Bound By Fate

Chapter Seven

Sophia dropped her bag, the walls offering a momentary sense of peace. But the silence didn’t last. Muffled voices grew louder, turning into shouting. She pressed her fingers to her temple, trying to block it out, but the noise wouldn’t stop.

With a deep breath, she got up and walked toward the living room. Her chest felt tight again, a dull ache radiating just beneath her ribs — the familiar warning sign she’d learned not to ignore. But tonight, there was no time for weakness.

Her mother’s voice rang out, sharp and furious. Kate was crying, face in her hands, shoulders trembling.

“What’s going on?” Sophia asked, her voice low but strained.

Kate didn’t respond. Their mother was pacing the room, holding a document in her hand — her face red with disbelief and hurt. “He took everything!” she yelled, not even noticing Sophia yet.

“Who?” Sophia whispered.

Kate wiped her face, guilt etched across her features. “Nathan,” she choked out. “He’s gone. He blocked my number. Everything… the money I gave him… the one Mom borrowed from the bank…”

Sophia blinked slowly, trying to make sense of what she just heard. “Wait… what do you mean he’s gone?”

“He’s not who I thought he was,” Kate cried. “He’s a liar. A con artist.”

Sophia’s head throbbed. She stumbled slightly and leaned against the wall, her breathing uneven. She could feel her pulse in her ears — loud, fast, and frightening. Her body was starting to betray her again, but she clenched her fists, trying to stay strong. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

The shouting stopped suddenly. A loud thud hit the floor.

“Mum!” Kate screamed.

Their mother had collapsed.

Everything after that felt like a blur. The hospital lights. The rush. The worry. The fear that lingered like a fog neither of them could see through.

“She fainted due to shock and stress,” the doctor said calmly, “but she’s stable now. She just needs to rest and take her medication. Make sure to get the prescribed drugs by tomorrow.”

Tomorrow.

Sophia looked at the paper in her hand, the list of drugs circled and underlined. But her eyes stung too much to focus. “We don’t have money for this,” she said under her breath.

She and Kate stood outside the hospital room, unable to stay the night with their mother because it wasn’t a private ward. The nurses told them to return in the morning. Kate was unusually quiet. For once, she had nothing to say — just stayed by her sister’s side, her guilt too heavy to speak through.

At home, Sophia went straight to her room and locked the door. Her body was breaking down again — chills crawling up her skin, her face swollen, her vision blurring. She sat at the edge of her bed and let her mind spiral. What would she do now? Everything was falling apart faster than she could hold it together.

Meanwhile, in her own room, Kate lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling in silence. She was trying to figure out how to fix the mess she had created. Selling some of her clothes, maybe? But even that wouldn’t cover a fraction of what they owed. She tried calling a few friends, but none of them picked up. No one wanted to help the girl who had fallen for a scammer.

She closed her eyes and let the regret sink in. All she could think about was how badly she had messed up.

The next morning, Sophia woke up feeling worse. Her head was pounding. Her muscles ached. She barely had the strength to get out of bed, but she forced herself up. She had to prepare breakfast for their mother and deliver it before heading to work.

Dragging herself to the kitchen, she tried to keep her hands steady while making toast and packing soup into a container. The scent made her nauseous, but she powered through.

Just then, a loud knock hit the door.

Kate rushed to open it, still in her pajamas.

“Mrs. Adams!” the landlord barked the moment the door creaked open.

Sophia walked into the living room, eyes widening. “What’s going on?”

“You people haven’t paid rent in three months!” he shouted. “I’ve had enough. You either pay before the week ends or I’ll throw all of you out.”

“What?” Sophia blinked. “But… our mom told us she paid—”

“Paid?” He scoffed. “You think I’d be here shouting like a mad man if she did? Don’t play smart with me. End of the week. Or you're out.”

He turned and stormed off.

Another blow. Another storm she didn’t know how to weather.

Sophia didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. She just sighed and walked back to her room, shutting the door behind her.

Her heart was racing again, but for now, there was no room for weakness. She had to go to work. She had to pretend everything was fine.

