Mia never thought her life would change inside the walls of the hotel where she scrubbed floors and cleaned toilets. She thought she was just another invisible cleaner, but one guest—arrogant, wealthy, and dangerous—pushed her into a storm that would flip her entire future upside down. I swear, if I have to scrub another toilet without a single “thank you,” I’m going to lose it. That’s what I think every morning as I drag my heavy cleaning cart down those long, shiny hallways. My routine is always the same: mop

When I decided to visit my son after months apart, I expected a warm hug, laughter, and maybe even a family dinner around the table. Instead, what I found made my chest tighten and woke up an old anger I thought I had buried years ago. My name is Lily. I’m 60 years old, retired, and living quietly in a small lakeside town in Oregon. My days are simple—tea in the morning, tending to my little herb garden, and reading books in the afternoon. It’s peaceful, yes, but sometimes it

Growing up in our spotless suburban home, my parents had a recurring joke about grandeur and future wealth. “One day, Emma,” my father would say, straightening his already-perfect tie while staring into the hallway mirror, “we’ll live in a house so big you’ll need a map just to find the kitchen.” My mother would laugh, her voice tinkling like crystal glasses. “And you’ll marry someone who’ll help us get there, won’t you, sweetheart?” “A prince!” I would shout as a little girl, my imagination running wild. “With a huge castle!