Maya's Nightmare

Maya finally brought her half-paralyzed father home. The weight of responsibility pressed heavily on her shoulders, but she was determined. She would work tirelessly, like a beast of burden, to ensure her father's recovery. With Charlotte's help—covering the costs of therapy, medicine, and everything else—she was confident her father would regain his strength in no time. Her mother, however, was no longer with them. After Charlotte's father—or rather, Zoe's father—discovered what she had done, she fled, trembling like a frightened cat. 

Now, the roles of both mother and father fell squarely on Maya. She glanced at her siblings, their faces pale and unreadable, their expressions blank canvases waiting for someone to paint them with hope or despair. She stepped closer to them, her presence commanding yet weary. As the eldest, it was her duty to care for them, to guide them through this storm.