WITH STRENGTH IN THE HEART

CHAPTER ONE

Throughout the day, she had been receiving the same condolences, "Sorry for your loss; accept my condolences," repeatedly.

However, she found herself unable to respond to any of them. The shock of her loss weighed heavily on her, and although some of the condolences seemed heartfelt, others came across as insincere.

She refused to accept the fact that this was happening

Her dad had just been buried, and even though he had passed away two months ago, it still shocked her to think about it. She wasn't extremely close to her dad, but she still loved him regardless and couldn't believe how cruel death could be. She looked up and saw her devastated siblings surrounding their grieving mother, drawing strength from one another. Despite needing to join them, she didn't have the strength to comfort anyone. Since the incident, she hadn’t spoken to anyone and had locked herself in her room, isolating herself from everyone as she tried to come to terms with it. She still vividly remembers how she received the news.

She had just come back from the outpatient care and was extremely tired. She just sat down on the sofa when she got a call from one of her sisters

"Madam," she greeted her sister Sharon tiredly. Sobbing, Sharon called out to her sister, "Stephanie..."

The tone of her sister’s voice dragged her upright in a panic. "What happened? Where are you? Why are you crying?" Her questions spilled out in a frantic rush, her heart pounding against her ribs.

"It's Dad," she continued sobbing.

"Yes, what happened to him? Is he back from his trip?" she asked, her words filled with desperate impatience

"He had an accident," she cried loudly.

"WHAT!!! Where is he? Are you with him now? Which hospital?" She asked her sister hysterically, picking up her car keys.

"He is at Star Hospital.

“On my way.”

She didn’t know it then, but that night, her life would forever split into "before" and "after”. When she got to the hospital, she asked where her family was, and the nurse kindly showed her the way, and she quickly ran towards her mother, who was staring into space and mumbling - no doubt praying.

"Mom, what are the doctors saying? How bad is it? Sharon, say something! Why is nobody saying anything?" she asked hysterically, holding her mother’s hand, who gripped it tightly

Just then, a doctor walked towards them, his face solemn like he had practiced the words he was about to say to them. She hurriedly stood up and introduced herself, and he told them that her dad was in a critical state and that they were doing all they could to help him. He also informed them that her dad had requested to meet her. She quickly followed the doctor to see her dad

There he was, her hero, a man who always seemed invincible, who had stood tall through every storm, an embodiment of strength, just lying there hopelessly. She choked back a sob and ran towards him.

"Dad," she whispered, gripping his hand as if her touch could anchor him to life. His voice, once strong, was soft now, a mere shadow of the man he had been.

“Stephanie," her dad called to her softly. "I want you to know that I am proud of you. Take care of your sisters and your mom. Always know that I love you all," he rasped out.

"Don’t talk like that. It’s breaking my heart. All you should do now is try and focus on getting better," she said with teary eyes. Before she could finish, her dad went into shock.