When the Last Rejection Turned Into a Plea

Rocco Falcone, who is the Falcone family's Don and my so-called husband, hangs up on me for what feels like the 99th time. Having been diagnosed with leukemia, I haul my ravaged body into the family lawyer's office. "I'm here to file for a divorce," I said. … When Rocco hears about it, he barges in with my family ten minutes later. The moment he enters, he slaps me. "Did you use the emergency line just to ruin Sofia's big night? Are you out of your mind?" Lily Marone, my mom, snatches the diagnosis right out of my hand and skims through it. She chuckles dismissively. "Did you fake being sick just to get attention? How many lies have you told since you were a kid, Claire?" Sofia Moretti holds Rocco's arm with tears in her eyes. "Forgive me, Claire. I shouldn't have taken the position. Please stop hurting yourself and Rocco." I wipe the blood from my mouth and turn back to the lawyer. "I have no family left. Please hurry with the divorce paperwork. I need it settled before my cremation in three days." Chapter 1 It was the last time I ever set foot in the Falcone family's law firm. I could feel the cold marble grinding under my feet, and every step sent a shooting pain through my body. My leukemia was so far gone that I could barely walk, and even breathing was a struggle. "I would like to file for a divorce from Don Falcone." The lawyer in his fancy suit looked me over with pity in his eyes. "Did you come alone? That isn't how things are usually done—" It was probably how sickly and thin I appeared that made him speak so gently. After all those years of marriage, Rocco Falcone never even gave me a proper wedding to make it official. He rarely brought me along to important family events. That was why most people in the Falcone family had no clue I was married to the Don. I calmly cut him off. "It doesn't matter. I'm already dying. I don't need them." The words were barely out of my mouth when the door slammed open. Rocco yelled, "What the hell are you doing, Claire?" I turned and found his eyes blazing with anger. Sofia Moretti—my younger sister—came in right after him, her signature phony grin perfectly in place. He stormed up to me. "You just had to make a scene today, didn't you? Sofia just landed a key financial role, and the entire family was celebrating with her. Why did you have to stir things up now?" He hit me without warning. I stumbled back from the impact, my cheek instantly swelling and burning. A few seconds passed before I realized that tonight was actually Sofia's celebration dinner. Rocco had even postponed his Cartham trip for territory issues to be there for her. Meanwhile, I was here with terminal leukemia, using our emergency code to call for help. But even though I was his wife, he treated it like I was abusing the protocol. My vision blurred with tears, but I fought to hold them back. I started to say something when a wave of violent coughing seized me. Blood splattered the floor, leaving dark red stains on the shiny beige marble. After regaining my balance, I tried to explain in a shaky voice, still clinging to some last bit of hope. "I honestly didn't, Rocco." Rocco might have spotted the blood at the corner of my mouth, and he furrowed his brows. Sofia's delicate voice piped up at just the right time. "Rocco came here straight from the celebration to deal with your problem, Claire." Lily Marone, my mom, complained at the doorway, "I told you we should ignore her. Nothing good ever comes when she is around. She has done all sorts of things for attention since she was young. Did she really think we would fall for such an obvious trick now?" Rocco's face hardened. "Did you go as far as to harm yourself to get me here and sabotage Sofia's big night, Claire?" He closed in on me and grabbed my collar. Sofia quickly pulled him back. Her eyes welled up as she looked at me pitifully, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, Claire. I never should have accepted this promotion. This is all my fault. Please stop hurting yourself. "Rocco has been through so much because of you. If you can truly change for the better, I swear I'll never accept any more recognition from the family again." Her words hit where it hurt most, shoving me further into the abyss and painting me as a villain behind everything. Lily's tone immediately softened at those words. "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. Someone as exceptional as you deserves every honor." This wasn't the first time I had watched their loving scene, but it still cut deep every single time. It had been ages since I had felt the kind of love a mother should have for me. These days, every ounce of it went to Sofia, but it hardly mattered. Facing