I worked late shifts, skipped every party, and saved nearly $4,000 to surprise my mom who’d just beaten cancer with a trip to the ocean. Then my aunt swooped in with fake promises and stole my entire year’s effort. She thought she’d gotten away with it.
But karma was watching… and plotting.
I’m Vera, 17, and my world revolves around only one person: My mother, Jade.
She’s been my anchor since the day my father walked out six years ago.
He’d left us for some woman who lived three streets over.
He never called on birthdays. Never sent money.
And he never looked back. But Mom? She became both parents rolled into one fierce beautiful soul.
She worked herself to the bone so I could have everything I needed.
“Vera, honey, dinner’s ready!” she called from the kitchen. Her voice carried that familiar note of exhaustion she tried so hard to hide.
I found her stirring pasta with one hand while sorting bills with the other. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.
And her once-vibrant smile had grown thinner over the years.
She worked at the diner from six in the morning until two, then cleaned offices until midnight. Every single day.
“Mom, sit down.
I’ll finish this,” I said, taking the spoon from her trembling fingers.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Just a little tired.”
But she wasn’t fine. And none of us were prepared for what came next.
The word “cancer” hit our tiny apartment like a wrecking ball last spring.
I remember sitting in that sterile hospital room, watching my mother’s face crumble as the doctor explained treatment options and survival rates.
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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