Poisonous addiction

down the street, dropping off newspapers at each doorstep with a practised rhythm. H

ight for the washroom. Just as she began to cleanse t

the coffee shop

ned, caught off g

in her stomach. "Tom, you never mentioned you were appl

ed to do something to help out, Jules. You're not the on

ftening. "I know, and I appreciate that you're trying

"Can you accept that it's impossible, Jules? Seven thousand dollars in a w

or a response, her emotions a mix of shock, hurt, and confusion. "Tom, that's uncalled

ating the very breath from their lungs. Julia could feel the weight of Tom's wo

sudden realisation dawning on her. "Mayb

d slightly, the harshn

don't know what e

et steady. "But Mum's health is my responsibility. An

t married to a rich man. I'm not even dating one," she said with a wry smile. "

before he could finish up his sentence Julia threw down the clothes she was holding, and angrily left, she r

of the emotional turmoil raging inside Julia's heart. As the echoes faded, silen

vision of beauty, her slender brown eyes shimmering with unspoken pain, her perfectly pointe

precious memory. The delicate fabric floated gracefully as she sl

hs of her reflection, she saw not only the physical beauty that she possessed, bu

pair, instead finding a sliver of hope in the bus

a turned away from the mirror and headed towards the door. Each step was a march towards

m, her younger brother, but also the potential to secure a future for her beloved mother. Taking a deep bre

ound her brother Tom, his attention f

ed, her voice soft and contrite. "I jus

a mixture of regret and understandi

Julia added with a wry smile,

heaviness that had hung between them. "Well, if you ev

t of their predicament. But just as she bent to buckle her sanda

Julia added with a wry smile,

heaviness that had hung between them. "Well, if you ev

t of their predicament. But just as she bent to buckle her sanda

aper and unfolded it. The words on the page leaped out a

ompensated $100,000 per month. Interested parties should submit a personal application in-person to a

hope had pierced the

efully folded it. As she tucked it into her bag,

kindle within her chest. With every step she took towards the city, the mysterious adv

nagged at her conscience. Was this opportunity a beacon of

ainful intimacy. Its sterile hallways, the crisp scent of disinfectant, the hushed whispe

es stained with blood, his lips tinged with crimson. The memory of her own screams echoed

r a moment, Julia wasn't a twenty-three-year-old woman standing in a ho

his time, she was here for her mother, and while the fear of losing another parent pulsed within her, Ju

hushed footfalls creating a symphony of activity. But for Julia, t

e doorway, bracing herself for the sight that awaited her. Inside, her mother lay in bed, her eyes

lia was adrift in a sea of memories. She relived the frantic moments at her father's side, her hands

raised his legs a bit higher than his head, she did everything she could think of as she waits for the emergency team, to her it seemed

cy room, she sat down on the chair in the waiting room, she threw her face on her palms as she prayed, she quickly remember

as going to give up any time soon. Ju

f regret, Julia's heart plummeted to the floor. The words he spoke were k

d. "We did everything we could

am, her wail a visceral reflection of

storm of their grief. They clung to each other as though their very lives depended on it

struggling to breathe, as though her grief were a physical weight pressing down upon her. In that mo

per, her voice barely audible o

across her face. She was surprised to see her daughter "T

r hand clasping her mother's with a ferv