death made me care less about many things. I felt nothing inside. Before I knew it, bitter tang spread across my tongue as blood trickled from my lips. Rocco took the doctor's report from me, glanced at it, and sneered. "Leukemia? You're terrible at faking being sick." With a sharp rip, he tore the report to shreds, leaving paper scraps around my feet. His gaze lingered on my pale face for a second. When our eyes met, I thought about how his eyes used to gleam at my 18th birthday. However, they were just dull and empty. The love had died, taking with it the spark. I raised my trembling hand to wipe away the blood, fighting to keep my failing body upright as I turned to the lawyer again. "I'm cutting ties with my family and filing for divorce. Get it done so I'm free to go in three days." Rocco flinched and grabbed my wrist. "You dragged the family lawyer into this just to ruin Sofia's celebration." He spat through clenched teeth, "This is ridiculous. You need to go home and think about what you've done, Claire. Stop embarrassing yourself here." Then, he put his arm around Sofia's waist and walked out without looking back. Staring at my bruised wrist, I laughed bitterly and shook my head. I should have known better. He never trusted me. Fighting through the pain, I went ahead and signed the divorce papers. On the day I died, he would receive those signed papers and my will. With just three days left to live, I ended our marriage with my own hands. Meanwhile, my husband was celebrating another woman's glory with his arm around her. Chapter 2 I stumbled back to the villa I shared with Rocco, but I had no intention of dying at that place. All I wanted was to pack my things. Then, I realized there was hardly anything there that was mine. I went back to what was once my bedroom and discovered that it had been converted into a storage room. My dressing table was pushed into a corner, covered in thick dust. My treasured books and photos were all dumped in cardboard boxes. Only the bed remained in its original spot, but the sheets had long been replaced with rough gray cloth. There was also a worn-out jewelry box containing the only birthday gift Rocco ever gave me—a cheap silver necklace. Sitting on the bedside, I brushed the dust off the table. I froze when my fingers found a photo frame. It was a photo from my 18th birthday. I wore a champagne dress, and my eyes still had life in them. Now, my face was drained of color with only emptiness in my gaze. Even Sofia's walk-in closet was five times bigger than my storage room. The only things here were what she didn't want. The original bedroom belonged to me as Rocco's wife had been turned into Sofia's yoga room two years earlier. It boasted the finest equipment, and the aromatherapy diffuser used luxurious essential oils. They moved me into this small room with no windows. At this point, they even took this away from me and changed it into a storage room. My phone suddenly rang, cutting off my thoughts. A gentle woman's voice came through the phone. "Thank you for choosing Everrest Memorial Garden. Are you still interested in the burial plot you asked about, Ms. Moretti? "We can hold it for seven days if you pay the deposit now. Otherwise, we'll have to offer it to other clients." That was the resting place I had checked out a month before. Flawless marble artwork surrounded the area, and the exquisite glass coffin glittered under the dome light. Finding eternal rest there was everything I had hoped for, but it cost 80 thousand dollars. I looked at the few hundred dollars left in my wallet and paused. "No. Thank you." I couldn't even afford a bone marrow transplant. I guessed I couldn't even afford to have a proper death. I barely ended the call when the door pushed open. I looked up to see Rocco walking in. He was used to catching the faint scent of lilies of the valley in every corner of the house. It was there because I loved them. Their fragrance stayed with me wherever I went. The dead air now felt off to him, putting him on edge. He frowned a little and subconsciously took a deep breath, trying to catch the familiar scent. However, there was nothing—only dust and the smell of mold. But he promptly dismissed the strange feeling and glared at me. "What was that about a burial plot?" Rocco's voice was flat and cold. "I've already warned you, Claire. Stop harming yourself to make people feel sorry for you. Do you find it entertaining?" I didn't plan to respond, but the words were out before I could stop them. "I didn't—" He interrupted, scolding me harshly, "Didn't what? We're done talking. Don't even think about taking what belongs to Sofia. Some things were never yours to have." I broke down, and tears started streaming down my