By Safia Mirza
11:47 PM.
It was the seventeenth time tonight that Elia’s phone rang. Her eyes were wearily burning after many hours working on her laptop. On the screen, a message from Mr. Kareem was displayed. The client presentation requires editing. The last one is expected by 08:00 AM. She looked at the clock, and then at the unopened meal next to her computer. Her hand was poised at the keyboard. “Of course, sir. I’ll get it done.” She typed in the familiar words and hit sent almost by instinct. In the other room, her brother was watching a comedy show. His laughter echoed in the house, but Elia was barely listening. She was already working on another spreadsheet. Three months ago, she’d be laughing with him. She didn’t remember the last time she laughed without some sense of unfinished work. And on the next day, she would find out that 17 letters would not be sufficient.
Eight months ago, Elia was standing outside the glass doors of Meridian Consulting with an appointment letter in her hands as if she’d won the lottery. She had just finished graduation, with great grades, and had been looking for a job for months. Email rejection letters were a regular occurrence, and it was even more discouraging when they didn’t take me up on my application. When Meridian finally offered her a position as a junior analyst, she almost cried with happiness.
That evening, her father placed the appointment letter on the dining table and read it twice.
“My daughter is officially a working professional!” he announced proudly.
Her mother prepared her favorite meal, while her younger brother jokingly asked when she would buy him a new phone. For the first time in months, their small home was filled with celebration.
Elia promised herself that she would make the most of this opportunity.
On her first morning, she arrived forty minutes early. Her supervisor, Mr. Kareem, was a sharply dressed man who spoke quickly and rarely smiled.
“We move fast here,” he explained. “Clients expect results, not excuses.”
“I understand, sir.”
He studied her resume.
“Good grades. Impressive internships. Let’s see whether you can perform under pressure.”
Elia smiled confidently.
“I won’t disappoint you.”
She had no idea how often she would repeat that promise to herself.
Just One More Task
Initially, Elia enjoyed her job. She loved solving problems, preparing presentations, and learning how businesses operated. Every completed assignment gave her a sense of accomplishment.
Then came her first major project. She spent two days preparing a detailed market analysis. When she submitted it, Mr. Kareem returned it covered in corrections.
“This needs a complete revision. Make it clearer and more detailed.”
Elia worked until nine that evening. The following morning, he glanced at the revised document.
“Better.”
One word. No smile.
Nevertheless, Elia felt relieved.
Soon, Mr. Kareem began assigning her additional responsibilities.
“Elia, prepare these meeting notes.”
“Elia, review this client file.”
“Elia, finish the presentation before leaving.”
She accepted everything.
One Friday afternoon, while she was packing her bag, Mr. Kareem approached her desk.
“I need a report by Monday.”
“Sir, I already have two reports due.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Are you saying you cannot manage your workload?”
Elia immediately straightened.
“No, sir. I’ll handle it.”
He nodded and walked away.
That weekend, while her family visited relatives, Elia sat alone at the dining table, surrounded by papers and empty coffee cups. By Sunday night, she had completed all three reports.
On Monday morning, Mr. Kareem assigned her another.
It was becoming a routine: the faster she worked, the more work she received.
The Invisible Cracks
Six months into the job, Elia’s life had become a series of deadlines. Her alarm rang at six. She checked emails before breakfast, rushed through traffic, worked through lunch, and returned home carrying unfinished assignments.
Her laptop had become a permanent dinner companion.
One evening, her best friend Nura called.
“Guess what? I got tickets for Saturday’s concert!”
Elia smiled for the first time that day.
“Seriously? We’ve been waiting months!”
“Exactly! And this time, you’re coming.”
“Of course!”
However, Saturday afternoon brought an unexpected message.
Urgent client revisions. Need them tonight.
Elia stared at her phone before calling Nura.
Elia: “Please don’t hate me.”
There was silence.
Nura: “Elia, don’t tell me.”
Elia: “It’s work.”
Nura: “You promised.”
Elia: “I know.”
Nura: “You’ve missed my birthday, three dinners, and now this. When are you going to start living again?”
Elia felt irritated and said,
“You don’t understand. I can’t just ignore my responsibilities.”
Nura: “And you don’t understand that you’re disappearing.”
The conversation ended awkwardly.
Elia opened her laptop, but Nura’s words remained in her mind.
You’re disappearing.
She looked around her bedroom. Her unfinished novel lay beneath a pile of documents. Her running shoes were gathering dust. Photographs from university showed a cheerful girl who smiled easily and seemed excited about life.
