HIDDEN SECRET

THE DAY MY WORLD ENDED

Chapter 7: The Day My World Ended

Two days later...

The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains of Betty's room, landing softly on Pricy's face.

She slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

"I should go home," she murmured. "I've missed Mom."

Betty looked at her with concern.

"Are you sure you're fully recovered? You've barely been sleeping properly."

Pricy forced a smile.

"I'll be fine."

Betty folded her arms.

"What if you fall asleep on the road? Or start sleepwalking again?"

Pricy laughed weakly.

"Nothing will happen."

But as she blinked, her eyes closed for a brief second before reopening.

Betty noticed.

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"No problem," Pricy insisted. "I'll manage."

Betty sighed.

"Just be careful."

With her bag hanging over one shoulder, Pricy waved goodbye and left.

Little did she know that her life was about to change forever.

The journey home felt longer than usual.

As soon as she arrived, she rushed toward the front door.

"Mom?"

No answer.

She knocked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Still nothing.

A frown appeared on her face.

"Mom?"

Silence.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The house felt unusually cold.

Too quiet.

Too empty.

"Mom, I'm home!"

No response.

Pricy dropped her bag onto a chair and waited.

Five minutes passed.

Nothing.

Her heartbeat quickened.

A sudden fear crawled into her chest.

Slowly, she walked toward her mother's bedroom.

The door was slightly open.

"Mom?"

She pushed it wider.

Then froze.

A dark red stain covered part of the floor.

Her eyes widened.

For a moment, her brain refused to process what she was seeing.

"No..."

She staggered forward.

"No, no, no..."

Her mother lay motionless on the bed.

Blood stained the sheets.

Pricy's knees weakened.

"This isn't real."

She rubbed her eyes.

It had to be a nightmare.

It had to be.

She climbed onto the bed and lay beside her mother.

"If I sleep again, I'll wake up."

Closing her eyes, she counted slowly.

One...

Two...

Three...

Then she opened them.

Nothing changed.

The blood was still there.

The room was still silent.

Her mother was still motionless.

A cold chill shot through her body.

"No..."

She touched her mother's hand.

Cold.

Lifeless.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Mom?"

No response.

"Mom, stop joking."

Silence.

Tears blurred her vision.

"Mom..."

Her voice cracked.

"Mom, please wake up."

Still nothing.

Reality crashed into her like a tidal wave.

Her mother was gone.

A heartbreaking scream escaped her lips.

"MOM!"

She shook her mother's shoulders desperately.

"Mummy, please! Don't do this to me!"

Her tears fell endlessly.

"You can't leave me alone..."

The room spun around her.

Her world had shattered.

With trembling fingers, Pricy grabbed her phone and dialed Betty's number.

The call connected.

"Hello?" Betty answered cheerfully.

Pricy couldn't speak.

Only sobs came through the phone.

Betty immediately sat upright.

"Pricy?"

More sobbing.

"Why are you crying?"

Still no answer.

A terrible feeling settled in Betty's stomach.

"Pricy, talk to me!"

Finally, Pricy managed to whisper.

"My... my mom..."

"What happened to your mom?"

Pricy's voice broke completely.

"I found her dead."

The phone nearly slipped from Betty's hand.

"What?!"

Her face drained of color.

"No... no, that's impossible."

"It's true..."

Betty jumped to her feet.

"I'm coming right now."

Less than an hour later, Betty arrived with two nurses.

The moment she entered the room, her heart sank.

The scene was worse than she had imagined.

Pricy sat beside the bed, tears streaming endlessly down her face.

She looked broken.

Completely broken.

"Take her to the hospital," Betty instructed the nurses.

"We need to stop the bleeding and make sure everything is documented properly."

The nurses nodded and got to work.

Throughout the entire process, Pricy remained frozen.

Like a girl whose soul had been ripped away.

Later that evening, Betty sat beside her.

"Please stop crying."

Pricy laughed bitterly through her tears.

"How can I stop?"

Betty stayed silent.

"My mother is gone."

Fresh tears rolled down Pricy's cheeks.

"You still had time with your parents before they died."

Betty's expression changed.

Pain flashed briefly across her eyes.

"Forget it."

"No," Pricy said. "Tell me."

Betty looked away.

"This isn't about me."

The room fell silent.

Neither of them spoke.

The grief hanging between them was too heavy.

After a while, Betty stepped outside and made a call.

"Mike."

"What happened?"

"Pricy's mother is dead."

Silence.

Then—

"What?"

"She needs someone right now. I'm heading to the hospital. Please go stay with her."

"I'm on my way."

Minutes later, a knock echoed through the house.

Pricy slowly dragged herself to the door.

When she opened it, she found Mike standing there.

His face was filled with worry.

"Hey."

Pricy looked at him.

The moment she saw a familiar face, the tears returned.

Mike gently pulled her into his arms.

"You don't have to be strong right now."

That was all it took.

Pricy completely broke down.

The pain she had been holding inside exploded.

She cried against his chest while he silently held her.

For the first time since finding her mother, she didn't feel completely alone.