cheeks. He insisted that the celebration, the place as the Don's wife, and even all his love belonged to Sofia. But what about everything that should have been mine? Had he forgotten it all? I looked up and met his gaze. "Do you remember my 18th birthday celebration?" Rocco's face went stiff for a moment, and his attention wandered to the photograph on the table. However, he quickly looked away and snapped, "What are you trying to say?" I muttered, "That day, you promised to hold a grand wedding to announce me as your wife to every prominent family. But later, you said I was too incompetent to stand by your side." He sounded annoyed. "What are you getting at?" I continued, "Later on, you missed my 19th, 20th, and 21st birthdays. Yet, when it came to Sofia, you never missed a single occasion." Rocco spun around. "That's enough, Claire! You always make a big deal out of nothing. Can't you see the bigger picture? If you didn't get so easily hurt and emotional, I might remember you exist." I stared into his cold eyes, feeling the intimidating presence that came with his high rank in the mafia. In his eyes, my very existence was a mistake. My love, my sacrifices, and my pain were all wrong. I murmured, "You're right, Rocco. I wasn't good enough." I turned away from him. "The documents are in the second drawer on the left. I left you something inside, but give it three days before opening it." He left without a word. The midnight chime sounded, and the room fell quiet again. I clung to the battered frame, feeling my life slowly fade away. I only had two more days to go. Chapter 3 I stayed awake through the night. At daybreak, I heard car engines downstairs. My parents and Sofia were back. Even from afar, their angry shouts reached me from outside the door. "You've got some nerve showing your face here, Claire!" The door slammed open. Anthony Moretti—my dad and a capo of the Falcone family—glared at me. "You ruined Sofia's celebration. Meanwhile, she was in tears, begging us to forgive you. Don't you feel any shame? Apologize to her now." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, telling myself that I only have to put up with this for two more days. There was a time he used to be protective of me like that. I remembered him comforting me when I got nervous handling a gun for the first time. "It's fine, Claire. Everyone goes at their own pace." If I fell behind in learning the ropes of the family business, he would personally walk me through the basic stuff again and again without getting annoyed. Things changed after Sofia showed up, though. She handled the family's finances on her own by 15. One year later, she already stood out among the elite members. Meanwhile, when I was 18, I couldn't even hold a gun steady. On top of that, I finished dead last in the family's training program. Before I knew it, she had taken my place as the good, obedient daughter in Anthony's eyes. The strange thing was how I gradually became more frail after she entered my life. I felt nauseous and dizzy all the time. I couldn't handle the physical training, and even small cuts took forever to heal. The doctor said it was just my natural constitution and recommended nutritional supplements. But no matter how hard I tried, my health only declined. I started seeing the disappointment in his eyes. "Look at the difference between you and Sofia, Claire. How did the gap between you two get so wide? "As the Don's wife, how will you survive the family's power struggles? How will you ever help Rocco carry the weight? Without the marriage agreement, I doubt you would have a place beside him." Over time, his look changed from being let down to being downright ashamed. It felt like I was the family disgrace, and Sofia was the one who made him proud. I looked up at her standing in the doorway. She was watching me with her wide, innocent eyes. Her face was painted with worry and concern. Her voice was all soft, and she even had tears glistening in her eyes. She looked so vulnerable that everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Let's put this behind us, Claire. Can we go back to how we were when we were kids?" She was a pro at such an act. Sofia continued, "Don't tell me you've forgotten about the perfume you mixed for me. Tomorrow is the family anniversary. Could you mix another bottle of perfume? Let's call it a gift to celebrate my promotion." A hint of relief flickered in Lily's eyes before she suggested, "Isn't this the only thing you're actually good at, Claire? Sofia is giving you a way out. It's more than you deserve. Go on already." I didn't move a muscle. The smell of perfume hit me, and suddenly, I was thrown back seven years. Back then, Dad just brought Sofia home. Thrilled, I set out