Chapter Seventeen
Laila’s POV
My phone screen hummed, flashing with a video call notification from the hospital tablet. I tapped accept, and my mother’s pale, gentle face filled the screen.
Despite the sterile white room and the translucent tubes running into her arm, her eyes crinkled with warmth the moment she saw me.
“Laila, sweetie,” she rasped, her voice thin but full of affection. “How are you holding up at home?”
“Mom!” I beamed, leaning closer to the camera to hide the exhaustion weighing down my eyelids. I couldn't contain the excitement bursting in my chest, even if half of it was wrapped in a terrifying secret. “I have news. The national board results came out today.”
My mother sat up slightly, clutching the bedsheet to her chest. “And?”
“I passed!” I squeaked, holding up
