As the first light of morning struggled through their curtains, Jake and Lucy’s apartment was already alive with the day’s first argument.

“Jake, how many times must we discuss this?” Lucy’s frustration was palpable. Holding her half-finished coffee, she rushed around the kitchen in yet another hurried morning. “We’re barely making ends meet, and it feels like you’re not even trying to find a solution.”

Jake, who was seated at their second-hand kitchen table, felt defeated. His meager factory salary made their dream of a proper home seem like a pipe dream. “I am trying, Lucy,” he responded, pulling at his hair.

His wife sat down, her anger softening to concern. “But it’s not just the money. It’s like you’re not here, even when you are. We’re drowning, and you don’t see it,” she sighed.

His eyes met hers. “I hear you, Lucy. We’ll sort this out. Together,” he affirmed, reaching for her hand.

A sudden call interrupted their moment. It was Rosa, Jake’s mother. “I’m feeling very sick… Can you take me to the hospital? I don’t think I can wait any longer,” she begged in a hoarse voice.

“Mom, can’t Ryan handle it?” Jake’s question was a shot in the dark; his brother was hardly reliable.

“I’ve tried him. No answer,” Rosa said thickly.

“Okay, Mom. I’m on my way,” he reassured her and hung up. Lucy’s momentary worries about money disappeared in the face of Rosa’s sickness.

At the hospital, Jake supported his visibly weakened mother. Ryan’s eventual appearance, nonchalant and late, sparked an immediate angry reaction. “You’re late,” he accused, unable to hide his frustration.

“Had some things to sort,” Ryan shrugged, which only made things worse. “What’s the big deal?”

“The ‘big deal’ is Mom’s sick, Ryan. Seriously sick,” Jake retorted, struggling to contain his anger in the sterile hospital corridor.

Their argument was halted by Dr. Thomas’s arrival, bringing the focus back to Rosa’s immediate needs and care. The doctor outlined Rosa’s medication regimen. Jake hoped the hospital could keep her longer, but the costs were astronomical.

“Okay,” Jake sighed. “We’ll take care of her at home.” He made all the arrangements while Ryan stayed silent. But his brother had the gall to bring up the fact that half of Rosa’s house belonged to him.

“You’re just going to leave all the responsibility to me, and yet, you’re worried about her house?” Jake asked.

“That’s just how it is,” Ryan said coldly before leaving his brother alone to care for their mother.

Jake had to call his wife and explain the situation, waiting for her to be even madder at him than that morning. “We need to move in with Mom for a while,” he said, and Lucy stayed silent for a few seconds.

“Okay. We’ll make it work. We always do,” she uttered at last.

Fortunately, while moving, they started looking at the bright side. They could save money by no longer paying rent, and it was very likely they would keep the house after Rosa passed.

However, the reality of caregiving was not what they expected. Everything felt overwhelming, and their actions became mechanical and strained. The atmosphere in the house turned tense, and it seemed like one or both of them would snap.

That happened one afternoon. After a particularly challenging day of managing medications, cleaning, and dealing with the myriad of Rosa’s needs, Lucy reached her breaking point.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said on the verge of tears. “I didn’t sign up to be a full-time caregiver. I feel like I’m losing my mind here.”

Jake was also tired, but he tried to find solace in unity. “Let’s work through this together. Think about the endgame,” he urged, but Lucy shook off his comforting hand.

Her patience had vanished. “No! I’ve had enough! It’s either your mother goes, or I do. I’m not a maid, and this isn’t what I envisioned our life to be. You need to decide what’s more important to you.”

This ultimatum left Jake torn. Facing his mother sometime later, he attempted to mask his despair. “Hey, Mom. How are you feeling?” he asked, hoping to sound upbeat.

Rosa’s following words only deepened his guilt. “I’m so grateful for you and Lucy and how you’ve cared for me,” she said. Jake hung his head discreetly, knowing that his innocent, sick mom had no idea what he was thinking.

A few days later, they were driving to a new place. Jake had found a religious nursing home for the elderly online, viewing it as his only solution. On the way there, he told his mother the great parts about it. “They have professionals there. It might be better for you,” he said cheerfully.

Despite his attitude, Rosa sensed something was up. “But what about you and Lucy? Having family nearby… isn’t that important too?” she asked.

“We’ll visit often,” Jake promised, though he saw Lucy’s unsympathetic glance from the passenger side. Still, he continued to talk up the new place for Rosa’s sake.

At the nursing home, Jake faced the administrator and licked his lips as he lied. “She… she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. We can’t provide the care she needs,” he said, avoiding his mother’s confused gaze.

Rosa, looking smaller and more vulnerable in the office chair, whispered, “But I don’t like it here, Jake. I want to go home.”

