COURTNEY ATHENA's POV
"Cassandra. Cassandra Laux."
My voice trembling as it barely rose above a whisper. I gripped the edge of the reception desk for support, feeling the cool, hard surface beneath my fingertips. The sterile smell of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint, unsettling hum of the hospital’s fluorescent lights. Halos bumaon na sa mga palad ko ang mga kuko dahil sa higpit ng kamao ko.
The nurse at the registration desk glanced up with a practiced, neutral expression. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, the rhythmic clicking punctuating the silence between us. After a moment that stretched on unbearably, she finally looked up.
Pansin ko sa mga mata niya ang pagod at pagkawalang gana habang hinahanap ang pangalan ng Mommy ko sa computer, saka ako lal
