Chapter Two
1242 Words
Mila departed the hospital a few days later with Raphael wrapped in a white baby blanket. She rode quietly. She looked at the empty seat beside her — the place where Franklin should have been.
When she arrived home, stood by the crib Daniel had built a few months ago. Her hands shaked slightly as she placed Raphael inside.
“Welcome home son,” she said softly. “It's just the two of us now.”
Life became a slow, painful rhythm. Countless days of starving, nights of tears. But every time Raphael smiled at her, she found courage to never give up. He gave her reason to live, the energy that fueled her each day.
She would write birthday letters to Franklin every year — letters that never got to him. They were locked in a tiny wooden box with faith and remorse.
“May you find joy, my child,” she wrote in one of the letters. “Even if I’m not there with you.”
*******
Years went by like turned pages. Raphael became so grown—his kind heart and bright eyes reflected his father's determination. Mila juggled multiple jobs to survive.
Every night, she would tell Raphael bedtime stories about a hero who loved them beyond measure. She talked about Franklin. She carried the weight of that secret in her heart, waiting for the day it would shatter or heal them both.
It started drizzling one evening, as Raphael helped her lock up the shop she worked in, a sharp pain shot through the back of her head but brushed it off as mere fatigue.
“Mom, is everything alright?” he asked.
She gave him a faint smile. “I’m fine honey. Just exhausted.”
But she knew something wasn't right — something she had buried for decades would soon uncover.
The rain lashed down as the night grew darker, fate's relentless wheel began to turn.
********
The headaches were not steady at first — weak, pounding waves that distracted Mila’s while she worked. But a few weeks later, the pain became serious, piercing behind her eyes, leaving her tired and lost of breadth.
She would gasp for air at nights, her vision blurred by darkness and tears.
Before she could say a word, Raphael had observed. “Mom, I suggest Wes should go to the hospital,” his teenage face scrunched in worry as he insisted. .
“I’m alright, honey,” she’d reply with a faint smile that didn't convince him. “We can’t afford hospital bills right now. I believe God will heal me.”
But it seemed God had turned his back against them.
One afternoon, Mila collapsed at the restaurant while working. She woke up to Raphael clutching his hands with hers tightly. “Mom, the doctor said they need to carry out some tests,” he whispered softly. “I’ll find the money. I promise.” His voice trembled.
He had just turned nineteen, the determination in his eyes made her heart squeeze.
She smiled softly, brushing his cheek gently. “You are too good for this world.”
The doctor’s voice was gloomy. “Mrs. Louis, the results reveal a tumor pressing on your brain. “You need an operation soon.”
The words hit her like a ton of bricks.
“How much?” Raphael asked with a trembling voice.
“Nine thousand dollars.”
He had laid his eyes on such money before.
Raphael wandered the streets, with his thoughts spinning. The world felt harsh and unfair — he made a silent promise to himself to be stronger.
*******
Mila grew weaker as days passed by, her once steady hands couldn't even hold a cup. Raphael dropped out of school to take on more jobs — he worked really hard to save up for the surgery.
Sleeplessness gripped him. Anytime he did, hospital hallways and his mother's muffled cries haunted his dreams.
After she fell asleep, Raphael gently traced the veins on her worn hands
“I’ll make things right someday,” he whispered. “I’ll build you a mansion, and you’ll never work again.”
But fear whispered time was running out.
He visited the doctor's office, pleading with him for more time.
The doctor warned. “She has months, perhaps barely weeks to live”.
Raphael left the hospital in tears, he couldn’t understand how a world was so unfair to other people.
******
Mila's instinct whispered her end was drawing near. Each day came with its own weight, her body grew weaker, her voice barely above a whisper. But she hid her fear from Raphael.
She carefully folded small notes she has been writing for days beneath her pillow.
When Raphael found them, he gazed at her, his eyes filled with unspoken questions.
“They are letters for you, for when I'm gone. She said softly.
“You are going nowhere mom.” He said in a trembling voice as he tried to hold back his tears.
She smiled gently and brushed his stray curl aside. “I may not have riches but love and truth are the only legacies I'm leaving behind.
That night, she gripped his hand as thunder rumbled outside.
“Raphael,” she whispered, "I have a secret I must share with you.”
He turned to her with a racing heart.
“You weren't born alone.”
He looked puzzled. “I’m confused”
Her breadth hitched “You have a twin brother.”
*******
The room was quiet for a while except for the rhythmic sound of rain. .
Raphael's eyes widened in shock. “A twin brother? How do I find him?”
"I...I sold him," her lips trembled
The words hit him like a heavy punch. “You did what?”
Tears streamed down her face like rain. "I had no help, I was just a pregnant homeless widow.”
The couple who had just lost their baby — offered me money, and I… I took it.”
Mila reached for his hand, but he turned away in pain and betrayal.
“How could you do such a thing?”
“Because I wanted the best for you,” she murmured.
Raphael's eyes were blazed with anger. He wanted to scream, but was muffled by her weakness.
Mila whispered softly. “His name is Franklin. “Promise me you'll find him.”
He held her hand firmly. “I promise.”
A faint smile curved her lips. “Tell him I've always loved him.”
She slept peacefully that night and passed away in her sleep. .
********
The funeral was intimate, with Raphael, Mrs. Clark, and the priest. Soft sunlight illuminated the worn wooden coffin.
Raphael stared quietly at the coffin, with a single red rose in his hand. “I will make things right."
When the funeral was over, he grabbed his few belongings — a worn photograph, and the last note she’d written before she passed away.
The letter was carefully tucked into his pocket and stepped out to face the world with determination and hope.
As he walked down the dusty road, the wind carried the echo of his promise,As sunset towered behind, marking the end of one chapter and beginning of another.
His brother was living the life he had only dreamt of — their lives would collide in an unexpected way.
And when it does, it will change forever.
- Writer
