CHAPTER THREE
1143 Words
LIYAH’S POV
I couldn’t stop thinking about the envelope my mother had placed on the table. There was something about it that made me uncomfortable.
I looked at my mother. She was still staring at the old picture of my father hanging on the wall. For a few seconds, she remained silent.
“Your father should be here,” she finally said.
I looked at the picture too. “I know, Mom.”
She sighed and wiped her eyes. “If he was still alive, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”
My father had died a few years ago. Since then, my mother had been the one trying to take care of everything. It hadn’t been easy, especially with the debt he had left behind. Sometimes I wondered how she managed to keep going.
“I miss him,” she whispered.
I held her hand. “I miss him too.”
She gave me a small smile. “But I have to keep going.”
I glanced at the envelope again. “Then what’s inside?”
Her smile disappeared. “I don’t know how to tell you.”
My heart began to race. “Tell me what?”
She picked up the envelope and held it tightly. “Someone has offered to help us.”
“Who?”
She looked away. “I can’t tell you yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m scared of what you’ll say.”
I stared at her. “Mom, you’re scaring me.”
She sighed. “I don’t want you to worry about things that you can’t fix.”
“But I’m already worried.”
She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Before she could answer, her phone rang. She looked at the screen, and her expression immediately changed.
“Who is it?” I asked.
She stood up. “I need to take this.”
She walked towards the other side of the room and answered. “Hello?”
I couldn’t hear the person on the other end, but I could see the way my mother’s face changed as she listened.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“I understand.”
Another pause.
“Please, just give me a little more time.”
My heart sank. She looked at me while she was still on the phone, then turned away.
“I’ll do it.”
I frowned. Do what?
She ended the call.
“Mom?”
She didn’t answer. She picked up the envelope and walked towards her room.
“Mom, wait.”
She stopped. “What?”
“What did you mean when you said you’ll do it?”
She looked at me for a few seconds. “Nothing.”
“You just said it.”
“I was talking about the debt.”
“Then tell me what you’re planning.”
She shook her head. “Not now.”
She entered her room and closed the door. I stood there staring at it. I didn’t know what she was planning, but I knew it wasn’t something small.
I decided to leave the house for a while. I needed some fresh air.
Outside, the streets looked the same as they always did. Old buildings stood close to each other, and the road was still wet from the rain that had fallen earlier. The small shops around our neighborhood were beginning to open.
This was the part of France I had grown up knowing. It was simple and quiet, but it wasn’t the life I dreamed about.
Daniel and I always talked about Paris. Not just the Paris we knew, but the beautiful places we saw in pictures—the bright streets, expensive buildings, restaurants, and the kind of life we believed we could have if we ever got the chance.
We wanted to leave our problems behind and start again.
Together.
I took out my phone and saw a message from Daniel.
“Are you okay?”
I smiled a little and replied, “I’m fine. Just needed some air.”
He replied almost immediately.
“Want me to come over?”
I hesitated before typing, “No. I’ll see you later.”
I put my phone away and continued walking. But something didn’t feel right.
Maybe it was because of my mother’s strange behavior. Maybe it was because of the man who had come to our house. Or maybe it was because I had a feeling that my life was about to change.
When I returned home, I found my mother sitting quietly in the living room. The envelope was no longer on the table.
I looked around. “Where is it?”
She looked at me. “What?”
“The envelope.”
She didn’t answer. I walked closer.
“Mom, please. I need you to tell me what’s happening.”
She looked exhausted. “I wish your father was here.”
I sat beside her. “So do I.”
She looked at me and held my hand. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that everything I’m doing is for you.”
My heart sank. “Why are you saying that?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she looked towards the window.
For a while, we sat in silence. Then she finally spoke.
“Liyah, there may be a way for us to get out of this debt.”
I looked at her. “How?”
She hesitated. “I can’t tell you yet.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t know if I can go through with it.”
My stomach tightened. “Go through with what?”
She looked at me. Her eyes were filled with tears. Then she looked away again.
“I just need some time.”
I wanted to ask more, but something stopped me. Maybe I was afraid of the answer.
That night, I went to my room and lay on my bed. I kept thinking about my mother’s words.
I don’t know if I can go through with it.
What could she possibly be planning? I had no idea that the answer would have something to do with me.
And before I could find out, my phone suddenly rang.
It was an unknown number. I stared at the screen for a few seconds before answering.
“Hello?”
There was silence.
“Hello?”
A man’s voice finally came through. “Is this Liyah?”
I sat up in bed. “Who is this?”
The line went quiet again.
Then the man said something that made my blood run cold.
“Your mother should have told you by now.”
The call ended.
I stared at my phone. My heart was pounding.
Who was that?
And what exactly was my mother supposed to tell me?
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