Florida, United States...

It was past midnight and the corridor was empty and silent. It was as if there was no one in the hospital, but everyone knows that the dawn is long and cold, along with it comes the feeling of defeat and anxiety with a hint of impotence.

That was exactly how Aron was feeling at that moment, he had just learned that his wife had given birth to a baby boy and the two of them had not resisted the complications and had died.

Aron was walking at a silent pace, it seemed that he was out of his body because he felt nothing but an unbearable pain that burned his chest like a blazing fire. Outraged, he stopped and put his hands to his head, leaning his back against the cold white wall and closed his eyes, letting tears run down his face in confusion.

Aron - Why, my God? Why them? Why my family?

The dream of being a father had ended there, gone along with his beloved family.

Aron - She didn't even have a chance!

Aron Maclean, sole heir and CEO of Maclean Shipping, a yacht and powerboat manufacturer. He has a degree in naval engineering and is currently 32 years old.

At that moment, silence prevailed, but not for long. A young woman rushed out of the elevator and ran crying down the long corridor. With the noise, some nurses soon appeared on the scene, turning all that calm into chaos.

Olivia - Let me go!

Nurse - Calm down, miss!

She looks at the nurse and slaps her.

Olivia - Let go of me, don't touch me!

Aron watched the scene intently.

Olivia - WHERE'S MY SISTER? I WANT TO SEE HER!

The elevator opens and two policemen enter, ready to contain all movement.

Olivia - Let me through! EMBER? I need to talk to my sister!

Police officer - Miss Olivia, please! You promised me you'd control yourself when we were on our way.

Olivia - No, no! I want my sister back!" (crying)

Desperate, Olivia kneels on the floor and screams, screams very loudly. Everyone in the room starts to run out into the corridor, patients, doctors and other health professionals.

Police officer - We're going to have to take her away!

Olivia - EMBER?

Olivia cried out her sister's name, tears blurring her vision and making everything around her blurry. The policemen helped her up and escorted her to a room. Olivia blinked a few times to clear her eyes and ended up facing Aron, who was still standing in the same place, watching the whole situation, oblivious to a stranger who had just lost a loved one. At that moment, he realized that he wasn't alone in his grief, because everyone carries their grief and reacts in a different way, some more scandalous and others more restrained, not showing their weakness in the eyes of others. Perhaps holding in this feeling wouldn't be the best choice to deal with this situation, but at that moment it was working for him.

Olivia - Bring my sister back, please!

She grabs the doctor's collar with her hands and pleads for help, but one sentence from the doctor changed Olivia's facial expression almost immediately.

Doctor - Your nephew, do you want to see him?

The astonished reaction showed that Olivia didn't know her sister was pregnant.

Olivia - What?

...

Six months later...

As usual, Aron woke up early and sat on the balcony of his room watching the sunrise. He had a privileged view from his balcony and would not give it up. After Aurora, his wife, died in childbirth, his life changed dramatically. His piercing, steady gaze was an example of this sudden change in his mood, as nothing brought a smile to his rosy lips.

- Aron?

When he heard his name, he just pursed his lips and remained in the same position, sitting on a chair with one leg on top of the other, staring at the sun that tenderly illuminated the flowers in his garden.

- Aron?

He didn't react for several long, interminable seconds.

Aron - What do you want in my house at this hour, Edgar?

A faint smile appears.

Edgar - Come on, am I forbidden to visit my cousin now?

Aron - I don't like it when you talk to me in the third person.

Now he looks towards the pool, as a dry leaf floats on the water with the cold wind that hit the trees.

Edgar - Are you okay?

Aron - As much as possible!

The cousin sighs heavily and shakes his head negatively.

Edgar - You...

He doesn't even let him finish the sentence, cutting him off.

Aron - Don't start, I don't want to hear advice from you or anyone else.

Edgar - You're destroying your life!

Silence echoes with the cold wind. This time, Aron doesn't retort, but continues with a closed, lifeless expression. His attention is once again interrupted by the singing of birds playing in the trees of his garden, with more leaves falling into the pool with each gust of wind.

Edgar - I just want what's best for you, your whole family wants your happiness.

Aron - Is that all?

He asks as he takes his phone out of his pocket and checks the time on his watch.

Edgar - Shutting yourself off from the world won't bring Aurora back...

Suddenly, a long pause in the sentence.

Edgar - Nor your son!

Aron feels his chest tighten upon hearing the word "son" and closes his eyes in mourning. It's hard to digest that his dream of becoming a father was interrupted in the cruelest way possible. There's no way to conquer death, even with all the money in the world.

Occasionally, Aron blames himself, as he has enough money to move the axis of the world, yet was unable to save his family from a tragic, sad end. Once again, the feeling of powerlessness takes hold of his entire being.

Edgar - I'm sorry, I...

Aron opens his hand, signaling for his cousin to stop, stands up from the chair, and enters his room without looking into Edgar's eyes, who can only lament the situation!

Aron - Let's get to work, today I have a very important meeting with future partners.