to make her very first personalized perfume, going so far as to carefully seek out the most exotic ingredients. All it took was her saying, 'I love the scent of rosemary' for me to burn my fingers on its poisonous sap. I never brought it up, but the perfume ingredients and extracts were basically like poison to someone with a delicate constitution like mine. Getting them on my skin felt like being stabbed. But I persisted and finally blended the perfect perfume. Things ended with her having an allergic reaction to it. The family doctor said there was something in the perfume that triggered it. When she came to, the first thing she did was burst into tears and throw herself into Rocco's arms. "Claire made the perfume with the best of intentions, Rocco. She said it wouldn't hurt to try it. Please don't be mad at her. This was entirely my own doing." I helplessly stood there in front of the medical room under the heat of his glare. "I didn't know she was allergic to perfume. She never told me that." He didn't bother to hear my side and locked me in the basement for three days. That was the nightmare of my life. They didn't give me food or water. All I had was darkness and damp air. I huddled in the corner, hearing all the cheers and laughter from outside. They threw a party to celebrate her recovery. By the time they let me out, I was so weak that I could barely stand. Watching Sofia's flawless act, I remarked, "Have you forgotten? You're allergic to perfume." Bringing that up made the atmosphere in the room suddenly tense. Just then, Rocco walked in. He overheard us and stopped in his tracks. Back then, even though I was barely conscious in the basement, I still heard him. He came to check on me in secret at night. None of that mattered now, though. These days, he was completely on Sofia's side. She chuckled softly, her voice carrying a hint of unease. "How am I allergic? That was years ago, Claire." She moved a little closer. "My body is stronger now. I've gotten over the allergy." As she spoke, she reached out to take my hand. "Take a look. I'm fine." Her nails dug into my skin, and she just kept pressing harder. The pain got so bad that I had to pull away, and she just happened to fall to the floor. That was when I saw her other hand quickly brush against her sleeve as she fell. Then, she landed with a thud and started groaning in pain. The next second, red marks started appearing on her pale cheeks. Lily screamed and rushed over to her. "Oh my god! Sofia is covered in a rash." The rash quickly spread from her face to her neck and arms. It honestly looked like a severe allergic reaction. Anthony looked like he wanted to burn a hole through me, his voice shaking. "What did you do to her, Claire?" All I did earlier was shake her hand off. But I knew trying to defend myself was pointless. Sofia leaned against Lily, whimpering in pain. "The itch is unbearable, Mom. But Claire wasn't on purpose." Even in her agony, she kept putting on her act of defending me, and that really set everyone off. Anthony saw how red and swollen Sofia's skin was and snapped, "You've gone too far this time, Claire." Nothing I said could convince them. "That wasn't me." Rocco stormed over and glared at me with pure hatred. "Stop making excuses. This is the second time. You've hurt her once more." He carefully picked her up, handling her with remarkable gentleness. She leaned weakly against his chest, her voice barely audible. "I already said it. My allergy was gone. It could be another reason." Her eyes were on me as she spoke, and I noticed the smug look in her eyes. No one else saw it. Rocco was shooting daggers with his eyes. "What else could it be? Who else has been near Sophia? Who else in this house is obsessed enough with perfume to carry it around besides Claire?" Seeing how perfectly this was staged, I was overwhelmed with defeat. She had planned everything—down to the chemicals that triggered an allergy in her sleeve. He charged at me and grabbed me by the throat, yelling, "I should have known how twisted you are deep down, Claire!" His grip tightened. I could barely breathe, and my vision started to blur. But in that intense moment, he saw my pale face and my lips turning blue from lack of air. Seeing me on the verge of death sent a shock through him. A mix of dread and sympathy made him release me without thinking. I hit the wall, and the thud of my back against it filled the room. The taste of blood in my mouth grew stronger. Sofia noticed the change in Rocco's expression. "Are you alright, Rocco? You look shaken." He shook his head, ignored the unsettled feeling, and glared at me. The anger in his eyes hadn't faded at all, looking like he wanted to tear me apart. He spat, "I never should have