Fate would not allow deception.
Everyone has their own destiny. Fate is a fickle thingit can drown you in despair until you can barely breathe, or lift you with such joy it steals your breath away.
Emily was still young, inexperienced in life, yet her fate had already been written. On that bitter winters day, she stood by her grandmothers grave, the frozen earth swallowing the last remains of the only family she had ever truly known. Inside her, there was nothing left but a dull, aching void. At ten years old, she had been taken in by her grandmother, Grace, after her parents had passed.
A light snow drifted down, but she barely noticed. The few mourners who had come trickled away from the cemetery until only a handful remained. Then, her cousin, Oliver, approachedsomeone she hadnt spoken to in years. He had never visited Grace. His mother, Graces eldest daughter, had been estranged from her.
Oliver leaned in, his voice low and cold.
*”You wont be staying in Grans house. Pack your things and leave today. Ive as much right to it as you. And dont you dare argue.”*
He didnt ask for Emilys agreement. He declared it as fact. And she had no strength left to fight. These past months, Grace had been bedridden, and Emily had cared for her until the end. There was no point reasoning with Oliverhed throw her out regardless. And the weight of grief still pressed down on her.
The wake was held in a small café. Oliver didnt even bother showing up. Only a handful of people came. When Emily returned home, her bags were already by the door.
*”Take a last look. I didnt pack everything,”* Oliver said. *”Now go.”*
Emily stepped outside, clutching her two suitcases, with nowhere to go. But just then, her neighbour, Margaret, peered out from her gate.
*”Emily, come inside,”* she called.
Once inside, Emily collapsed onto a chair, all her painloss, anger, betrayalbursting out in ragged sobs. Margaret brought her a glass of water.
*”Stay with us for now. Well figure something out. Rest. Things will seem clearer in the morning.”*
Two days later, Emily returned to work as a nurse at the hospital. She was kind-hearted, with warm eyes that usually shone with cheerbut now, they were shadowed with sorrow. Everyone at the hospital knew about Grace. Patients and staff alike adored her, often joking about her gentle touch.
*”Emily, love, just seeing you makes me forget my aches,”* teased an elderly patient named George. *”Ah, if only I were seventeen again…”*
She smiled faintly, grateful for the affection. She loved her work, loved helping people. The head nurse, Eleanor Whitmore, even offered her the use of her cottagea long commute, but better than nothing.
*”We only use it in summer. Youd have to heat it, but its liveable. Something will turn up by then.”*
Emily was about to accept when Dr. Thomas Harrison approached. Handsome, confident, and new to the hospital, he had an easy charm. At thirty, his sudden interest in her was a shock.
*”Emily, I heard about your situation,”* he said, his voice warm. *”My grandmother raised me too. My parents divorced young, started new families, and I was left with her. I noticed you the day I arrivedyour eyes are like a spark of light in this place.”*
Emily blushed as he smiled.
*”I like you. And I want you to come live with me.”*
She stiffened. *”But… what about Dr. Charlotte? Everyone says youre together.”*
Thomas laughed. *”God, these rumours. Charlotte and I went to uni together. Were friends, nothing more. And please, stop with the formalitiesIm not some old man.”*
Charlotte Whitfield, the anaesthetist, was stunningbrilliant, vivacious. Emily had admired her, though shed always sensed something sharp in her gaze.
Now, Thomas was offering her a place to stay. She couldnt believe it.
*”I cant agree just like that,”* she murmured. *”What will people say? And living alone with you…”*
*”I understand. But my flat is hugeyoull have your own room. I promise I wont push anything. And you wont be alone with me. My grandmother, Margaret, lives there too. Shell adore you.”*
Emily hesitated, then agreedon one condition.
*”Lets tell people you hired me to care for her.”*
Thomas grinned. *”Brilliant. Just like that.”*
She moved in. The staff believed the cover story. And Margaret was everything Thomas had promisedwarm, kind-hearted. When she heard Emilys story, she wept.
*”My dear, Im so glad Thomas found you. Life sorts itself out. Ive been telling him to settle down for years.”*
Time passed. Emily grew close to Margaret. Thomas was often at work, their shifts rarely overlapping. He smiled, hugged her, whispered how glad he was she had come.
*”I hope this becomes something more,”* hed say.
But Margaret grew curious.
*”Emily, forgive an old woman for prying… but why do you and Thomas sleep apart? Young people these days usually share a bed straight away.”*
Emily flushed. *”I like him. But I cant just… jump into things.”*
She was happy. She rushed home from work, where Margaret would greet her with tea and stories, just like Grace used to.
*”Im so glad Thomas chose you,”* Margaret often said. *”Youre exactly what he needsgentle, kind, caring.”*
Then came the day Thomas took her for a walk.
*”Gran is very ill,”* he confessed. *”Cancer. She doesnt knowI dont want her to worry. But she forgets her medication. You must make sure she takes it. If she doesnt…”* His voice cracked. *”I couldnt bear to lose her.”*
*”Of course,”* Emily murmured.
He pulled her close, kissing her fiercely before she pushed him awaynot here, not in public.
But something felt wrong.
That night, restless, she crept to Thomass doorleft ajar. She froze.
*”Can you believe it, Charlotte?”* he was saying into the phone, laughing. *”She bought it. Of course she didshes naïve. The plans working. Soon, the old woman will be gone, and by our wedding day…”*
Emilys hands trembled as she recorded every word.
*”Dont worry, darling,”* he crooned. *”We sleep apart. Shes not my typeand Ive only got eyes for you.”*
Her blood ran cold.
The next morning, after Thomas left, Emily confronted Margaret. The old woman was perfectly healthy.
When Thomas returned, Margaret handed him a thick envelope.
*”Take the money. Leave. I know what you planned to do. And if you dont go, Ill take this recording to the authorities.”*
He vanished. No goodbye, no explanation.
And Emily? She stayed with Margaret.
Who knowsperhaps one day, that grand London flat will be hers.