He enters the bathroom and closes the door. Edgar merely closes his eyes, feeling sadness for not being able to do anything to help his cousin, and leaves the room, subsequently leaving the house and heading straight to Maclean Industries, where he works in the finance department.

Olivia - 7:30 in the morning, the alarm starts playing an annoying electronic music. It was the easiest way Olivia found to wake up immediately and turn off that music that hurt her ears.

She grumbles and rolls over in bed towards the bedside table, stretches her arm with her eyes still closed, and grabs her cellphone, turns off the music and sighs with satisfaction.

Olivia - I hate this song!

Finally, she opens her eyes and looks at the water leak on the ceiling.

Olivia - Oh no, not again!

She practically jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen, which was connected to the living room in her tiny apartment in the suburbs. Olivia opens the cabinet and takes out a medium-sized pot, returns to the bedroom and places it on the floor next to the bed where once again the leak appeared.

Olivia - This is definitely not going to be a good day!

She complained with a tired tone, always touching on the same topic with the building owner. It's a persistent leak that the landlord always fixes with plaster and some time later it comes back full force.

Olivia - I'm tired of this!

She exclaimed with dissatisfaction, sat on the bed, and opened the bedside table drawer to retrieve some documents. She crossed her legs and picked up her broken-legged glasses to read the adoption papers carefully.

Olivia - Oh my God, I need to get custody of Liam!

She exclaimed with tears in her eyes that accidentally fell onto the pages. After losing her sister in a car accident, everything changed in Olivia's life. She is a 24-year-old girl/woman learning the difficulties and struggles of everyday life the hard way.

Ember was her older sister and after their mother's death, she took responsibility for them, with Olivia being the youngest, ten years younger than her. With that, she worked hard to support both of them and pay for her sister's dentistry course.

Before her sister's death, Olivia hadn't set foot at home for over a year. She lived in a shared apartment with three other students who split the expenses equally.

Olivia was very dedicated to her studies, and therefore her time was solely devoted to her studies, one of Ember's demands was made clear to Olivia that she wanted to see her graduate with a diploma in her hands.

Unfortunately, this dream did not come true. After Ember died, Olivia had to drop out of college in her final year because the money ran out. All the money that her sister saved in the bank for her education was retained by the bank to pay off loans, even losing their house.

To avoid being homeless, Olivia started looking for a job all over the city, but everyone denied her an internship or a simple job because she had no experience in the job market.

Luckily, she got a job at a flower shop, where the owner was moved by her situation and gave her an opportunity. Olivia learned to make arrangements and wrap gifts with handmade bows.

After rereading the adoption documents once again, Olivia enters the bathroom for a quick shower, puts on a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and sneakers, grabs a backpack and puts some things inside it, combs her hair, and hurriedly leaves the house without having breakfast on her way to the elevator, which once again was under maintenance.

Olivia - Just my luck...

She rolls her eyes and takes the stairs. The building was so old that it seemed like it could fall apart at any moment, every step the wooden stairs creaked terrifyingly, believe me, at night it really was scary. Olivia affectionately nicknamed it the Addams Family building.

Upon reaching the reception, she comes face to face with the doorman and makes a face, he already knew that there was a complaint coming.

Doorman - What now?

Olivia - My room is completely flooded!

Doorman - Don't exaggerate, Olivia!

She pouts and puts her hands on her hips.

Olivia - The leak is back, I want to talk to the owner of this dump.

The man couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.

Doorman - Get in line!

Olivia - I want his cell phone number!

She approaches and rests her arms on the counter.

Doorman - I'll call him and let him know.

Olivia - No, I'll call myself!

Doorman - Yeah, but I don't have permission to give out the boss's number.

Olivia - You know what you are?

The man furrows his brow, waiting for the conclusion of the sentence.

Olivia - You're a complete brown-noser to the boss.

Doorman - Ugh, Olivia! I'll take a look at the leak on Saturday.

Olivia - And you have to fix it this time.

Doorman - Alright, I'll see what I can do.

She smiled with closed lips and looked at the time on her wristwatch.

Olivia - I'm off now, I don't want to be late for work, but first I'll stop by a special place.

Doorman - What mischief are you up to?

She smiled again and waved at the man as she walked towards the exit. Olivia began to walk along the sidewalks towards the bus stop, which didn't take long to arrive.

Upon boarding the bus, she sat in the vacant seat at the back, leaned her face against the window and started to think about her life in a way that she couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. It was in this moment that fear took hold, limiting her from having positive thoughts about her current financial situation.

When she realized that the bus was approaching the stop, Olivia quickly stood up from her seat and shouted for the driver to stop.

Olivia - Thank you!

The driver waved his hand, as Olivia was already well known on that route. She walked a few more streets until she reached an orphanage, opened a wide smile and went straight in since she was well acquainted with the professionals who worked there.

Olivia - Good morning!

A voice speaks up behind her.

Woman - Olivia!

She turns around, smiling.

Woman - You won't be able to see your nephew anymore!

This announcement took her by surprise, making her entire body freeze.

Olivia - What did you say?

Her smile immediately disappeared.

Olivia - What did the director, Ruth, say?

