THE MAFIA'S BROKEN VOW

Chapter 6: A Mother Lost

"We'll discuss it when you get here," the officer replied in a low voice. Melissa stood frozen, clutching Pearl close to her chest and her breath came in shallow gasps. “What did they mean? Who could it be?” she thought, but she pushed the fear down, refusing to let her mind go there. But the nagging thought lingered; “Could it be my mother?”

Shaking her head, she glanced down at Pearl, who nestled against her. "It can't be," Melissa whispered to herself, but as she approached the station, fear weighed heavily in her stomach.

As she arrived, Officer Jenkins greeted her with a somber expression while another officer offered to hold Pearl. Melissa hesitated before gently passing her over. "Thank you for coming, Miss Jones. Please, follow me.” Jenkins gestured for her to follow.

Melissa's legs trembled as she walked alongside him. They entered a cold, dimly lit room. A body lay on a table, covered with a sheet.

"Are you ready?" Jenkins asked, his voice so gentle it made her want to scream. No, she wasn’t ready. She would never be ready. But she nodded anyway.

Jenkins pulled the sheet back, revealing the face; her mother's, or what was left of it. Melissa gasped, covering her mouth in horror, and staggered backward. Before her was her mother's battered face, once a mirror image of her own, now unrecognizable. Large wounds, broken skull fragments, and one eye hanging loosely, all coated in dried blood.

"No..." Melissa’s voice cracked as her knees gave out, and she collapsed beside the table. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to reach for her mother's hand but hesitated. Her trembling fingers hovered just above the pale skin, afraid that touching her might confirm the nightmare.

"Mom," she choked out. "No, no, no... this isn’t real. This can’t be happening. Please wake up. Please..." But the stillness of the room was suffocating. The mother she once knew, her rock, her protector, was gone. She was all alone.

Chaos consumed Melissa's mind. "Who will hold me when I break down?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about Pearl. "I didn't want this baby, but now that I've chosen to keep her, who will help me raise her?" The weight of single motherhood crushed her. "Who will support me through the struggles ahead?" More tears streamed down her cheeks again. "Why does the world take everything from me?”

Jenkins reached out to steady her, but Melissa pushed him away. "No!" she sobbed, the word ripping from her throat. "This can’t be real!" She stumbled out of the room, her hands over her mouth, nausea rising in her chest. When she burst out into the station's parking lot, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She bent over, vomiting, her body shaking violently as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Why?" she cried out into the empty night. "Why is the world so wicked to me?"

Her cries echoed, filling the stillness with her pain. Some officers rushed over, trying to offer words of comfort, but they felt meaningless, empty. "It's going to be okay," one officer said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

But Melissa couldn’t hear them. She couldn’t take in their words. Nothing could bring her mother back. Her world was collapsing, and there was no way out. "It’s all over," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "It’s all over."

Pearl's cries pierced through the silent waiting room, but Melissa was too lost in her grief to react. The baby’s wails grew louder, mirroring her mother's agony. Finally, one of the officers handed Pearl back to Melissa. Holding her daughter, she felt helpless. She couldn’t even comfort her own child, let alone herself. She was drowning in her grief.

“Please take heart, Miss Jones." One by one, they all came to comfort her but the words of comfort were too small to ease off her pain.

That night, Melissa didn’t sleep. Pearl lay in her arms, finally quiet, but Melissa stared blankly at the wall, waiting for the day to break. Maybe then she would wake up from this nightmare. Maybe then it would all be a horrible dream. But as the first rays of light filtered through the window, she knew the truth. This was her reality now. Her mother was gone, and she was alone.

A knock on the door startled her awake from the half-sleep she had fallen into. Theresa, her childhood friend and neighbor, stood there, her eyes filled with concern. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around Melissa, pulling her into a tight hug. "I’m here," Theresa whispered, her voice steady. "I’m here for you."

The flood of tears Melissa had been holding in poured out, soaking Theresa's shoulder.

For the next few days, Theresa took care of Pearl while Melissa struggled to hold herself together. She was too weak, emotionally shattered to even care for herself, let alone her daughter. But somehow, she managed. She had to. For Pearl.

The day of the funeral finally arrived and the grey, cloudy sky was fitting for the somber mood. Their humble apartment was filled with people from the neighborhood offering their condolences. Melissa sat at the entrance, her eyes swollen from days of crying. Theresa was by her side, holding a sleeping Pearl.

As they greeted the mourners, Theresa’s eyes caught sight of a man in the crowd. He stood out, dressed in black shades and a hoodie pulled low over his face. He was unfamiliar, and something about him felt wrong. She nudged Melissa, nodding towards the stranger. "Hey, do you know that guy?"

Melissa squinted, trying to get a better look. "No, I don’t think so. Let me go find out." She stood up, her legs shaky but Theresa gripped her hand briefly. “Be careful,” she whispered. “He looks creepy.”

Melissa nodded and continued her approach. The moment the man saw her coming, he stiffened, his hand pulling the hoodie tighter over his face. As she got closer, he turned and hurried into the small crowd.

"Hey, wait!" Melissa called out, quickening her pace, but by the time she pushed through the group of mourners, the man was gone. She scanned the crowd, but he had vanished.

Theresa met her halfway, concern etched across her face. "Who was he?"

"I don’t know," Melissa replied, her voice uneasy. "He just... ran off when I got close."

"Hmm," Theresa frowned. "I think you should be careful, Melissa. Something feels off."

Melissa shrugged, trying to brush off the creeping unease. "Why would anyone want to harm me? I don’t have anything left to lose. I’ve already seen the worst life has to offer."

"Don’t say that," Theresa said softly. "You have Pearl. Life could get better. Just hold on."

---

Not far from Melissa’s house, a car door slammed shut. Inside the vehicle, the man in the hoodie removed off his shades, his breath ragged.

"Did she see you?" came a voice from the shadows in the back seat, thick with cigar smoke.

The man shook his head, his hands trembling. "No, she didn’t. But it was close."

"Good," the voice replied, cold and commanding. "Keep an eye on her. But from afar this time."

"Yes, Boss," the man replied, wiping the sweat from his brow. The engine roared to life, and the car disappeared into the streets.