Even when nothing was.

Kate knocked on the door gently, and Sophia, too tired to speak properly, muttered, “Come in.”

She was standing by the bed, half-dressed, staring blankly at the clothes scattered around her. She had been trying to pick something to wear for work, but nothing felt right. Her body was tired. Her heart even more so.

Kate stood by the door for a second before walking in. “I’ve been thinking,” she started, her voice hesitant. “Maybe we should sell some of our stuff. I mean… if we can just gather enough for Mom’s drugs…”

Sophia didn’t say a word. She moved to her closet, touched one of her shirts, and dropped her hand.

“Or… we could try calling one of our relatives,” Kate went on, nervously twisting her fingers. “I don’t know, maybe someone would help us if we just asked.”

Silence.

Kate took a step closer, frustration creeping into her voice. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Sophia still didn’t reply.

“Just say something! Or do something! Are you even listening to me?” Kate snapped.

Sophia finally turned around, her eyes glassy. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “What do you want me to do, Kate?”

Kate blinked.

“Should I sell my clothes? How many do I even have?” Sophia’s voice was trembling now. “Should I sell my shoes or the two bags I own? Look at my room,” she said, gesturing around the small, modest space. “Tell me, what here is even worth selling?”

Kate stood there, unsure.

“Which relatives should we call?” Sophia continued, her tone rising in frustration. “The ones who haven’t spoken to us since God knows when, Or the ones who’ll pretend they didn’t hear the phone ring?”

Kate tried to speak, but Sophia didn’t let her.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” she whispered.

“I just thought… maybe you’d know what to do. You’re the smart one,” Kate mumbled.

Sophia looked away. “Just leave my room, Kate. I don’t understand what you’re saying right now.”

Kate’s voice turned cold. “We have to do something. If anything happens to Mom, I swear I’m going to blame you.”

Sophia’s eyes flared. “You think this is my fault?” she asked, barely holding back her tears. “You think I’m not doing everything I can?”

She wiped at her face angrily. “Just go. I need to get ready for work.”

Kate crossed her arms. “You’re going to work? With all of this happening?”

“Yes,” Sophia snapped. “Or do you want them to deduct from my already tiny salary for not going again?”

Kate didn’t reply. She turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Sophia stood still for a moment, breathing heavily. Then she grabbed a hairband, pulled her frizzy hair into a bun, and forced herself to get dressed. She walked into the kitchen, quickly packed their mother’s breakfast, and called out, “Let’s go,” without looking at her sister.

The two of them walked to the hospital in silence.

When they arrived, Sophia handed the food to the nurse and spoke to the doctor, begging him to wait until that night—just a little more time—she would figure something out.

She went to her mother’s room and stayed by her side for a few minutes, touching her hand softly, brushing her hair back gently. Then she kissed her forehead and whispered, “I’ll come back, after work?” before leaving for work.

By the time she got to the office, she was already late. She didn’t bother explaining. She just went straight to her desk, dropped her bag, and sat down, resting her head on the table for a few seconds. Her eyes were burning, her body aching. She sat up, blinking fast, trying to pretend like she was fine.

Sarah, a coworker, dropped a stack of files on her desk. “These need to go through you,” she said.

Sophia nodded, even though her hands were trembling slightly. She began to work, struggling to stay focused, trying to separate her personal life from her professional one—but everything inside her was spinning.

“Are you okay?” one of her coworkers asked gently.

“You look sick,” another added.

She forced a small smile. “Just tired,” she lied.

A few minutes later, she got up and walked to the restroom. She splashed some water on her face, looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red. Her skin pale. She took a deep breath, fixed her hair as best as she could, and went back to her desk.

When she sat down again, she noticed a missed call on her phone. The number was unfamiliar. Just as she was about to ignore it, the phone rang again.

She picked up.

“Sophia?” It was Kate’s voice. Shaky. Panicked.

“I’m at the police station,” she said. “Please… come and get me.”

Sophia’s heart dropped. She shot up from her chair, and rushed out of the office—her mind racing, her world falling apart one emergency at a time.