The room was silent as a ghost. Not a single sound stirred the air.
Had it not been for the faint woody fragrance clinging to the pillow slept by Erick, one might think Elin was alone.
Elin turned slowly, spreading her arms and placing her hands in the spot where Erick had lain, her palms gradually meeting. It was almost like she was holding him in an embrace.
As the warmth left her hands, the sadness in her heart started to grow, enveloping her completely.
Memories flooded like waves, the past events cold and unyielding Like the sea.
In her youth, Elin knew what it was Like to have a happy life. Her family wasn’t rich, but they were quite comfortable.
Elin’s father held an executive position at a major company, and Elin’s mother, Annis, worked in finance at the same firm. Concerned that she couldn’t look after Elin properly, Annis hired a nanny after Elin was born.
With their income at that time, affording a nanny’s monthly salary was a piece of cake.
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But those good times didn’t last. A senior executive at the company began showing interest in Annis, using work as an excuse to harass her. Trapped by their working relationship and authority, Annis endured his advances silently.
Interpreting Annis’ silence as compliance, the executive became more aggressive, eventually luring her to a drinking event to take advantage of her.
Annis desperately fled to the bathroom and called her husband, who rushed to her rescue. He was unfazed by the executive’s high status and determined to defend his wife against any threat.
The incident escalated quickly, with Elin’s dad dialing the cops. But because there were no cameras around the hotel and the power dynamics were tricky, plus the executive didn’t get what he wanted and Annis wasn’t seriously hurt, pressing charges was a tough call.
The company’s leadership talked with Elin’s parents separately, revealing the executive’s ties to the chairman. Suggestion of not to make a big issue of the incident without concrete evidence was given, together with the threat that dropping the charge and apologizing to the executive were required, should Elin’s parents still wanted their jobs. Only then would the executive not pursue the incident further.
Elin’s father was shocked to find they were seen as perpetrators rather than victims. He was adamant about not complying, but Annis, aware of the high stakes, understood that resisting could allow the executive’s influence to damage their reputations even beyond the company. Also, the chairman had promised to transfer Annis to avoid running into the executive again.
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Annis consented to drop the case but firmly refused to apologize, insisting they had done nothing wrong.
The company had to agree, and that should be the end of it.
But not long after, retaliation from the executive started. The projects under Elin’s father’s management encountered problems, and then Annis got accused of embezzlement. Things got worse for Elin’s father with his supposed slip-up causing a worker’s fatal fall.
Following their dismissal, the company made a public statement, leading other companies, both big and small, to avoid hiring Elin’s parents.
This led Elin’s father into a spiral of depression and nightly drinking. When intoxicated, he would often blame Annis, accusing her of causing his downfall.
Back then, little Elin, barely five, was always afraid her mother would get hurt.
To keep going, Annis swallowed her pride and took up jobs Like washing dishes and cleaning streets.
Worried about leaving Elin at home with her drunken husband, Annis took Elin with her wherever she went.
Young Elin was a well-behaved child, always patiently waiting for her mother.
Later, Elin’s father, while drunk, accidentally fell into a river and met his end.