Chapter 436: Tired of Losing
Inside the Women’s Correctional Facility, Dina sat on the edge of her bunk, her eyes swollen from hours of crying. The news of her mother Sylvia’s death had broken her. She hadn’t expected it, not like this.
Her mother had been the only one who stayed. The only person who never gave up on her, even when Dina hadn’t been the best daughter. Sylvia always defended her. And now... she was gone. Taken by the fire.
Dina stared at the floor, the weight of her loss pressing down on her chest like a heavy stone. Her whole body felt numb.
A loud buzz echoed through the hallway. It was time to gather in the yard. Sniffling, Dina quickly wiped her tears and stood up. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together, then stepped out of her cell and joined the line of inmates heading outside.
The sound of loud whistles echoed across the Women’s Correctional Facility yard.
"Line up! Get moving!" one of the guards shouted, her baton slapping against her palm as inmates formed lines for daily chores.
Dina moved slowly, still exhausted from crying. Her eyes were dull, and her limbs heavy. She barely touched the food during breakfast and now struggled to focus. She didn’t even complain when she was assigned to laundry duty in the outer yard.
"Hey, keep up!" barked another guard as Dina grabbed a basket of dirty sheets and followed the line of women.
Her head throbbed, but she pushed through, dragging her feet behind the others toward the outdoor washing area. She tried to stay quiet and unnoticed. She learned that it had always been safer that way. She didn’t know whom she could trust anymore.
As the other inmates got busy scrubbing, rinsing, and wringing out laundry, Dina found a corner spot by one of the large tubs. She dipped her hands in and started washing, but her mind drifted again to her mother.
’I even shouted at her two days ago,’ she thought. She bit her lip to keep from crying again.