agreed to marry you if I knew you were so twisted inside. Get lost! I don't want to see your face again." I dropped to the floor, done trying. I knew in my bones that this was the last time. Their lack of trust didn't hurt me anymore, as my heart had already gone completely numb. Chapter 4 Lily saw the blood at the corner of my mouth, and her expression softened for a second. At that moment, I saw a glimpse of the loving mom she used to be through her eyes. However, the next second, Sofia started crying louder. Lily quickly looked away and turned to comfort her "beloved daughter". "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Should I call a doctor?" I wiped the blood off with the back of my hand and slowly got up from the floor. A rundown suitcase sat in the corner with the handful of clothes I owned. I had it ready for a while. For the past few days, I had been preparing to leave. They stared at me in disbelief, then hit me with biting sarcasm. Anthony's expression was stone-cold. "What is this? Do you think you're too big for the family now? Are you just going to leave? "Everything we do is to discipline you for your own good, Claire. Why can't you see we only want what is best for you?" Lily pressed me. "Do you think running away solves your problem? You never change, Claire. You always run away the second things get hard. I suppose Anthony is right. We've ended up with a daughter who is good for nothing." After gently setting Sofia on the bed, Rocco turned to me. The look in his eyes was chilling and filled with contempt. "Where are you going?" I replied, "I'm leaving the Falcone family's turf." He raised his voice sharply. "Do you have any idea what you're saying, Claire? The second you step out of our territory, you're not one of us anymore. You'll also be the target for every enemy we have." I was so used to being let down that it didn't even faze me. After hearing the same threat so many times, I stopped being scared of losing this "family" anymore. They never gave me that sense of being at home. I dragged my suitcase to the door. "Great. I don't belong here anyway." After all, I already had one foot in the grave. Pulling my suitcase, I made my way to the door and didn't turn back. Seeing me like that hit Rocco like a punch to the gut. He had a sinking feeling that something was off. Every harsh word he said felt like he was tearing his heart out, but his pride and rage wouldn't let him see straight. He told himself that I was the cause of his pain. He blamed my weakness and incompetence for his suffering. Yet, he still didn't understand what was happening to him, so he shattered a glass in frustration. The sound of shattering glass erupted behind me. Shards scattered across the floor, glinting under the light. Rocco stood by the window on the second floor, his eyes filled with rage. His voice quivered as he yelled, "Get back here, Claire!" I halted and took one last look at the place I once called home. Moonlight washed over the villa's walls, making the place feel cold and empty. I said firmly, "If I ever look back, I'll lose everything I love." The night air hit me the second I walked out of the gate. It smelled like freedom, but it also carried a hint of something final. Rocco watched from the window as I left. My parting words made him shudder. He knew I was in bad shape. The fear of something happening to me in the freezing night gnawed at him. He longed to tell me that he didn't mean to exile me from the family. He never wanted me gone. Everything in him wanted to chase after me, but then Sofia turned and grinned sweetly at him. "Don't you see, Rocco? After hitting rock bottom, she'll come crawling back to you. She'll learn the hard way that she is nobody without the Falcone family's protection." The words made Rocco's chest tighten with a hint of irritation he couldn't name. He dropped his gaze without a word. No one noticed his clenched fists trembling, or the blood dripping from where his nails cut into his palms. Chapter 5 I dragged my suitcase to this run-down motel on the edge of town. The whole place smelled musty and felt dated. The wallpaper was peeling, and the carpet was covered in stains. But for someone who got exiled like me, this was the only place I could afford. In the middle of the night, a sharp pain ripped me out of a nightmare. The cancer had spread, and it felt like needles were stabbing my bones. Every single breath was agony. I curled up under the thin blanket, and memories from childhood came flooding back. I was only 14 years old back then, and my family's private lessons had just started. Sofia always "kindly" picked out the perfect outfits for me. However, every time I put on the clothes she handed me, the fabric would make