He reassured her. “You’ll be okay here, Mom. It’s a better fit. I’ll visit a lot, I promise.”

After settling his mother in her room, Jake encountered Dr. Thomas, who volunteered at this nursing home from time to time. The doctor asked about Rosa’s well-being, and Jake had to lie about the situation.

“She’s…recovering. Lucy and I are doing our best to take care of her at home. It’s just…the medications, they’re more expensive than we anticipated,” he said, avoiding the doctor’s eyes.

Dr. Thomas immediately offered them financial support, and Jake accepted it because it would benefit everyone, but his guilt doubled tenfold.

Back at Rosa’s house, Jake tried to make things better by preparing Lucy a special dinner, and for a while, it seemed everything was alright. But Dr. Thomas called him only a few hours later. He had discovered Jake’s lies and that Rosa had been admitted into the nursing home and wasn’t at home recovering as he had said.

Jake stumbled through an explanation, only to learn from the physician that his mother’s condition had worsened, and she needed immediate hospital care. He was shocked and drowning in regret for a few seconds before taking action.

“Okay, Dr. Thomas. We’ll meet you there,” he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper. After ending the call, he faced Lucy, her eyes wide with alarm. He couldn’t maintain his composure as he explained Rosa’s condition.

They went to the hospital to meet Dr. Thomas, who went into further detail about Rosa’s health. “She needs an immediate operation,” he insisted, his gaze locking with Jake’s. “But if you’re not able to afford the surgery, we have to consider the option of turning off the life support machines. It would allow her to pass away without any pain.”

The doctor left them in Rosa’s room to discuss the matter, and Jake felt the tears falling down his face, but his mind was filled with the upcoming years of mounting debt. They might even have to sell the house to pay for everything. What would they do then?

His troubling thoughts were interrupted when Lucy broke the charged silence.

“This could be a blessing in disguise,” she began, speaking quietly. “Once the machines are turned off, we won’t have any more obstacles. The house will be ours, free and clear. All our problems will be solved. We’ll find a way to get Ryan to forget his half-claim on the property.”

Jake was appalled, so he stopped her calculative plans and countered with the idea of selling the house to fund the surgery. Unfortunately, Lucy wasn’t having it. She had given up any pretense of humanity.

“And then what? We go back to struggling every day, worrying about bills and debts? I’m tired of living like that. It’s either the machines or me. You have to decide,” she snapped another ultimatum at her husband.

Jake knew it was wrong, but he saw her logic, too. Finally, he went to the corridor and told the doctor their decision, although the words felt alien as if someone else was saying them.

Dr. Thomas’s disappointment was palpable. “Are you sure? This surgery could save her,” he pressed, his heavy brows wrinkling. His lips also pursed as if there was more he wanted to say.

But Jake had decided. “Yes,” he whispered and didn’t say another word.

The lawyer’s office was tense as Jake, Lucy, and Ryan met to discuss Rosa’s estate around a month after their mother’s passing. Their greetings were brief. They all wanted to get things over with quickly.

Naturally, Jake and Lucy wanted the house, claiming that caring for Rosa entitled them to it in full. “We were the ones by her side,” he stated, avoiding eye contact, while his wife’s agreement was silent but firm.

“That’s rich, coming from you two. I know for a fact you weren’t around as much as you claim. I deserve my share,” Ryan scoffed.

The lawyer intervened, “Please, let’s be civil. Sit, and let’s discuss this calmly.” He finally started reading the will, which shocked everyone in the room: Rosa left her entire estate, including the house, to charity.

“This can’t be right!” Lucy protested.

“You must be mistaken,” Jake added.

Ryan demanded, “Show us that will again!”

The lawyer stood firm. “Rosa wished her estate to go to charity. It’s all here, in her own words.”

But suddenly, the woman in question walked in, eliciting gasps and yelps from the room. “Mom! You’re… you’re okay?” Jake exclaimed, his chair falling in his haste to stand.

“I was never sick. This was all a test—a test you failed spectacularly,” Rosa revealed.

Jake stuttered, “But, Mom, we… we were just worried about you.” The others tried to say similar things, but the older woman knew the truth.

Rosa dismissed their excuses, declaring her disappointment and final decision not to give them anything. “Don’t even try to explain anything. This is final.” She left the office, and the lawyer soon dismissed them all.

Outside, Ryan blamed his brother for everything. “This is all your fault!” But even worse, Lucy agreed with him.

“You know, Jake, Ryan’s right. You are an idiot… I can’t believe I wasted so much time on you,” she said coldly and walked away.

Slumping on the steps of the attorney’s office building, Jake realized he had lost everything, including his integrity. He could try to blame Ryan or Lucy for influencing his decisions, but in the end, he made them.

His weakness made him choose the wrong path, and it was time to face the consequences… completely alone.

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