Ruth - Unfortunately, I did everything I could, but the judge didn't accept your adoption request, and you won't be able to see Liam anymore.

Olivia's hands start trembling, and suddenly the ground opens beneath her.

Olivia - But I'm working now, I managed to afford an apartment and...

The director interrupts her.

Ruth - It's not enough for them, Olivia!

The girl gets irritated and starts crying in disbelief.

Olivia - You don't have the right, he's my nephew, my nephew!

Ruth - It's not me, understand!

Olivia - You promised me you would help!

Ruth - They didn't find a suitable home for a child, and besides, your salary is too little, so...

Olivia - This is absurd! I will appeal to the court!

Ruth - Liam has been put up for adoption!

Hearing this was like a bomb to Olivia's ears, she went from heaven to hell in just a few minutes.

Olivia - What did you say?

She widened her eyes with a trembling, angry face.

Ruth - I...

Olivia - What?

Ruth - Why don't you think about your nephew for once?

Olivia - I think about him every single day, twenty-four hours a day, so don't come with that story again that I have to let him go.

Ruth - Stubborn, you don't see, you're young! Go study, live your life! This burden is not yours.

Olivia - Burden? Have you gone crazy? I will never abandon my nephew, my sister never did that to me, she took care of me when our mother passed away, so why would I do that to Liam?

Ruth - Because you love him enough to let him go!

Suddenly silence, Olivia's eyes didn't even blink, filled with tears about to fall.

Ruth - To love is to know when to let go, a family can give him everything and more, don't take this opportunity away from Liam.

Even with her voice faltering due to the lump in her throat, Olivia swallowed the harsh words from the orphanage director and shook her head negatively.

Olivia - No, my nephew's place is with me, I am his family!

She lowers her head, staring at a random spot on the ground.

Olivia - Let me see him for a little while, please!

Ruth - Olivia, I can't!

Olivia - Please, it will be quick!

The woman then decides to break the rules and takes Olivia to the nursery, it was feeding time and some employees were focused on that task.

Olivia - Hi, my love!

She approaches her nephew and hugs him tight.

Olivia - I missed that smile so much.

The baby smiles and kicks his little legs in joy.

Olivia - Can I give him his bottle?

Ruth looks at one of the girls and nods affirmatively, indicating that they could hand the bottle to Olivia to feed her nephew. And so she did, with tears of sadness on her face, because she knew it would now be harder to see him. For all these months, she had come every day before and after work to be with him, and knowing she was forbidden shattered her.

Woman - It's time for the children's sunbath!

Olivia almost jumps out of her chair, realizing she was late for work.

Olivia - Oh my God! I'm late!

She quickly gets up and kisses the top of her nephew's head.

Olivia - I have to go, my love, darn it!

She showers him with kisses on his face and looks at the director with a pleading look.

Olivia - Please help me, you promised!

Ruth - I'm doing everything I can!

Olivia - Will I be able to see him again?

Ruth - Not for now!

Feeling down, Olivia looks at her nephew once again and hugs him tightly, whispering in his ear.

Olivia - I will get you out of here, my love! It's a promise!

Ruth - Give him to me!

The woman reaches out and takes the baby, Olivia wipes away her tears and picks up her backpack that she had thrown on the floor when she entered, puts it on her back, and hurries out.

Olivia ended up being later than she should have been, when she arrived at the flower shop, she had the misfortune of running into her employer's husband, who also owned the business.

Irritated, the man stared at her with a angry expression as he checked the time on his wristwatch, furrows his brow, and continues to follow her with his eyes. Olivia puts on her apron from the flower shop and ties it behind her, but she could feel her back burning under her boss's gaze.

Man - You're fired!

Startled, she quickly turns to look at him.

Olivia - I'm sorry, sir, for the delay. I promise this will never happen again, I give you my word!

Man - Your words mean nothing! Did you really think that being protected by my wife would prevent me from firing you, you audacious girl?

Olivia - No, not at all!

The man smirked maliciously, placed the scissors on the counter, and approached Olivia so closely that he left her cornered and suffocated by his proximity.

Olivia - What are you doing, sir?

She retreats her whole body backwards and ends up hitting her back on a shelf full of rose vases.

Man - You are so beautiful, girl! I think I can forget all this if you're good to me.

Olivia - Don't come near me!

Man - Why not? I know girls like you, don't worry because this will be our little secret!

She closes her eyes in disgust as she feels his hands touch her arm. Disgusted, Olivia slaps him and pushes him away.

Man - What have you done, you audacious girl?

Angry, he retaliates with a strong slap on her face, causing Olivia's face to tilt due to the brutality of the slap. She hides all the burning sensation and pain of the moment and runs away from him, grabs her backpack, and leaves the flower shop completely stunned.

Man - YOU'RE FIRED!

He shouts from the sidewalk as Olivia crosses the street, almost getting hit by cars in the middle of the road.

Driver - Are you crazy, girl?

More honks and Olivia was already far away, turning the corner, taking off her apron and throwing it in the middle of the street. She cried uncontrollably about the incident minutes ago, she just wanted to run and run without looking back.