surrounding me

chapter seven- Evelyn

As everyone struggled to process Anvir's abrupt departure, a piercing scream echoed from Melissa's room. It was a sound so raw and unexpected that it froze us all for a moment before spurring us into action. My mother, father, and everyone else in the house rushed to her room, faces etched with concern and confusion.

We found Melissa on the floor, clutching her phone, her body wracked with sobs. I had never seen her like this—so utterly broken and vulnerable. She was always the strong one, the one who seemed invincible, but now she looked helpless, her tears soaking into the carpet.

"What happened, Melissa? Tell us, what's wrong?" my mother pleaded, her voice quivering with fear. My father knelt beside her, his stern demeanor softened by worry.

Gian and Ary hovered nearby, their faces pale and anxious. Even Lucy, who stood quietly beside me, looked stunned. She whispered, "I've never seen Melissa cry like this. What could have happened?"

Melissa's cries continued, each sob a knife in our hearts. My parents kept asking, their voices growing more frantic with each unanswered question. "Melissa, please, tell us what's going on!"

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Melissa managed to speak between her sobs. Her words came out in choked gasps. "I got a notification... a text from the hospital..."

The room fell silent as we all waited for her to continue, the air thick with tension and fear.

"It's from the hospital where I'm doing my third-year residency," she continued, her voice trembling. "They said... they said they're terminating my residency."

My mother's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. "No, Melissa, there must be some mistake!"

My father's face turned ashen, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Terminating? Why on earth would they do that?"

"They didn't give much detail," Melissa sobbed, her voice breaking.

Gian clenched his fists, anger flashing in his eyes. "This is unbelievable. How can they do this to you, Melissa? You've worked so hard!"

Ary's usual sarcastic demeanor melted away, replaced by genuine concern. "This isn't fair, Mel. We'll fight this. We'll find a way."

My mother pulled Melissa into her arms, rocking her gently. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. We'll figure this out." My father's face was grim, his mind no doubt racing with thoughts of what needed to be done. Gian and Ary looked at each other, their usual bickering forgotten in the face of this crisis.

And as the weight of the situation settled over us, I knew that whatever happened next, we would face it as a family. The room felt cold, the air heavy with unspoken fears, As everyone was still trying to process the news, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Melissa. Despite our strained relationship, seeing her so utterly devastated tugged at my heart. The tension in the room was palpable, every face etched with worry and uncertainty. Lucy, standing close to me, leaned in and whispered, "You know, Melissa deserved this. It's karma for all the years she bullied you."I glanced at her, surprised by the harshness of her words. "Lucy, I never wanted this for her," I said softly. Lucy's eyes flashed with anger as she recalled the past. "Remember how she pushed you into the pool that summer? She knew you couldn't swim, and you almost drowned. Or how she framed you in high school for cheating on that exam? The students made your life a living hell after that. Those memories came flooding back, each one a painful reminder of the torment Melissa had put me through. I could still feel the icy water closing over my head, the panic as I struggled to stay afloat, the laughter of onlookers mingling with my desperate gasps for air. My heart pounded as I remembered the mortification and terror.

In high school, being framed for cheating was a different kind of drowning. The whispers, the stares, the constant taunting from classmates—they were relentless. I had been a pariah, isolated and humiliated, my reputation shattered by Melissa's cruel machinations. Each day had been a battle to keep going, to endure the scorn and derision heaped upon me. Lucy continued, her voice laced with bitterness. "She's always been the bossy one, always had everything under her control. This is the first time she's facing real consequences." I looked at Melissa, crumpled and broken, her tears flowing freely. It was true that she had always been in control, the one who dictated the terms of our interactions. But now, seeing her so vulnerable, I couldn't bring myself to feel satisfaction. Instead, I felt a deep sadness for her.

"Yes, she's been awful to me," I admitted, "but I never wanted her to suffer like this. Nobody deserves to have their dreams crushed." Lucy's expression softened slightly, but she remained resolute. "You have a kinder heart than she does, Eve. But maybe this will teach her a lesson. Maybe she'll finally understand the pain she's caused." I wasn't so sure. Melissa had always been resilient, bouncing back from every setback with renewed vigor. But this time felt different. She had always been the unshakable one. Seeing her like this, shattered and helpless, made me wonder if she would ever be the same again.

I stood there, surrounded by my worried family, Melissa's fall from grace had shaken us all, exposing the cracks in our seemingly perfect family. And though I felt sorry for her, I also felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, in this moment of vulnerability, we could finally begin to heal the wounds that had festered for so long.  The room was heavy with unspoken emotions, a cold and oppressive weight that seemed to settle over everything. As my mother continued to comfort Melissa, and my father tried to think of solutions,

..

After some time, as everyone sat around the dining table, an oppressive silence hung in the air. The weight of recent events made the atmosphere heavy, and each clink of cutlery against plates seemed magnified. Suddenly, Melissa broke the silence, her voice cutting through the tension. "How is Anvir doing?" she asked, her tone laced with an unexpected concern. I looked up, momentarily confused by the sudden question. "I don't know," I replied, my voice cautious.

"Why don't you know? What happened?" she pressed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

I felt a pang of unease at her persistence. "I haven't heard from him," I admitted.

Melissa's face softened with a mix of concern and confusion. "Anvir was fired from the hospital. His medical license was suspended too." Anvir too? The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Ary, always quick to voice her thoughts, exclaimed, "Wait, Anvir too? What is happening to our family?" The room erupted into a flurry of worried murmurs. My father, a pillar of composure, looked visibly shaken. He immediately began pulling out his phone, scrolling through his contacts, seeking answers. A close friend of his contacted him almost instantly, his voice trembling with fear.

"What did you do to offend Christopher Hemsworth?" the friend asked, his tone urgent. My father's face, usually so calm and unreadable, showed signs of deep worry. "I did nothing," he replied, his voice strained. "Why are you asking me this now?"

"You don't know?" came the incredulous response. My father's silence spoke volumes. The realization dawned on his face, a reaction I had never seen before. It was a mixture of disbelief and anxiety. The friend continued, "Christopher Hemsworth is the one who ordered the hospitals to terminate Melissa and Anvir."

A collective gasp filled the room. My mother clutched her chest, her eyes wide with shock. Ary looked around, her usual bravado replaced with genuine fear. Gian, usually so composed, sat in stunned silence. I felt as if the ground had shifted beneath me. Christopher Hemsworth, the man who had shown me such unexpected kindness, was behind the unraveling of our family's professional lives. It didn't make sense. Why would he do this?

My father, his face ashen, ended the call. He looked at each of us, his expression a mix of despair and determination. "We need to get to the bottom of this," he said, his voice resolute despite the tremor in his hands. As the reality of the situation sank in, I couldn't help but feel a whirlwind of emotions. There was confusion, anger, and a deep-seated fear for what this meant for all of us. But amidst it all, there was also a glimmer of resolve.  We were facing an unprecedented crisis, and the answers we sought lay with a man who seemed to hold all the power. The thought of confronting Christopher filled me with dread, but also a strange sense of anticipation. He had been my savior, yet now he was the architect of my family's suffering.  As we sat around the table, the magnitude of what lay ahead loomed large, and I knew that our lives would never be the same again.