"Now that the payment has been confirmed, we'll run the final pre-operative tests. If everything checks out, the surgery will be scheduled for the following day."
The doctor's words replayed in her mind as a hidden fear tugged at her chest. Her palms were sweaty, but she later curled into a fist.
Now, today was the following day, and Mia wouldn't stop pacing around.
"What if…?" The thought barely formed before she shook her head.
"No, Mia. Be optimistic…" she drew in a slow breath.
"It'll be successful," she muttered.
She stood in the hospital corridor, staring blankly at the polished floor tiles as nurses moved past her in quiet efficiency.
She had been desperately searching for a miracle.
Today, the surgery was already about to happen.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
There was someone she needed to tell.
She scrolled through her contacts and pressed a familiar number.
The phone rang twice before the call connected.
"Mia?" A familiar voice answered. "Is everything alright?"
Mia exhaled softly.
"Aunty Ann…"
The concern in the older woman's voice was immediate.
"What happened? Did something go wrong with Brielle?"
"No, no," Mia said quickly. "Nothing like that."
There was a brief pause before she continued.
"The surgery… it's scheduled."
For a moment, the other end of the line was completely silent.
"What did you just say?" she asked.
Mia couldn't help but smile faintly.
"The surgery will soon commence. I'm a little bit scared."
Another silence followed, but this time it felt different.
"Heavens…" Aunty Ann finally breathed.
"Mia, that's wonderful news."
Emotion tightened Mia's throat.
"Yes."
"Mia, just be optimistic. Brielle is a strong girl. I told you everything would work out," the older woman continued gently.
"You've been carrying too much worry these past weeks," she added.
Mia leaned against the cold wall of the corridor.
For the first time in a long while, her shoulders felt slightly lighter.
"What about the payment?" Aunty Ann asked.
"I did, already," she replied shortly.
Aunty Ann paused again.
"You… made the payment?"
"Yes."
"But Mia," she said slowly, "that surgery costs a fortune. How did you manage that?"
Mia's fingers tightened around the phone.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
The image of Ethan signing the contract crossed her mind.
"I… got help. I mean, a job," she replied eventually.
"Help? Job?" Aunty Ann repeated.
"Which one is it?" Aunty Ann questioned.
"It's actually both. Someone helped me get a job, and I was able to borrow a loan," she said.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes," Mia nodded instinctively, even though the woman couldn't see her.
The older woman sighed softly on the other end of the line.
"Well, whoever helped… they must be a miracle."
"And that's a relief," she added.
Mia let out a small laugh, though it sounded more complicated than amused.
"Something like that," Mia said.
"Aunty Ann… I need your help with something," she began.
"What's it, darling?" Her tone showed immediate empathy.
"Once Brielle's surgery is successful, she won't be staying with me. I have a lot of things to fix over here," Mia said calmly.
"Take it slow, alright. Don't worry, I'm her granny. I'd look after her," she added, smiling through the phone.
"I need to go now," Mia said.
"Bye," she said as the call ended.
Mia's fear crept in again.
The red light above the operating theatre doors flickered on.
Surgery in progress.
Mia sat in the surgical waiting room, her fingers tightly clasped together on her lap. The chair beneath her felt cold, but she barely noticed.
Time seemed to move strangely inside hospitals.
The clock on the wall ticked slowly, each second echoing louder than it should.
Across the room, another family whispered quietly among themselves.
A woman paced near the window, while a young boy slept with his head resting against his father's shoulder.
Everyone here was waiting for something.
Good news.
Mia lowered her gaze to her hands. They were trembling slightly.
She rubbed them together and let out a slow breath.
"Be strong," she whispered to herself.
Her mind replayed Brielle's smile from earlier that morning.
The way her daughter had held her hand.
"Mommy, will it hurt?"
The memory squeezed her chest painfully.
Mia swallowed the lump in her throat.
"No," she whispered into the empty space beside her.
"It won't hurt anymore."
Her eyes drifted back to the operating theatre doors.
Behind those doors, doctors were fighting for Brielle's life.
And all she could do now… was to wait.
While Mia sat frozen in fear, counting every second, life elsewhere moved on as if nothing was at stake.
Ethan leaned backward in his chair lazily. He flipped his pen casually.
"I've cancelled all the board members' meetings for the week," Sebastian said.
"Good," he replied shortly.
"Besides, what about the lady?"
"Yep, I sent her a few bucks," he replied.
"Hmm… a few bucks." A hint of a smile appeared on Sebastian's face.
"Don't give me that smug look. You look like a clown," Ethan said with a glare.
"Alright… I looked into her background," he said, his tone turning slightly serious.
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
"Well?" Ethan said after a moment.
"Nothing special," Sebastian replied.
"Small jobs. Financial struggles. Moved cities a few times."
Ethan leaned back slightly, uninterested.
"So she's exactly what she looks like."
"Not entirely."
Ethan's gaze shifted toward him.
"It is not clear," Sebastian continued.
"But why do I feel like someone is suddenly interested?" Sebastian questioned.
"Asking you to look into her background meant only one thing, to be sure she isn't a criminal," Ethan replied.
"Oh…" Sebastian muttered.
Sebastian leaned against the desk casually.
"Well… if you say so," he said.
Ethan picked up the pen again and spun it lazily between his fingers.
"For someone who claims not to care," Sebastian added with a faint smirk, "you moved unusually fast sending that money."
Ethan didn't even look at him.
"It's an agreement," he said flatly. "Nothing more."
Sebastian raised both hands in mock surrender.
"Alright, boss."
But the smile on his face lingered.
Meanwhile, in a place where every second felt like a lifetime…
Back at the hospital. The red light above the operating theatre still glowed.
Mia's eyes hadn't left the doors for what felt like hours.
Her legs were starting to ache from sitting, but she didn't dare move.
Every time footsteps echoed down the corridor, her heart jumped.
Still no doctor.
The clock on the wall ticked slowly.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then forty.
Then an hour.
Her fingers tightened together again.
"Please…" she whispered quietly.
"Let her be okay."
Then, without warning…
The red light above the operating theatre switched off.
Mia shot to her feet.
The doors slowly opened.
A doctor stepped out, removing his surgical mask.
His eyes scanned the waiting area.
"Mia?"
Her throat felt dry as she stepped forward.
"Yes… I'm Mia."
The doctor looked at her for a moment before speaking.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"The surgery is over," he said.
Mia's heart slammed violently against her ribs.
Relief rushed in too fast, too sharp.
"But…" the doctor continued.
That single word froze everything.
Mia's breath hitched.
Her fingers curled tightly at her sides as fear crawled back, colder than before.
"The surgery was… complicated."
Her vision blurred slightly.
Every sound around her faded into nothing.
"And right now…"
He paused.
Too long.
Far too long.
Mia's voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Is she okay?"
The doctor looked at her.
Not immediately answering.
And in that silence…
Mia felt her world begin to fall apart.