Chapter 2 Broken vows Mended heart

Anna's body trembled, her fragile fame curled up in the suffocating darkness of the locked room. The absence of light made the space feel smaller, the air heavier. Her chest tightened painful as she gasped for breath, her hands holding her throats. She had been holding back her pain, trying to stay strong, but now, terror clawed at her inside that she could not hold her pain. She screamed at the top of her voice. " Aunty!" Banging the dustbin room door. " Please ... I can't breathe well!" . There was no answer.

The house remained silent except for the muffled crackling of the dying fireplace downstairs. Her knees ached her as another wave of dizziness hit her. The shadows in the room seemed to dance around her, mocking her helplessness. She tried to take a deep breath but it only made her chest tighten further. Her vision blurred . The walls felt like they were closing in on her.

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When Anna's eyes opened widely. She was no longer trapped in that suffocating room.

Instead, she was lying in a sterile, white walled space , the smell of Antiseptic entering her nostrils. The beeping of medical equipment rang softly around her. " You're awake", a voice murmured. She turned her head weakly to see a tall man in a white coat standing beside her bed. It was Dr. Collins, The Earnshaw family doctor. His face was filled with concern,his sharp eyes studying her calmly. Anna's throat was dry. She tried to speak, but her voice came out as nothing more than a deadly whisper. " Here, drink this." Dr Collins handed her a glass of water. She sipped it slowly,feeling the cool liquid soothing her dry throats. It was then she realized how weak she felt. Her arms were trembling slightly as she held the glass.

" Do you know where you are?" The doctor asked calmly. Anna nodded faintly as she looked round the place. " The hospital," She whispered. Dr Collins took a deep breath, pulling up a chair beside her. " Anna, do you know what happened to you?" She hesitated

before answering . " I ... I couldn't breathe", She admitted. " I felt trapped and everything went blank". " Well, you had an asthma attack", he said gravely. " A strong one. Why didn't anyone tell me you were asthmatic?"

Anna lowered her gaze. The truth was, no one cared enough to mention it. Dr Collins frowned his face in concern. " You shouldn't be locked in small, dusty rooms . That kind of environment is dangerous for someone with your condition". A lump formed in Anna's throat, but she forced herself to remain calm. The doctor stared at her slightly. "Tell me, Anna ... What's going on in that house?" She stiffened. " You're safe here,"he assured her. " No one can hurt you. But I need to know,how are you being treated at the Earnshaw estate?" . Anna's Lips shaked out of fear. She wanted to tell him everything. How her aunty barely acknowledged her existence, how her cousins treated her like a servant, how she was given the hardest chores and the smallest portions of food. Tears filled her eyes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. " Please... Please don't tell my aunt", She whispered."She will make things worse for me". Dr. Collins' expression changed.

" Worse? Anna, What exactly is happening to you?" She hesitated at first, but something about the Doctor's kind eyes made her feel assured and at peace.

She took a deep breath as she spoke. " I'm not treated like a family", She admitted. " My aunty doesn't want me there. She only took me in because of my mother". Dr. Collins looked nervous but he let her continue. " I cook, clean, fetch water and I do all chores all day". Sometimes I don't eat until late at night, after everyone else is asleep". The doctor stamped his feet on the floor. " You're thirteen, Anna. You should be in school. You should be cared for". She lowered her gaze, her fingers holding on to the hospital blanket. " Please", She whispered again. " Don't tell her. If she finds out I told you, she will punish me". Dr Collins took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers. Finally, he nodded. " I promise I won't tell her". She had a soothing relief calming her nerves but it was short lived.

" But I'm not going to let this continue", He said firmly. " I will convince your aunty to send you to school". Anna's breath caught in her throat. School?

" She won't agree," she said quickly, shaking her head. " She thinks I am a burden to her and her family". " Then I will convince her and make her see it as a necessity," Dr Collins said, giving her a gleam of hope.

" You deserve an education, Anna. You deserve to have a better future". For the first time in years,a flicker of hope was Filled in Anna's chest.

That very night, as she lay in the hospital bed , She overhead gossp voices just outside her door. " That girl is nothing but trouble,"A familiar voice hissed. Anna's heart pounded. She recognised that voice, it was Martha, one of the Earnshaws maids.

" She's her mother's daughter", Another voice, softer but filled with sadness, replied.

" And you know how that ended". Anna tried to process their words. What do they mean?. Martha gave a mocking reply. " The Earnshaw never forgave her mother. That woman brought the family into pure shame by marrying a clergyman". " She loved him", The second maid argued. " And he was a good man. But you know how this family is. They wrote her off the moment she chose him". A chill ran down Anna's spine. The second maid exhaled. " Did you know that Anna's grandfather cut her mother out of the will completely?". Anna opened her mouth wide in shock. Her late parents never told her anything about this. The hallway outside felt silent. Anna's breathing left Her. Her mother had been erased from the family wealth? That meant, if her parents had been supported, they wouldn't have struggled. A cold realisation settled deeply in her chest. She had never truly been a part of the Earnshaw family. The following morning, Dr. Collins entered the room with a calm and reassuring look on his face. " I spoke to your aunty", he said. Anna sat up immediately in happiness. " She agreed," he continued . " Agreed to what?" She asked cautiously. " You're going to school, Anna". Anna's breath caught in her throat . This was exactly what she looked forward to. Her chance to leave the Earnshaw Estate. But before she could respond, she caught sight of something over the Doctors shoulder. Standing in the doorway,dressed in her long, casual gown was her aunt Regina. Her dark eyes stared at Anna's, her lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line. At that moment, Anna knew, this wasn't going to be easy. Her so-called freedom would come at a price.