A Silent Hope.

 Annabella walked through the long, clean hallways of the hospital, her heart heavy with worry and sadness. Each step echoed in her ears as she made her way toward the room where her mother lay. Despite knowing the bills had been paid and the surgery had been arranged, She could feel the pain of everything that had happened—the contract marriage, the revelations about Andrew's control, and now, her mother's critical state.

 The hospital, though modern, felt cold to her. There was no comfort in the quiet sound of machines or the distant chatter of nurses and cleaners.The closer she got to her mother's room, the more fear she feels.

 "Would her mother ever wake up? Would she ever see her smile again?" She thought. 

 She stopped at the door of the room and took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves before entering. Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The sight of her mother, lying still in the hospital bed, brought tears to her eyes. Tubes and wires connected to various machines surrounded her, and her face was pale, almost dead.

Annabella walked quietly to the side of the bed, pulling up a chair as she sat down. Her mother's chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths, but her eyes remained closed. 

 "Mom…" she whispered, reaching out to gently hold her mother's hand. It was warm but also also cold, no sign of life within it. "Please… please wake up. I need you." She said.

 Tears filled her eyes as she sat there, watching her mother, hoping for even the slightest movement. But there was none. Her mother remained still unconscious. 

 Annabella squeezed her hand gently, her voice trembling as she spoke again. "I'm sorry, Mom… I'm so sorry for everything. I just… I didn't know what else to do. I had no choice." I did it for you".

 Her mind went back to the contract marriage, to the sacrifices she had made to save her mother. She had entered into the agreement with Andrew out of desperation, but now she wondered if it had all been in vain. "Would her mother even survive? Or had she sold her body, her freedom, for nothing?

 "I wish you could just wake up," she said softly, brushing a strand of her mother's hair away from her face. "I wish you could be here with me, to tell me everything's going to be okay."

But no matter how much she wished, her mother remained silent, her eyes closed, her body still. It was as if she were trapped in another world, unreachable by anyone. Annabella's heart clenched painfully in her chest. She didn't want to think about the possibility of losing her mother, but the fear gnawed at her constantly.

For a moment, Annabella let herself dream. She imagined her mother waking up, sitting up in bed with a smile on her face, her eyes bright and full of life. She imagined her laughing, talking to her, telling her that everything would be alright, just like she used to. The thought brought a brief smile to Annabella's lips, but it quickly faded as reality set in once again.

Her mother wasn't waking up. Not today.

Annabella wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed deeply, trying to keep her emotions in check. She couldn't afford to break down, not now. She had to stay strong, for her mother's sake. But it was hard—so hard—to keep going when everything felt so uncertain.

"I'll come back tomorrow," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "And the day after that. I'll keep coming until you wake up, Mom. I promise."

She stood up from the chair and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her mother's forehead. For a brief moment, she stayed there, her lips lingering against her mother's skin, as if she could somehow transfer her strength and hope through that small gesture.

With one last glance at her mother's still form, Annabella turned and walked out of the room, the door closing softly behind her. As she made her way back down the hospital hallway, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Her mother was still unconscious, and there was nothing more she could do but wait.

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, a stark contrast to the darkness that swirled within her. Annabella stood for a moment, taking in the warmth of the sun on her skin, but it did little to lift the weight from her heart. She knew she had to return to Andrew's house, to the life she had chosen in exchange for her mother's well-being, but part of her wanted to stay at the hospital forever, by her mother's side.

 "I need you, Mom, she thought as she walked toward the car that was waiting for her. Please come back to me."

As she sat in the backseat, the driver started the engine, and the car began to move. Annabella stared out of the window, watching the city pass by, but her mind was elsewhere—back in that hospital room, with her mother. She prayed silently, hoping that somehow, her mother would wake up soon, that she would recover and everything would go back to normal.