The Edge of Despair

Racheal exploded through the house doorway, her ragged breathing and raw screams filling the air. "Kate! Mom!"

The house was eerily silent. The usual hum of the television, the clinking of dishes, the soft murmur of her mother's voice, all absent. The emptiness clawed at her chest as she darted from room to room, throwing open doors, peering into corners, hoping, praying to find them safe.

But no one was at home. She yanked her phone from her pocket, her fingers trembling as she dialed Kate's number for the fifth time. It rang. And rang. And rang.

No answer. Her throat tightened as dread curled around her like a noose. She had sent multiple texts, each unanswered. With every passing second, panic tightened its grip. Where were they? Had someone taken them? Was this another one of her father's twisted games?

The thought sent her crashing to her knees in the middle of the living room. A choked sob tore from her throat as she clutched at her chest, her vision blurring.

"Who have I offended?!" she wailed, her voice cracking with despair. "This is too much!"

"I can't take it anymore!"

Tears streamed down her face as the weight of the past days bore down on her. The lies. The betrayals. The deaths. And now, her mother and Kate are missing.

A shrill ring cut through her sobs. Her phone.

Her heart lurched as she snatched it up. Kate's name flashed on the screen.

She scrambled to answer. "Kate! Kate, where are you? Where's Mom? What's going on?!"

Kate's voice trembled at the other end. "Racheal! Mom's unconscious. She, she took something. I think it's poison, but I am not sure."

The words struck Racheal like a thunderclap. Her breath hitched, her mind reeling. "Poison? What? No, no, she wouldn't, she wouldn't do that!"

"I don't know!" Kate sobbed. "I just, I found her on the floor, barely breathing! "The housekeepers assisted me in getting her to the hospital. You need to come right away!"

Racheal staggered to her feet, her legs wobbling beneath her. "Which hospital?"

"Festac Private Hospital. Please, Racheal, hurry!"

The call ended before Racheal could respond. Her mind whirled as she grabbed her purse, yanked open the front door, and ran outside. She flagged down the first taxi she saw, barely waiting for it to stop before she jerked the door open and leapt in.

"Festac Private Hospital! Please! Fast!"

The driver, sensing her urgency, wasted no time, swerving into traffic as Racheal gripped the seat, her breaths coming fast and shallow. The city blurred past her, buildings and lights melting into a chaotic haze.

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as a fresh wave of fury and helplessness surged through her.

Minutes felt like hours, but at last, the hospital came into view.

The moment the car screeched to a stop, Racheal threw money at the driver and bolted inside. The hospital's harsh fluorescent lights burned her eyes as she rushed to the reception desk.

"My mom! Where is she? Harriet George! "She was just brought in!" she demanded, her voice shaking.

The receptionist, startled by Racheal's desperation, quickly checked her records. "Room 304. Third floor."

Racheal didn't wait. She sprinted to the stairs, ignoring the elevator, ignoring the people she shoved past. Her legs ached, but she pushed forward.

On the third floor, she turned sharply, her shoes screeching against the tiled floor as she spotted Kate sitting outside Room 304, her face buried in her hands.

"Kate!"

Kate's head shot up, her face streaked with tears. She jumped to her feet, collapsing into Racheal's arms.

"Racheal, she's not waking up. The doctors.."

"Where is she?" Racheal cut in, her grip tightening on Kate's shoulders.

Kate pointed to the door, her bottom lip trembling. "They're inside with her now. I don't know if she's going to make it."

Racheal's heart clenched. She released Kate and shoved the door open.

Inside, her mother lay still on the hospital bed, tubes attached to her arms, her chest rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths.

A doctor stood beside her, checking the monitors. He looked up as Racheal entered.

"Are you her daughter?"

"Yes," she gasped, stepping closer. "Is she going to be okay? What happened to her?"

The doctor exhaled. "She ingested a high dose of a toxic substance. We managed to stabilize her for now, but it's critical. If she hadn't been brought in sooner…"

He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication made Racheal's knees weak.

She grabbed her mother's hand. "Mom? Can you hear me? It's me, Racheal. Please, wake up. Please…" Her voice cracked as she pressed her forehead against their intertwined hands.

She waited, hoping for the faintest squeeze of her fingers. But nothing.

