Tied by Law, Torn by Love

k to the floor, unable to bear the weight of her thoughts. Her hands tremble

nce full of life, now felt like lifeless limbs, paralyzed by the weight of the disaste

ing ruins. Once a towering structure, the building now lay as a crumbling heap of ruins, its remnants cloaked in black, like the shadow

w?" she thought, a suffocatin

he fire, and the devastating sight made her pain feel even more

in her chest. She had spent eight agonizing hours outside the operating room, her mind a blur of prayers and f

er. That small flicker was like a lone ray of light piercing through a suffocating darkness, a reminder that amidst the ruins, there was

red remains of her father's supermarket. According to the employee

e fire into a ravenous beast, devouring everything in its path. Efforts to extinguish it were futile against the relentless

rusted associates when, without warning, he collapsed-clutching his

her own silent screams. After a flurry of activity in the emergency room,

upermarket was nothing more than a skeleton of ash and twisted metal. No wonder her father's

o this?" she whispered to herself, her voice t

lice tape-a fragile barrier trying to contain the chaos that had already spilled into her life. The biting

ows, their presence both distant and suffocating. Then she noticed so

dy felt heavy, not just from exhaustion, but from the crushing w

her father's most trusted confidants, his v

oat dry. "What exactly happened?" Her gaz

he cause of the fire, Miss,"

uldn't afford to act like a restless child, demanding imm

on the current impact of the fire," the employee said

in her tone. The weight of it all pressed against her skull, making her head throb a

h a slight tilt of her head toward a café not f

s Elena," the em

will contact you as soon as we have a new lead." The policeman

stark contrast to the devastation outside. A golden chandelier cast a soft glow

air, a fleeting comfort in the midst of the chaos that had overtaken her life. Despite its inviting atmosphere, the café was subdued-only

, they settled into their

?" the employee asked ge

teady but laced with exhaustion. "I don't think anyo

just been shattered. Elena refused to wear a mask of calmness in front of others, choosing instead

t that reflected the gravity of his own situation-his job, his livelihood, now in jeopardy because of the f

g wrong. Thank you for your concern. Now, let's move forward," she continued,

slid across her tongue. But no matter how soothing the taste, it couldn't quell the st

goods left to sell. Worse, the warehouse contained items from suppliers that had yet to be paid for-a considerable sum, Miss." With a resigned sigh, he slid a file acros

d beginning to study it. Naturally, she was curious since the

e haven't paid yet, Miss. They sent th

welled up inside her as she stared at the numbers piling up at th

d her face. "Where's the woman in charge of the finances? Why isn

easily, his gaze dr

with all the superma

word. Her eyes widened, locked onto the clerk as if

been ripped away. It felt like being struck with a sledgehammer-every problem

elief wrapped around her like a suffocating fog. Her vision blurred with tears threatenin

ponsibility pressing on her chest now seemed unbearable, doubling with every breath.

felt-she might not be able

contin