As autumn drew to a close, Emily had finally decided on applying to university, though she had wavered for months over what she wanted to do with her life. Then, suddenly, it came to her—she would dedicate herself to medicine. She had always done well in school, and she lived with her parents in comfort, wanting for nothing. She had it all: loving parents, beautiful clothes, holidays by the sea, and gifts.
Her father worked in city administration, holding a high-ranking position. He denied his wife and daughter nothing, dressing Emily like a doll. He was certain of his daughter’s bright and secure future. Her mother didn’t work; she was a homemaker.
But fate has a way of turning everything on its head.
“Mum, I’m off!” Emily called between bites of toast as she bolted out the door, late for school again. She sprinted down the pavement, heart pounding. “Why did I stay up till three on my phone last night?” she scolded herself, but she just made it through the classroom door as the bell rang.
“Who’s chasing you?” her best friend, Sophie, teased as Emily collapsed into the seat beside her.
“No one—just overslept again,” Emily sighed as the lesson began, the girls exchanging exasperated glances.
After third period, their form tutor approached Emily, avoiding her eyes.
“You need to go home. There’s been—something with your father.”
“What? What happened?” Panic surged through her. She grabbed her bag and ran.
Outside the flat, neighbours stood in hushed clusters, an ambulance parked nearby, and police pulling up. Emily entered with two officers. Her mother wasn’t crying anymore—just swaying silently in her chair, hollow-eyed with grief. Her father lay motionless on the sofa.
“His heart, love,” a neighbour whispered. “His heart gave out.”
Emily rushed to her mother. They clung to each other, sobbing. The funeral passed in a blur. Neighbours came, offering condolences. Her mother turned to stone, barely speaking.
“Mum, please say something,” Emily begged, but her mother only stared blankly, as if seeing nothing at all. Then one morning, as Emily sat drinking tea, her mother walked into the kitchen and murmured,
“He’s calling me, love. Your dad.” Then her eyes fluttered, and she collapsed.
Emily shook her, screaming, “Mum! Mum—!” before bolting next door to Mrs. Hughes.
The ambulance arrived swiftly, but the doctor’s grim shake of the head said it all. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do.”
After that, time lost meaning. Mrs. Hughes took charge—Emily had no other family. Her mother had been an orphan, her father an only child. Teachers and classmates helped where they could. Slowly, Emily resurfaced, with Mrs. Hughes guiding her—feeding her breakfast, waiting after school, sharing dinners.
Exams came and went. Graduation passed. Dreams of university faded. She couldn’t afford to think about higher education now—survival came first. The money her parents left wouldn’t last forever.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hughes. You got me the job at the shop,” Emily said quietly one evening. “At least I’ll have my own wages now.”
“That’s the way, love. Life’s hard, but you’ll manage. You can always study later.”
Emily worked tirelessly, taking extra shifts—mopping floors, unloading deliveries. No one would’ve guessed this strong, determined girl had once lived so differently.
Then, one evening, two strangers approached her outside her building.
“Emily?” the woman asked.
“Yes. Do I know you?”
“We’d like to talk about your future. Maybe inside?”
Emily hesitated. “Why should I invite you in?”
“I’m Anna. This is Paul,” the woman said, nodding at the man beside her.
“Easy, love,” Paul chuckled. “We just want to chat. Out here’s not the place.”
Inside, they made their offer.
“We think you should sell this place. Four rooms for one girl? And the bills—they must be steep.”
“They are,” Emily admitted. “But I won’t sell. This is all I have left of them.”
Anna and Paul exchanged glances. “Think it over,” they said smoothly. “We’ll be in touch.”
Emily told Mrs. Hughes everything.
“Don’t you dare deal with them alone again!” the older woman snapped. “Next time, call me.”
But they kept calling, pressing. Then one night, they ambushed her again—Anna and a new man.
“We’ve told you. I’m not selling,” Emily said firmly, spotting Mrs. Hughes watching from her window.
Within moments, the older woman marched out. “Get lost. She’s not selling.”
Back inside, Mrs. Hughes dialled her son, Anthony—a police officer. He arrived fast, taking Emily’s statement.
“Call me if they come back,” he ordered.
Three days later, Anna and Paul cornered her at work, waiting until the last customer left.
“Don’t make this difficult,” Paul hissed. “Or you’ll lose that flat anyway.”
Emily’s fingers trembled as she tapped Anthony’s number. He answered just as the shop door burst open—officers flanking him.
Handcuffed, Anna and Paul were shoved into a squad car. Later, Anthony reassured her,
“They’re going away for a long time. You weren’t their first target.”
Time passed. Autumn faded, leaves spiralling down. Emily knew every regular at the shop—especially Mr. Harold, an elderly widower. One evening, he shuffled in, pale and unsteady.
“You don’t look well,” she said gently.
“Not myself today,” he admitted before collapsing.
Amid the panic, Emily spotted his phone—”son, James”—and called.
A deep voice answered. “Dad?”
“It’s Emily, from the shop. Your father’s ill—the ambulance is here.”
Silence. Then, “I’m on my way.”
At the hospital, James arrived, gratitude in his eyes. The next evening, he returned with flowers.
“Thank you. The doctors said you saved him.”
Emily flushed under his steady gaze.
During Harold’s recovery, James visited daily. On discharge day—Emily’s day off—they collected him together.
That night, James took her hand.
“I’m fifteen years older. Divorced. But I’ve never been surer of anything. Marry me.”
Emily didn’t hesitate.
James moved to her city, managing his business remotely while caring for his father. Emily enrolled in law school—James needed a solicitor in his firm.
Then, their son, Oliver, was born.
Now, they live in her parents’ flat, with Mrs. Hughes doting on the baby, happier than she’d ever imagined.
