560: SHACKLED TO THE GRIEF

ARIEL'S POV Stumbling out of the hospital, every memory I had of my mother came flooding back to me. I remembered the days we'd spent baking cookies in the kitchen, her laughter filling the air as I made a mess with the flour. I remembered the nights we'd stayed up late, talking about our dreams and our fears, her hand resting gently on my shoulder. I remembered the way she'd held me when I was sad; her embrace was warm and comforting. And now, those memories were all I had left. I felt like I was drifting through a fog, my mind and body numb with grief. I walked without direction, without purpose, my feet carrying me through the streets as the night deepened around me. I thought about the last time I'd seen my mother, how I'd left her house with a smile, telling her I'd see her soon. Little did I know that it would be the last time I ever saw her alive. I felt sick and dizzy as the full weight of my loss hit me. My mother was gone, and there was nothing I could do to bring her b