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 wasnât rich, but they were quite comfortable.
Elinâs father held an executive position at a major company, and Elinâs mother, Annis, worked in finance at the same firm.
Concerned that she couldnât look after Elin properly, Annis hired a nanny after Elin was born.
With their income at that time, affording a nannyâs monthly salary was a piece of cake.
But those good times didnât 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 Annisâ 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 executiveâs high status and determined to defend his wife against any threat.
The incident escalated quickly, with Elinâs dad dialing the cops.
But because there were no cameras around the hotel and the power dynamics were tricky, plus the executive didnât get what he wanted and Annis wasnât seriously hurt, pressing charges was a tough call.
The companyâs leadership talked with Elinâs parents separately, revealing the executiveâs 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 Elinâs parents still wanted their jobs.
Only then would the executive not pursue the incident further.
Elinâs 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 executiveâs influence to damage their reputations even beyond the company.
Also, the chairman had promised to transfer Annis to avoid running into the executive again.
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 Elinâs fatherâs management encountered problems, and then Annis got accused of embezzlement.
Things got worse for Elinâs father with his supposed slip-up causing a workerâs fatal fall.
Following their dismissal, the company made a public statement, leading other companies, both big and small, to avoid hiring Elinâs parents.
This led Elinâs 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, Elinâs father, while drunk, accidentally fell into a river and met his end.