Coffee and Bone
Sunlight was mercilessly blocked by heavy, lead-gray curtains, leaving only a few faint rays of light leaking through the gaps, like a lingering gasp of hope. The room was filled with the stale smell of coffee grounds and the lingering scent of anxiety.
Emily huddled in a corner of the sofa, her emaciated body wrapped in a blanket whose original color was indistinguishable. She clutched a giant mug, the faded word "Strive" printed on it, the liquid inside long cold, leaving only a ring of dark brown stains.
She was only thirty years old, yet she resembled an empty shell, devoid of a soul. The doctor's cold diagnosis echoed in her ears: "Severe osteoporosis... long-term excessive caffeine intake... extremely unhealthy lifestyle..."
Once, Emily was a vibrant girl. She believed in striving, in hard work, in the belief that the city would give her the rewards she deserved. She spun like a wound-up top, tirelessly rotating from one meeting room to another, from one project to the next. Coffee was her fuel, her only weapon against fatigue and pressure.
One cup, two cups, three cups, four cups... Her dependence on coffee deepened, like a drowning person grasping at a floating straw, unaware that this straw would eventually drag her into a deeper abyss.
Her body began to send out warnings. First came insomnia, then palpitations, followed by joint pain. But she never stopped. She told herself that this was the price of success, the badge of striving. She used stronger coffee to numb herself, more overtime to fill the emptiness in her heart.
Until one day, she fell. It was just a slight bump, but her leg bone fractured as fragilely as glass.
Pain, endless pain, pulled her back from the illusion of prosperity into reality. Lying on the cold hospital bed, looking at the skyscrapers soaring into the clouds outside the window, she suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold.
She once thought she was the master of this city, a trendsetter of the times. Now she realized that she was just a tiny speck of dust, swept along by the torrent of the times, unable to control her own destiny.
The bitterness of the coffee spread in her mouth, like her life, full of bitterness and helplessness. She remembered what her mother had once said: "Child, life is not only about striving, but also about health and happiness."
She once dismissed it as an excuse for the weak. Now, she desperately longed for a healthy body and simple happiness.
Outside the window, the hustle and bustle of the city continued, with traffic and bright lights. But all of this had nothing to do with Emily. She was trapped in this small room, trapped in her fragile body, trapped in endless regret and despair.
She slowly closed her eyes, a line of murky tears rolling down the corner of her eyes, dripping onto the cold coffee cup, splashing a few tiny drops of water, like her former dreams, shattered into pieces in the face of the cruelty of reality, never to be pieced together again.
The city lights continued to shine, but for Emily, the light had gone out forever.