Chapter 46
Anna tightened her arms around Cressida, her head nestling into the warmth of her shoulder as she sniffled, trying to stop the flow of tears. “Thank you.”
A soft smile spread across Cressida’s face as she tenderly rubbed Anna’s head with one hand and gently patted her back with the other. “It’s fine.” She murmured, her voice a gentle whisper, allowing Anna to shift and move however she needed to without constraint.
As Anna’s head found its comfortable spot, she let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, her body slowly relaxing. Minutes ticked by, and she drifted off to sleep. But the sweet calm was shattered by the smell of burning stew.
“Hun?!” They exclaimed in unison, eyes wide with alarm.
Anna’s head shot up, and she rushed to check the stew, while Cressida, still disoriented, forgot to grab a napkin and opened the lid with her bare hand.
“Oh!” A painful moan escaped Cressida’s lips as she managed to control her reflexes, preventing the lid from clattering to the floor and carefully setting it down on the table to avoid scalding Anna’s feet.
Anna hastily moved to rescue the stew, her bare hands slapping against the hot pot as she yanked it off the flames. She turned to Cressida, concern etched on her face, and gently grasped her hand.
“Sorry, ma,” she apologized, her voice laced with worry. She blew gently on Cressida’s burnt finger, then used her hand to soothe the pain, guilt radiating from her very being. “I’m sorry.”
Cressida’s smile was a gentle balm to Anna’s anguish. “It’s fine,” she said, her voice soft, as she carefully freed her hand from Anna’s grasp, not wanting her to see the burn and feel more guilty.
Anna took a step back, her head bowed. “I’m sorry, ma,” she repeated, her voice heavy with remorse. As she lifted her head, tears trembled on her lashes, threatening to spill over at the slightest blink.
She sniffled, her lips compressing into a tight line. “It’s my fault this happened,” her words tumbled out in a sorrowful confession. “I misused the opportunity I didn’t deserve,”
She discharged a short, deep breath. “I know I’ve committed a great wrong against you. I’d like to resign.”
Cressida turned off the gas stove and took a step forward, her hand resting gently on Anna’s shoulder. “You can stay,” she said, her voice filled with understanding. “You take responsibility for your actions,”
A hint of a smile played on her lips. “If you can promise never to pile mistake upon mistake, I’ll give you a second chance.”
“Hun.” Anna’s eyes widened in amazement at Cressida’s extraordinary kindness, which she’d never expected. Cressida wasn’t giving up on her, even when she was giving up on herself.
Cressida nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed, her voice firm. “I’ll not hold your past mistakes against you. Instead, I’ll stand by you and help you so you won’t repeat them.”
Tears streamed down Anna’s face, but Cressida gently wiped them away before they could reach her cheeks.
“If you tell me what’s going on, I’ll do my best to help.” Cressida offered, her voice filled with compassion.
Anna's lips trembled as she cast her face downward, her hands clasped tightly together. “It's my mom…” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “She’s been bedridden for a long time. I’m all she has left after my dad and brother died in a work accident…”
Cressida’s expression softened, but she remained silent, not wanting to interrupt Anna’s fragile narrative.
“I’ve done everything I can to save her, but no matter how hard I work, it’s never enough,” she paused, sniffing back tears that threatened to spill over. “I even got a free tertiary examination slot and passed, but I’m on the verge of losing the admission because I can’t afford the tuition fees,”
Anna’s gaze met Cressida’s, her eyes brimming with tears as she slowly shook her head. “I’m tired…” She lamented, her voice cracking with despair. “I’m just fed up with everything. I’m tired of living. I’m tired of struggling to survive. I just want it all to end. I don’t know what to do.”
She dissolved into tears, but before they could even fall, Cressida enveloped her in a warm hug.
“It’s fine, Anna,” Cressida soothed. “No matter what happens, you should never tire of living or surviving. Life itself is a gift. You shouldn’t hate yourself for struggling—that’s what makes you human.”
“But what’s the point of struggling this much when there’s nothing to show for it?” She asked, her voice heavy with frustration. “Apart from working here as a maid, I have over five part-time jobs just to make ends meet, but it’s never enough to get my mom’s medicine, or even feed ourselves properly.”
Cressida patted Anna’s back, hoping to calm her down. “Anna, what doesn’t kill you strengthens you…” she said, trying to offer some motivation. But Anna shook her head emphatically, her eyes locked on Cressida’s, as she released herself from Cressida’s embrace.
“No,” she objected, her voice firm. “That’s not the case for me. What doesn’t kill me is tormenting me? It’s torturing me, making me question the reason for my existence.”
“You–” Cressida tried to interject, but Anna’s words poured out in a torrent of pain.
“No,” she cut Cressida off, her voice rising. “You can’t understand me. You don’t feel what I’m feeling. You know nothing of what I’ve been through—from my father and brother’s death to not getting any compensation despite their work-related deaths,”
Tears streamed down Anna’s face as the discussion reopened old wounds. “Only justice could strengthen me, but where was it when we were chased out of our home? Where was it when my mother collapsed? Where was it when I had to drop out of school just for my life to get more miserable every day?”
Anna took a deep breath, calming herself. “I appreciate your kindness, but I’m not sure I can be strong. What’d make me stronger? What’s worth getting strong for?”
“All I want right now is to get my mother the treatment and enroll in university.”
The door swung open and Alaric wheeled himself into the kitchen. “If that’s what you really want, let’s do it,” he said, his eyes meeting theirs as he continued. “I enjoy seeing people rise from weak to strong, so I’ll support my wife in empowering you.”
“I–” Anna’s lips trembled as she began to speak, but Alaric raised his hand, silencing her.
“I’m angry at you, and if I’d control over the situation, you wouldn’t be here right now,” he let out, his gaze boring into Anna with a stern expression. He shifted his gaze to Cressida, who was watching him with amazement. “Because of her, I’ll do this. I’ll show mercy and back it up with kindness…”
He pulled out his phone and unlocked it with his fingerprint, his eyes returning to Anna. “Let me have your mother’s details—her name and the hospital she’s currently admitted to—so I can give orders.”
Cressida and Anna’s eyes were fixed on Alaric, their faces a picture of astonishment. The sudden shift in his demeanor left them both speechless. They were still reeling from the realization that he’d been listening to their conversation, and now he was offering to help?
It didn’t add up. What had triggered this change in his behavior?