As music, laughter, and feasts echoed through the massive cruise ship, Dimma and her daughter starved in silence. She had snatched Michelle away from the man who abandoned them, but now hunger gnawed like fire. “God will provide,” she prayed, torn by fear that her choice had doomed them both.

The glittering prison

From the outside, the cruise ship looked like paradise—a floating city with restaurants, cinemas, pools, and lights that shimmered across the ocean like jewels. But for Dimma and her ten-year-old daughter Michelle, the ship was not paradise. It was a gilded prison.

As night fell, the dining halls filled with music and laughter. Guests feasted on roasted meats, seafood buffets, and exotic desserts. Glasses clinked in celebration. But hidden in the shadows, Dimma sat with her daughter, her arms wrapped tightly around her, trembling as Michelle’s small stomach rumbled from hunger.

A choice that haunted her

Earlier that day, Dimma had taken a bold step. She had snatched Michelle away from Stuart’s cabin—the very father who abandoned them years ago, now returned as captain of the ship. She could not bear to let him steal Michelle from her again.

But as hours passed and Michelle’s cries grew louder, doubt pierced Dimma’s heart.

“Did I make a mistake by taking Michelle from Stuart’s cabin?” she whispered to herself. “At least he would have fed her if I left her there.”

It was a thought that felt like betrayal. She hated Stuart. She despised the man who abandoned her during pregnancy, only to return years later with wealth and arrogance, demanding the daughter he never raised. Yet now, hiding in hunger, she wondered if her love had doomed Michelle.

The cries of hunger

Michelle’s voice broke through the noise of the ship’s parties. “Mummy, I’m hungry. My stomach is paining me.”

The words stabbed Dimma like knives. She pressed her daughter close, rocking her back and forth. “Don’t cry, my love. God will provide. I am your mother, and I will not let you die of hunger.”

But inside, her soul was breaking.

She looked around—everywhere glowing with abundance, food served to strangers who laughed without care. And yet, for her and Michelle, there was nothing. No money, no access, no safety.

A mother’s torment

The decision to leave her home and step onto this ship had been fueled by desperation. She feared losing Michelle to Stuart’s wealth and power. She told herself she would rather starve than hand her daughter over.

But now, as Michelle cried in her arms, fear whispered: What if you fail?

Every choice felt like a trap. She could beg for food and risk being caught by Stuart’s crew. She could sneak into the dining hall, but her face was already known—Stuart had eyes everywhere. Or she could continue hiding, watching her daughter wither in silence.

Memories of betrayal

As Michelle sobbed, Dimma’s mind returned to the day Stuart left her. She had been young, in love, carrying his child with dreams of a future together. But the moment she revealed her pregnancy, he turned cold, vanishing without explanation.

For ten years she carried the shame, the struggle, the burden. And now, suddenly, he returned—dressed in a captain’s uniform, surrounded by wealth and applause—claiming the child he never loved.

“The child belongs to me,” he had said with arrogance. Those words still echoed in her head.

A silent prayer

Dimma closed her eyes and whispered again: “God, fight for me. Show me a way.”

Her daughter’s life meant everything. She would endure hunger, shame, even death—but she would not let Michelle go.

The world of abundance around them

It was cruel irony. Just steps away, lavish banquets overflowed with delicacies—dishes from every corner of the world, wine flowing like rivers, desserts sculpted like art. Wealthy passengers ate until their stomachs ached, while waiters threw away untouched plates.

Dimma and Michelle sat unseen, smelling the aromas, watching crumbs fall to the floor, but unable to touch a single bite.

Michelle reached out toward a tray a waiter carried past, her little hand trembling. Dimma pulled her back, tears burning her eyes.

The breaking point

Hours passed. The music grew louder, the laughter more reckless. Dimma’s head pounded with exhaustion. Her body ached. Michelle’s sobs weakened into whimpers.

“I think I may have made a mistake,” Dimma admitted to herself again, pressing her daughter’s head to her chest. “But I cannot go back. I cannot surrender you.”

The ship’s lights gleamed brighter as the night deepened. Everywhere was alive with joy—except for the corner where a mother and daughter fought against despair.

A dangerous resolve

By midnight, Dimma’s heart hardened. She could not wait for a miracle. She had to act.

She studied the layout of the ship, remembering the hallways and back corridors she had passed earlier. If she could reach the lower deck kitchens, maybe she could steal scraps, enough to keep Michelle alive for one more day.

Her fear of being caught was great. If Stuart’s men found her, she would lose everything. But her love was greater.

“I am your mother,” she whispered to Michelle. “And I will fight for you, even here.”

Reflection

Dimma’s story is not one of easy choices. It is the agony of a mother torn between fear and love, between hunger and survival, between surrendering her child to a man of wealth and fighting alone with nothing.

That night on the ship, as the lights danced on the waves, she realized something profound: she had already made her choice long ago.

She would fight, starve, steal, and even die if she had to. But Michelle would not return to the arms of the man who abandoned them.

Closing

As dawn approached, the ship prepared for another day of luxury and spectacle. Passengers would wake to breakfast feasts, unaware of the woman hiding in the shadows with a starving child.

But Dimma knew the truth: the ship might belong to Stuart, but Michelle’s heart belonged to her.

And that was worth more than every light, every banquet, and every ounce of gold on the floating city.