Kate stepped in, standing beside her, silent tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Why would she want to hurt herself," the doctor continued. "Do you have any idea if she was under any stress?"

Racheal's lips parted, but no words came out. Of course, she had been under stress. Their father had been a monster. He had ruined everything. And now, even in death, he was still destroying them.

The room felt suffocating. Racheal sobbed uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking.

"You're all I have got, Mom. You're not going to die."

"The housekeepers assisted me in getting her to the hospital. You need to come right away!" 

"Please don't do this to me…" she pleaded repeatedly, tears wetting their joined hands.

The doctor interrupted gently. "Miss George, please, you need to leave the room. There is a probability she could still make it, but we need to make sure she is not suffocated now."

Kate took Racheal by the arm, guiding her outside, and they waited, suspended in a state of agonizing uncertainty.

Days blurred together as they spent their time going back and forth between their house and the hospital. Ever since Richard's death, a series of horrific events have unfolded.

Then, one morning, a whisper of hope. Racheal had dozed off in the hospital chair when she felt a faint grip on her fingers. Her eyes flew open. "Mom?"

Harriet George's eyelids fluttered open, her gaze unfocused but alive.

"Mom!" Racheal gasped, clutching her hand. "Oh, thank God!"

But Harriet barely acknowledged her. Instead, she muttered, "Why am I still alive?" A deep sob tore from her throat. "I should have died, Racheal."

"Richard is gone. The man I loved killed my only son. Why should I be alive then?"

"No, Mom! You have the twins, you have me, you have Kate. "Don't say that!"

Racheal sobbed, shaking her mother's arm gently.

Harriet let out a hollow laugh. "Can't you see? The Georges family is cursed. I don't want to live anymore. Let me go."

"Mom, stop!" Racheal cried.

"No, I won't stop, Racheal! Take me out of this place! Let me go and kill myself! Maybe you should join me!"

Kate, shaken, slipped out of the room and alerted the nurses. One returned with a syringe, injecting Harriet quickly. Within seconds, her body relaxed as she drifted into unconsciousness.

But just as Racheal thought the worst was behind them, the doctor's expression turned somber.

"Miss George, there's something else you need to know. The poison your mother ingested has caused temporary paralysis."

Racheal's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the doctor, her world tilting on its axis.

"Paralysis?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor nodded solemnly.

"The poison severely weakened her system. It's temporary, but she will need time and therapy to regain full mobility."

A sharp cry tore from Racheal's throat as she clutched at her chest. "No... no, this can't be happening."

"We're sorry, Miss George," the doctor said softly. "But with proper care and treatment, she will recover."

Kate placed a trembling hand on Racheal's shoulder. "She's still alive, Racheal. We can get through this."

Racheal wiped her tears and inhaled deeply. "She needs us now more than ever. We have to be strong."

Days later, Harriet was discharged from the hospital, but a dark cloud loomed over the Georges household. She refused to eat, refused to speak unless spoken to, and spent hours staring blankly at the walls. Racheal had assigned housekeepers to watch her at all times, but even that didn't ease her growing anxiety.

Racheal had buried herself in the family wine business, ensuring its stability.

Ruth, one of the housekeepers, took on most of Harriet's caregiving duties while Kate, now heavily pregnant, spent her days reading in the sunroom.

One afternoon, Ruth took Harriet for a walk around the estate. The sun was gentle, and the air crisp. It was supposed to be a simple, uneventful stroll.

But hours later, Ruth returned alone.

Racheal's stomach twisted as she saw Ruth without Harriet.

"Where's my mother?" she demanded, her voice sharp and frantic.

Ruth hesitated, her face pale.

"She told me to leave her at Silent River… she insisted, Miss Racheal. She told me to go."

Racheal's heart nearly stopped. "Silent River?" The words came out as a whisper before panic set in. 

She didn't wait for a response. She grabbed her car keys and sprinted outside, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she sped toward the river.

"Kate! Call David! Tell him to meet me at Silent River now!"

Her pulse hammered wildly in her ears. Harriet knew what Silent River was, it was the place where broken souls went to disappear.

Please, God, don't let me be too late.

As she screeched to a halt and stumbled out of the car, the scene before her slammed into her like a freight train.

Nothing had prepared her for this.

Her breath caught in her throat, her body locked in a frozen stance, unable to process the sight that unfolded before her eyes.