But neither of them knew...

that her mother's death was only the beginning.

Hidden secrets were about to surface.

Dangerous truths were waiting to be uncovered.

And the blood that stained that bedroom floor would lead Pricy to a mystery capable of destroying everything she thought she knew about her family.

Mike sat beside Pricy's bed and gently wiped away the tears staining her cheeks.

"You know your mother wouldn't want to see you like this," he said softly.

Pricy's shoulders trembled.

"How am I supposed to stop crying?"

"I know it hurts."

Mike's voice was calm and comforting.

"But if you keep drowning in your pain, you'll never find the person responsible."

Pricy looked up sharply.

"The person responsible?"

Mike nodded.

"Your mother didn't die by accident. Someone did this."

A dangerous glint flashed through Pricy's tear-filled eyes.

For the first time since discovering her mother's body, anger replaced grief.

"I'm going to find whoever did this."

"You will," Mike said. "And I'll help you."

The determination in his voice made her heart tighten.

Without realizing it, Pricy leaned her head against his shoulder.

Mike froze.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them felt strangely comforting.

Slowly, Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulders and allowed her to cry herself to sleep.

A few minutes later, her breathing became steady.

She had finally fallen asleep.

Mike carefully lifted her into his arms.

Despite everything she had been through, she looked fragile and beautiful.

He carried her to her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed.

Just as he turned to leave—

Two arms wrapped around him from behind.

Mike's body stiffened.

"Please don't go."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm scared."

He slowly turned around.

Pricy's eyes were red and swollen from crying.

For the first time, she looked vulnerable.

"Stay with me tonight."

The plea in her voice shattered whatever resistance he had.

Mike sighed.

"Okay."

A faint smile appeared on her lips before she climbed back into bed.

A few moments later, she drifted off to sleep again.

Mike sat on the floor beside her bed.

He wasn't planning on sleeping.

He just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Hours later, Pricy suddenly opened her eyes.

Mike was still there.

Watching over her.

A warm feeling spread through her chest.

"When was the last time you saw Sam?" she asked quietly.

Mike looked surprised.

"Why are you asking about him?"

"He hasn't visited in a long time."

"He traveled abroad."

"Oh."

Silence filled the room.

Their eyes met.

Neither looked away.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Mike cleared his throat.

"Have you ever dated anyone?"

Pricy's eyes widened.

"What?"

A small smile tugged at Mike's lips.

"Just asking."

"No."

Mike nodded slowly.

Then he asked the question that made her heartbeat skip.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Pricy's face instantly heated up.

"W-Why are you asking that?"

She jumped out of bed.

"I'm thirsty."

Without waiting for a response, she rushed toward the kitchen.

Mike chuckled softly.

"Did I say something wrong?"

In the kitchen, Pricy grabbed a glass.

But her mind wasn't focused on water.

It was focused on Mike.

His smile.

His voice.

His eyes.

Her heart began racing.

"Does he like me?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Then nodded.

"Maybe."

"No."

"Maybe."

"Ugh!"

Distracted, she accidentally squeezed the glass too hard.

CRASH!

The glass shattered.

"Ouch!"

A sharp pain shot through her hand.

Blood immediately appeared.

Hearing the noise, Mike rushed into the kitchen.

"Pricy!"

He dropped to his knees beside her.

"What happened?"

"I'm fine."

"You call this fine?"

Without hesitation, Mike grabbed her injured hand.

His touch sent a strange sensation through her body.

Pricy's heart nearly stopped.

She stared at his face.

The concern in his eyes.

The way he held her hand.

The way he looked at her as if she mattered.

A small smile escaped her lips.

Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you smiling?"

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

"You were smiling."

"N-No!"

Embarrassed, she quickly pulled her hand away.

"I can take care of it myself."

Mike's expression darkened.

"I'm only trying to help."

"I said I'm fine."

The words came out harsher than she intended.

A brief silence followed.

Then Mike stood.

"Alright."

Without another word, he left.

The front door closed.

Pricy's heart sank instantly.

A few minutes later, after cleaning the broken glass, she rushed back to the living room.

"Mike?"

No answer.

"Mike?"

The house remained silent.

She stared at the empty room.

"He left..."

For some reason, that hurt more than she expected.

Meanwhile, at City General Hospital...

Betty stood outside the emergency ward while doctors examined Pricy's mother's body.

"Run every possible test," Betty ordered.

"I want answers."

"Yes, Doctor."

The medical team quickly got to work.

As Betty prepared to leave, she overheard two nurses whispering nearby.

"Did you hear about the patient?"

"The woman covered in blood?"

"Yeah."

"I heard she had enemies."

Betty stopped walking.

"What did you say?"

The nurses immediately froze.

"N-Nothing, Doctor."

Betty narrowed her eyes.

For a brief second, she felt as though they knew something.

Something they weren't saying.

Something connected to Pricy's mother.

And if her instincts were correct...

This wasn't a simple murder.

It was something much bigger.

Something dangerous.

Something hidden.

A secret buried for years was beginning to rise to the surface.

And when the truth finally emerged...

It would change Pricy's life forever.

To be continued.