my skin itch and sting like crazy. It got so bad that I passed out from the pain in class and broke out in hives. Everyone just thought I was being dramatic and couldn't handle the stress of the lessons. Only I knew it wasn't an allergy, though. My tutor just shook his head and sighed. "Claire is just too delicate." But she hurried over, putting on a caring face. "Are you feeling alright, Claire? I can get your medication." Later, someone pushed me off a platform during a mock urban combat drill. I broke my leg and lay in an abandoned warehouse all night. By the time the rescue team found me, I was running a high fever and talking nonsense. Sofia's eyes welled up. "This is all my fault. I should have been better at protecting my sister and found her sooner." She got to be the hero, and I was left looking like a dead weight. The worst part was those so-called "nutritional supplements". Every time I got hurt, Sofia would always take charge of looking after me. She had prepared the doses herself and carefully fed me. I thought we were just close like sisters, but my health kept going downhill. Looking back, the supplements must have had low amounts of a slow-acting poison that messed with my bone marrow. It was gradually breaking down my body. Everyone wrote me off as naturally weak, and I bought into it. I had no idea I had been a victim of poisoning since I was 14. … Meanwhile, back at the Falcone family's headquarters, Rocco sat at his desk but couldn't focus on his work. A sense of dread crept up on him, making him restless. He shot up from his chair and swept all the papers off his desk. "Dammit!" He had this urge to find me right now and make sure I was safe, but his pride wouldn't let him. He had to have a reason. Just then, my phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I was nearly unconscious from the pain. It was a text from Rocco, and his words were cold as steel. "Get back here and apologize to Sofia, Claire. You can't run from your problems." I left him on read. I was so weak that I didn't even have the strength to message back. I didn't know if he still cared about me, but it didn't matter anymore. I only had one day left. … The following afternoon, a waitress from a small diner nearby knocked on the door. She had a kind, sincere look in her eyes. "The owner told me to bring you something to eat." She carefully carried a bowl of stew. My eyes welled up right then. I couldn't believe someone in this world still cared about a cast-off like me. Just as I was about to gratefully take the stew, Sofia suddenly showed up. Wearing skintight black leather, she sported a perfect smile. "I finally found you, Claire." She walked right up and shoved the waitress out of the way. The piping hot stew spilled everywhere, splashing onto my legs. I gasped from the pain. She acted like she was apologizing. "Sorry about that. But you probably shouldn't drink something when you don't even know where it came from, Claire." The waitress glared at her. "Why are you doing this?" Sofia snickered with a vicious look. "Mind your own business, brat." The waitress looked terrified and stumbled away. She turned my way, her tone casual, like we were catching up. "By the way, we no longer employ the lawyer who processed your paperwork. "He had the nerve to go against the family and secretly prepare your divorce documents. Rocco personally kicked him out of the city. "Do you see how worthless you are? You just keep dragging others down for no reason. Everyone in the Falcone family sees you as an ungrateful traitor." Hearing that, I felt my whole world crumbling. Even someone who tried to help me suffered because of me. I was nothing but bad luck to anybody near me. I poured every ounce of strength I had into the question. "Why are you doing this?" Sofia burst into laughter, the sound dripping with sarcasm and sharp enough to sting. "That is because I hate your guts. "You're going to die anyway. Why don't you leave the Falcone family's turf? Get a clue! Rocco doesn't trust you. He's always seen you as dead weight." It turned out that was her true color—the flawless Sofia everybody looked up to. I said calmly, "I know for a fact I've never done a thing to hurt you, Sofia. Why do you hate me this much?" She rose to her feet, staring down at me. "What can I say? A foster kid is never going to measure up to the prized daughter of the family. It makes me sick. Why does a trash like you get to have everything? "The toughest takes it all. The title of the Don's wife, Dad's affection, and Rocco's attention belong to me. By the way, I know exactly why you're so frail." Sofia looked up at me, her eyes glinting with malice. "Ever since you turned 14, I've been slipping slow-acting poison into your