The Breaking Point
Claire stood outside her apartment balcony, gazing at the shimmering lights of the city below. To an outsider, she appeared to be savoring the night view, but a closer look would reveal the turmoil etched in her eyes. Her entire life seemed like it had been on pause, stuck in the same routine of giving up everything for her family.
The phone in her hand had been ringing for quite some time, but she didn’t notice. Startled by the sudden silence that followed, she glanced down, seeing several missed calls from her elder sister, Samantha. With a sigh, she reluctantly called back, barely waiting for the first ring to finish.
"Where the hell have you been?" Samantha’s voice barked at her, dripping with irritation.
Claire's grip on the phone tightened. "What do you want, Sam? I don’t have time to argue with you," she replied, her voice flat, masking the emotion bubbling beneath.
"Have you thought it through?" Samantha snapped impatiently. "I want the project."
A bitter laugh escaped Claire’s lips, filled with all the resentment she had been swallowing for years. "I’m not giving the project to you, Sam."
"Ooh… you’ve finally grown some backbone," Samantha mocked, her voice cold. "Let’s see what Dad and Erick will say about that." The line went dead, her words hanging in the air like a threat.
Claire stared at the phone for a long moment, her knees giving way as she sank to the floor. Tears, hot and bitter, streamed down her face. She had been fighting this battle for as long as she could remember—always giving in, always letting Samantha take what she wanted. But not this time. This time, something had to change.
After what felt like hours, Claire pulled herself together, wiping her tears. She headed inside, took a long shower, and finally crawled into bed, but sleep evaded her. Her mind raced, replaying every argument, every sacrifice. She couldn’t continue like this. Not anymore.
The alarm blared early the next morning, and Claire dragged her exhausted body out of bed. Her reflection in the mirror told the story of a sleepless night. She applied makeup with a heavy hand, trying to cover the dark circles beneath her eyes, but nothing could mask the emotional weight she carried.
By the time she arrived at Anderson Group, the family company where she worked, she barely managed to hold herself together. As she walked through the lobby, her secretary, Anna, rushed over, a look of concern on her face.
"You look like you haven’t slept at all," Anna said softly, falling into step beside Claire. "Is everything okay? Is it about the Crowdstar Group project?"
Claire gave her a tight smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "It’s nothing," she lied. But Anna wasn’t fooled.
"The heir, Jake William, is supposed to be coming back from abroad for this one," Anna reminded her, lowering her voice as they moved through the bustling office. "It’s an important project for us, Claire. But you… you don’t have to carry it all alone."
Claire stopped walking, turning to look at Anna, who had always been more than just a secretary—she was a friend, a confidante. The project weighed heavily on Claire’s mind, not just because of its significance, but because it was her opportunity to finally stand on her own. To prove she could handle more than being her sister’s shadow. But the fear of failing, the fear of letting someone else take credit for her hard work, loomed over her.
"I’m so tired, Anna," Claire admitted, her voice cracking slightly. "I can’t keep giving everything up. Not this time."
Anna placed a comforting hand on her arm. "You don’t have to. You’ve worked too hard for this. And you’re not alone, Claire. You’ve got this."
Claire nodded, though her heart still felt heavy. She wasn’t sure if she believed Anna’s words yet, but for the first time in a long while, she wanted to try.
