Chapter 176
Mia found herself standing in the middle of a wide, open clearing.
The ground beneath her was soft. Her breath was quick, shallow, as if she had been running, and the wild thump of her heart echoed in her ears.
She turned around, confused, her eyes darting in every direction. Trees surrounded the clearing, tall and dark. Something was wrong, something felt
very, very wrong.
There was someone with her.
A man.
They were running. Together. But she couldn’t see his face. It was blurred out, as if something had refused to let her see him clearly. Still, her body recognized him, her soul pulling her forward to keep up with him.
They ran, the leaves crunching beneath their feet.
And then-
The man slipped.
She gasped as he fell, his body falling into a wide pit that had appeared out of nowhere. His scream pierced the air, raw and desperate.
“Help me!”
She dropped to her knees at the edge, her hands trembling. The man’s face was still shadowed, but the voice–it made her freeze.
It was Alex.
It had to be Alex.
Her breath caught in her throat, her body suddenly moving with a force she didn’t know she had. She leapt up, eyes scanning the area around her until she spotted a rope on the ground not far from the pit. She didn’t question where it came from. She grabbed it with both hands, ran back, and threw one end into the pit.
“Hold on! I’m going to pull you out,” she called, her voice shaking with urgency.
She braced her feet into the soft ground and began to pull with everything she had. Her muscles strained, the rope digging into her palms. The man’s hands gripped the rope tightly, and slowly, inch by inch, he rose from the shadows.
“Oh thank you,” he said breathlessly, sounding relieved.
Something shifted.
The voice changed.
It wasn’t Alex anymore.
It was darker.
Mia’s eyes widened as fear wraps around her. She stumbled back, dropping the rope. The pit disappeared. The clearing darkened. She opened her mouth
to scream–but everything dissolved into blackness.
She woke up gasping.
Her body was covered in sweat, her hair sticking to her forehead, her heart hammering in her chest.
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Chapter 176
She sat up quickly, trying to steady her breathing.
Beside her, Aiden stirred, his small face scrunching up as he blinked his eyes open sleepily.
“Mama?” he murmured, his voice groggy.
Mia looked down at him, guilt and worry instantly washing over her. “Did I wake you, baby?” she asked gently, her voice still trembling from the dream.
Aiden shook his head slowly, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his tiny hand. “No,” he said quietly.
Mia reached for him, pulling him close, letting his warm body rest against hers. He curled into her.
She held him tightly.
She rubbed his back gently, her eyes fluttering shut again. “Go back to sleep, baby,” she whispered, trying to sound soothing.
But sleep wouldn’t come so easily for her.
Her thoughts were too loud, too heavy.
Alex.
Why was she dreaming about him again?
Why did it feel so real…so urgent?
The next morning, Mia was up before her alarm rang.
She didn’t sleep much the night before…. Still, when the sun came up, she pulled herself out of bed quietly. She didn’t want to wake Aiden.
He had ended up in her bed again sometime during the night, his small arms wrapping tightly around her waist like he knew she needed comfort.
She stood in front of the mirror, smoothing down the simple blouse she’d picked out. It was the best thing she had. Her hair was tied in a neat bun, the lip balm gave her face a bit of life.
She didn’t go overboard. She couldn’t. Not with the limited makeup she owned, but at least she looked decent–presentable.
She had to. Today mattered.
Today could change her life.
Her hands trembled a little as she reached for her bag. She had double–checked everything, her resume, the printed copy of her application, and even the pen she always carried with her. It felt silly, but it brought her a sense of control.
Aiden was sitting at the dining table when she stepped out, still in his Spider–Man pajamas, swinging his feet as he munched on a bowl of cereal. Ethan sat beside him with a cup of coffee in hand, scrolling through something on his phone.
“Mama looks beautifu,” Aiden beamed, his cheeks full.
Mia smiled, heart softening. “You think mama looks beautiful?”
Aiden nods eyes wide with admiration.
Mia’s throat tightened slightly. Children didn’t know how much power their words held. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
Ethan looked up from his phone, nodding in approval. “You ready?”
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She nodded, though her stomach we doing fup
Alden will be staying with me, this reminded her gently, like she had not just banerying about that the entire morning
know,” she said softly, uning her fingers through her son’s hair,
Ethan offered her a warm smile. “We’ll be fine. I already told you, he’s in good hands.”
She knew that. She knew Ethan was doing everything he could to help her, and she appreciated it more than she could ever pot into words.
He didn’t have to. He wasn’t obligated to. But he did anyway.
As they stepped outside, the city was alive…cars honking, people rushing. It made everything feel more real, more serious.
The car ride was quiet for the most part.
Mia had already done some research on the company the night before, especially the department she was applying to. Marketing.
As they neared the building, she found herself thinking about the CEO. Mr.Alex.
She hadn’t seen his photo yet.
When she first saw the name during her research, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Her breath had caught in her throat, and for a few seconds. her fingers hovered over the keyboard like they didn’t know what to do.
Alex.
Of all the names in the world.
But then she reminded herself, there are millions of people with that name. She couldn’t go panicking every time she heard it.
Still, she sighed deeply and shook her head a little, trying to stay focused.
Maybe I should have looked into the CEO more, she thought, chewing her lower lip. She would’ve… but Aiden had distracted her the night before. He had insisted on sleeping in her bed and had kept talking about superheroes until he drifted off.
By the time he was fully asleep, she had been too tired to keep digging.
“Nervous?” Ethan’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Mia glanced at him, her lips twitching. “Maybe a little,” she admitted honestly. “It’s such a huge company?”
“You’ll be fine,” he reassured her, eyes still on the road. “Felix will receive you and take you to the interview hall.”
Felix.
Ethan’s friend, the one who got her drafted for the interview.
She had wanted to meet him since she got here.
Mia was grateful to him. She didn’t even know him, but she already felt a weight of gratitude toward him. He didn’t have to help. But he did.
And now she would finally be meeting him.
As they pull up in front of the company, Mia’s heart starts beating fast.
The building was huge,
No, gigantic. It towered over everything around it.
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People in clean suits walked in and out of the revolving doors, all of them looking like they had somewhere important to be.
Her palms grew sweaty.
Ethan parked the car and turned to look at her. “This is it.”
Mia stared out the window, oyes wide. It was more intimidating than she had expected. She could feel the nerves crawling up her spine again, threatening to choke her.
“You’ve got this,” Ethan said, giving her a soft nudge.
“Good luck, Mama,” Aiden chimed in from the backseat, stretching out his little hand to hold hers.
She turned to him, blinking fast to fight the tears building behind her eyes. “Thanks, baby,” she whispered, kissing his cheek gently. “Be good for Uncle Ethan, okay?”
He nodded seriously like it was the most serious promise in the world.
With one last deep breath, Mia opened the car door and stepped out, her heels clicking softly against the pavement.
She straightened her shoulders, adjusted her bag strap, and turned to give them a small wave.
This was it.
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