supplements, destroying your bone marrow slowly. "I'm the one who put the bugs in your clothes, shoved you off the platform, and poisoned your supplements. It was all me." Trembling with rage, I raised my hand to slap her, but she easily shoved me to the ground before I could. What was I thinking? With this dying body of mine, what chance did I have against her? She slowly crouched down. "What's wrong? Are you mad? It's hard to swallow, isn't it? What a shame! You can't do anything about it. You don't even have the strength to hit me back." She kicked me a few more times, then smiled with satisfaction as she watched me squirm in pain. "Seeing you grow weaker day by day for years has brought me so much joy. Soon, when you're dead, I'll take my rightful place as the woman beside Rocco." The agony was so intense that I nearly blacked out. Sofia left the room, thoroughly pleased with herself. She had no idea my phone on the nightstand was recording the whole time. The tiny red recording light kept blinking. The phone had captured every word that came out of her mouth. I struggled to get up from the floor, and my clothes were drenched in cold sweat. Staring at the recording on my phone, I couldn't help but laugh. At last, everyone would see Sofia for who she really was. With just one day left to live, it was time to let the truth come to light. Chapter 6 Looking at the recording on my phone, I sent it to Rocco, Anthony, and Lily with a single tap. Then, I also forwarded a copy to the Falcone family's consiglieres and capos. That audio caught every word Sofia had said. "I'm the one who shoved you off the platform and slipped poison into your supplements. That was all me. When you die, I'll be the only woman by Rocco's side." I took out the SIM card and went off the radar completely. In my last 20 hours, I finally did something I could be proud of. At this point, I just wanted to go in peace. It was pitch black outside, and the neon lights outside the motel flickered harshly. I dragged my frail body out of the room and made my way to Rosa Patterson's restaurant—the only place in the world that would still take me in. I walked for about ten minutes before I got to the restaurant. Peering through the window, I saw Rosa cleaning the table. She was being really gentle and focused about it. I gently opened the door. "Ms. Patterson." She looked up and saw me, her face tightening with worry. "What happened, Claire? You look awful." I asked, "Can I just stay here for a bit?" Rosa put down her rag right away. "Of course. Sit down and rest. You don't look well. How about I warm up something for you?" She didn't ask any questions and just made me some food. That simple kindness without asking for anything in return made my eyes well up. She set down a bowl of pumpkin stew in it. "Go on. You'll feel better." I took small sips of the stew, feeling the heat ease some of the chill inside me. She softly inquired, "What is keeping you from going home?" I calmly replied, "I'm on my own now. They threw me out." Rosa looked at me, her eyes softened with sadness. "I never mentioned this, but I used to have a daughter about your age. "She got caught in some crossfire on the street, and a stray bullet took her. If she were still here, she would be just as lovely as you." Her hand came up and softly brushed through my hair, like a mother comforting her child. "Would you let me look after you, Claire? Think of it as me doing something for my daughter." I couldn't hold back anymore and just burst into tears. For the first time in years, I felt what a mother's love truly was. It had nothing to do with how tough I was or what I could do for the family. This was unconditional love with no strings attached. Rosa helped me to my feet. "Come with me. Let's go to the back so you can lie down." Her room was simple but cozy. A picture of her daughter hung on the wall, and she had a glowing smile. Rosa put me in a clean dress, then gently brushed my hair. "Your hair is so beautiful. It's just like the moonlight tonight," she remarked. I rested my head on her shoulder, feeling a sense of safety I had never known. The pain in my body even seemed to ease up a little. "Thank you, Ms. Patterson." She choked out her words, "Don't be silly, sweetie. You're the one who made me feel like a mother again." My eyes grew heavy, and the world drifted away. The life in me was slowly going out, but I had never felt such deep peace. At least someone truly cared for me in the end. Rosa muttered, "Thank you, sweetie. You bring back memories of my daughter." I wished I could reply, but I didn't have the strength to speak. My body just kept getting lighter and lighter, like whatever was left of me was slipping out of this worn-out shell.