why you’ve been blowing up my email, to get me to notice you.” He said with such surety that I almost believed his bullshit.
“No, I don’t want this. Let me go.” I tried to snatch my arm away but his grip was too strong.
Before he could continue his assault, a knock on the door made him release my arm like the skin burned him. I practically ran out of the office, not stopping until I reached the restroom.
I slumped against the wall and cried.
“What is wrong with my life?”