WHEN HEAVEN STOOD BETWEEN US

Amara Okoye sat on the edge of her modest sofa, the sound of children's laughter echoing faintly from the back room where her kids were playing. She pressed her palms against her temples, her head heavy with thoughts that never seemed to rest. The divorce papers lay on the table in front of her like an open wound, mocking the pieces of her life that had fallen apart.

She had once been a woman who dreamed big-owner of a diesel supply company, admired for her resilience and ambition. But theft, betrayal, and the cruel manipulations of her ex-husband, David, had turned those dreams to ash. He had convinced her to sell her diesel truck, the last tangible piece of her livelihood, and pour the money into a Ponzi scheme. She had trusted him, desperate for a way out, for a future brighter than the chaos she lived in. But the scheme collapsed, and with it, so did her financial stability.

Now, with four children to raise and no child support from the man who had caused her ruin, Amara was left clawing her way back to survival. The courts had adjourned her case for child support again and again, while David carried on with his flashy scams and darker practices that she only later discovered.

Amara's eldest son, Micah, just thirteen, had quietly taken on responsibilities beyond his years. He had a gift of seeing-dreams that warned him of things to come. Sometimes his words carried more weight than even she could bear. Kayla, her eight-year-old daughter, had a tender heart that seemed to sense when something was wrong before anyone said a word. Liam, nine, had a strange resilience; he seemed to shield his siblings with an energy Amara couldn't explain, calming storms before they broke. And little Ella, only three, had a voice so pure that when she sang, it felt like the very atmosphere shifted, heavy burdens lifting as her soft melodies filled the air.

They were her anchor, the reason she kept pushing despite the wreckage behind her. Yet deep down, she wanted more. Not just survival-she wanted restoration. She wanted her life back.

That evening, as Amara tidied the small kitchen, her phone buzzed with a message from a former business acquaintance: "There's a networking event tomorrow night. Oil & Energy Executives. Might be worth your time."

She hesitated. She wasn't sure she belonged in that world anymore. She was just a single mom now, scraping by. But something tugged at her spirit. Maybe this was a door opening. Maybe heaven hadn't forgotten her after all.