I opened my eyes.
I was lying on my bed, still holding my father’s photo frame.
I hadn’t even realized when I had fallen asleep.
I went downstairs and saw Mom sleeping on the sofa.
When did she come home?
I wondered as I walked over to her.
“Mom,” I said softly, gently shaking her shoulder.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me for a few seconds, still half asleep.
“When did you come home last night?” I asked once she was fully awake.
“I didn’t even notice you.” “I came home late,” she replied softly.
“Mom, I’ve been thinking of a way to arrange the money.” “I thought…
maybe we could sell this house and move into a smaller one.” I said hopefully while holding her hands.
To me, the house didn’t matter.
As long as my parents were safe and healthy, I could live anywhere.
“Actually…” Mom looked down.
Guilt was written all over her face.
She slowly pulled her hands away from mine and stood up.
“Actually what, Mom?” I asked, confused.
She took a deep breath.
“As the company kept suffering one loss after another, no one was willing to invest in it.” “So your father took out a loan by mortgaging this house.” My eyes widened.
“It’s already been months, and we still haven’t been able to repay it because the company never recovered.” She paused before continuing.
“I even went back to ask for another loan.” “But they refused.” “We haven’t repaid the previous one yet.” Her voice was filled with helplessness.
I stood there in silence.
It felt as though every possible path was slowly closing.
It felt like we were trapped.
There was no way out.
“What will we do now, Mom?” I asked quietly.
“We’ll find a way.” “We have to,” she replied.
I walked over and hugged her tightly.
“Don’t worry, Mom.” “We’ll definitely find a way.” She hugged me back.
We stayed like that for a few more seconds before pulling away.
Tears lingered in Mom’s eyes.
I gently wiped them away.
“Mom, why are you worrying so much when your daughter is here?” I said, folding my arms with a small smile.
A faint smile finally appeared on her face.
Seeing her smile brought a smile to my face as well.
I didn’t want her to carry all this burden alone.
“Go freshen up,” Mom said gently.
After freshening up, we prepared breakfast and left for the hospital.
When we reached Dad’s room, we found him sleeping peacefully.
He seemed weaker with each passing day.
Hearing our footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
“Dad,” I said with a smile, “we brought breakfast for you.” “You must be hungry, right?” He slowly nodded.
“I’ve been waiting for you two,” he said softly.
“I wanted to eat the delicious food made by my wife,” Dad said with a weak smile.
A smile appeared on my face, and I saw Mom smile too.
But the smile on her face quickly turned sad.
She silently opened the lunch box.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
I turned toward it.
The last person I had expected to see was standing there.
“Hello, Mr.
and Mrs.
Parker,” Ryan said politely.
“What are you doing here?” I asked coldly.
“Sophia, how are you talking to your friend?” Mom scolded gently.
“He came to visit us.” “It’s alright, Mrs.
Parker,” Ryan said, looking at me.
Then he smiled slightly.
“I’m actually here to help you.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Mahekstories Thank you for reading Bound to My Bully.