The cold floor scraped against her skin as she knelt, hands cuffed tightly behind her back, chains clinking with every desperate movement.
Before her, a small circular ring lay on the ground, mocking her like an unreachable dream. A few colorful plastic balls were scattered nearby ....the kind children played with ... but to her, they were weapons, shackles, and salvation all at once.
Matteo stood over her, holding a glass of wine lazily in his hand. His lips curled in a slight, cruel smile.
"You have one minute," he said smoothly. "Get three balls inside the ring, and I'll pay for your father's treatment. You'll be allowed to visit him for a week. Fail...…"
He took a slow sip. "And you lose everything."
Noémie's mouth opened, a protest already forming on her trembling lips ...
but Matteo didn't wait.
With a flick of his hand, he activated the timer.
Beep.
The countdown began.
Noémie's heart lurched. She lunged for the nearest ball ...only to feel the chain around her neck snap her back like a dog on a leash. The metal links bit into her skin. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she crashed onto the ground.
In the distance, laughter ..... quiet, entertained ... echoed from Matteo's corner.
The first ball was beyond her reach.
Panic flooded her veins.
She twisted her body, crawling on elbows and knees toward another ball.
This one ..... just barely within reach ... she managed to clasp with her teeth, wincing as the plastic dug into her gums.
47 seconds.
Noémie scrambled back toward the ring, her limbs shaking from the effort, dragging herself forward inch by inch. Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall.
Hospital, same moment .....
In a crumbling public hospital, two nurses stood arguing with a woman whose hands were clasped together in desperate pleading.
"Please ..... just a few more days! I swear I'll pay, just ..... my husband is dying! Please!"
The woman, disheveled and weary, was barely holding herself upright.
Behind her, the grimy hallway was filled with moans of patients waiting for attention.
One nurse shook her head. "We can't. If the money doesn't come today, we'll have no choice but to..."
The woman fell to her knees.
"My daughter — she's trying! Please, just....."
Back to Noémie ...
She dropped the first ball into the ring. It rolled inside with a soft clink.
39 seconds left.
She dared a glance at the clock.
Her breath quickened.
Sweat dripped into her eyes, burning them.
She crawled toward the second ball.
Her mouth found it. She bit into it hard, harder than before, tasting the bitter, dirty plastic.
She turned toward the ring, crawling like a wounded animal.
27 seconds.
Halfway there ... the ball slipped.
"No!"
A muffled scream tore from her throat as she watched the ball roll away.
Matteo chuckled, twirling the wine in his glass.
Hospital ...
"I'm begging you," the woman sobbed, clutching the hem of the nurse's coat. "Just give me a day. He's fighting to live!"
The nurse averted her gaze. "It's not our decision."
An orderly pushed a gurney past them ..... a body draped in white sheets.
The woman's sobs grew louder, echoing off the sterile walls.
Back to Noémie ....
Desperation fueling her, she lunged toward another ball. Her knees were bloodied now, her arms numb from strain.
She seized the ball, lips trembling around it.
15 seconds.
She hurled herself back toward the ring, head down, ignoring the pain screaming through her muscles.
Matteo watched, swirling his drink with the same calm detachment one might watch an ant struggle in the rain.
10 seconds.
Noémie placed the second ball into the ring.
It thudded in place.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
One more.
Just one more.
She scanned the ground wildly.
There .... at the edge of her chain's reach .... the third ball gleamed.
Noémie crawled, dragging herself, the chain clattering furiously.
Her teeth found the ball ..... she bit down so hard she thought she might crack a tooth.
5 seconds.
Matteo leaned forward now, setting his glass on the table.
His eyes gleamed.
Noémie shoved herself forward, every muscle in her body screaming, the ring so close ..... so close she could feel it.
1 second.
She jerked her neck, releasing the ball above the ring.
It hovered in the air ....
time seemed to freeze .....
then began its descent.
She dared to hope ...
she dared to believe .....
But at that final moment ...
the ring shifted.
Mechanically, cruelly, it moved a few inches away.
The ball missed.
It rolled across the floor with a soft, cruel bounce.
The timer let out a long, final beep.
Time's up.