My vision was blurry. My breath came in haggard pauses, and it felt like I would cease to exist at any moment. No amount of physical pain could compare to the ache I was feeling in my chest.
Even when I tried desperately to deny the sight in front of me, nothing changed. My mother remained seated on the chair, her eyes frozen with disbelief, shock, and terror.
My mother. The woman who had stuck desperately by my side despite how much I denied her. The woman who struggled every day in her own home. The woman who suffered in silence. The woman who was there for me when I was at my lowest, and the woman who supported me till the very end.
My mother— that woman, was gone from my life now. I would never feel her warm embrace again. I would never see her radiant smile again.
I would never be able to grumble at her unrelenting talks of wisdom.
My mother… was dead?