That girl now felt like someone else.
The Monday Disaster
The following Monday began badly. Elia had slept barely three hours after preparing an important presentation.
During the morning meeting, Mr. Kareem asked her to explain the financial projections. She stood, connected her laptop, and began speaking.
Halfway through, she noticed an incorrect figure on the screen. Her stomach tightened.
“Excuse me,” she said, attempting to correct it.
Mr. Kareem interrupted.
“Did you even review this presentation?”
“I did, sir, but—”
“This is embarrassing. We cannot present careless work to clients.”
The room fell silent. Elia could feel everyone’s eyes on her.
“I apologize.”
“Apologies don’t fix incompetence.”
His words hurt more than she expected.
After the meeting, she discovered that the incorrect figure had come from a spreadsheet updated by another department that morning. However, she said nothing.
At her desk, she attempted to continue working. Her hands trembled, and the words on her computer screen seemed blurred. She read the same email five times without understanding it.
Then her phone rang. It was her mother.
“Have you eaten lunch?”
Elia checked the time. It was 3:26 PM.
“No, Mama. I’m busy.”
“You sound exhausted.”
“I’m fine.”
She ended the call quickly.
But she wasn’t fine.
That night, she lay awake replaying the meeting. The word incompetence echoed in her mind.
She began questioning her intelligence, her qualifications, and even whether she deserved the job.
The Night Everything Stopped
Two weeks later, Meridian Consulting received an important project from a major international client. The entire department was under pressure, but much of the preparation fell on Elia.
For five consecutive days, she worked late into the night. By Thursday, she was surviving on coffee, biscuits, and approximately four hours of sleep.
At 6:30 PM, she finally completed the presentation and sent it to Mr. Kareem.
Completed, sir.
A reply arrived immediately.
Need additional market comparisons. Tomorrow, 8 AM.
Elia stared at the message.
She had promised her mother that she would return home early that evening. Her family had arranged a small birthday dinner for her.
She typed:
Sir, could I complete the additional analysis tomorrow morning?
Three dots appeared on the screen.
This project requires commitment. I hope you understand.
Elia deleted the response she had started writing.
Understood, sir.
At 10:15 PM, her mother called.
“Everyone is waiting. Should we cut the cake?”
Elia looked around the office. Most of the lights were off.
“Please don’t wait for me.”
Her mother paused.
“Happy birthday, my love.”
Elia closed her eyes.
She had forgotten her own birthday.
It was still midnight, and she was still working. Then, there was a sudden increase in her heart rate, which made it alarmingly fast. She had a tight chest and was not able to breathe well. She rose to her feet, but collapsed back into the chair once again due to dizziness. Her intuition was correct, and for a brief split second, she knew something was wrong. A security guard witnessed her distress and assisted her with calling her family. Her father took her to a nearby hospital. The doctor, after inspecting her, explained that the symptoms may have resulted from severe stress, exhaustion, and lack of sleep, and said that proper medical evaluation should be considered.
“Have you been under unusual pressure?” the doctor asked.
Elia gave a tired laugh.
“Only at work.”
“How many hours do you sleep?”
She hesitated.
“Three or four. Sometimes less.”
The doctor looked concerned.
“Your body needs rest. These symptoms should not be ignored.”
For the first time, Elia realized that the problem was no longer confined to office hours.
Her health was suffering.
The Question She Had Avoided
The following afternoon, Nura arrived carrying a small chocolate cake.
“Happy belated birthday, workaholic.”
Elia smiled weakly.
They sat beside the bedroom window, sharing cake while rain tapped against the glass.
Eventually, Elia told her everything: the deadlines, the criticism, the sleepless nights, and the hospital visit.
“I keep thinking that if I work harder, things will improve,” she whispered. “But the harder I work, the more they expect.”
Nura listened carefully.
Then she asked, “If your little brother worked somewhere that made him this miserable, what would you tell him?”
“To leave.”
“Why?”
“Because no job is worth destroying his health.”
Nura looked at her.
“Then why is your health worth less?”
Elia had no answer.
For months, she had mistaken exhaustion for dedication and silence for professionalism. She had believed that refusing additional work meant admitting failure.
But perhaps the problem was not that she wasn’t working hard enough.
Perhaps the expectations themselves were unreasonable.
The Decision
Elia did not resign immediately. Instead, she made a plan.
She spoke honestly with her parents, reviewed her savings, and began applying for other positions. She also arranged counseling to help address her anxiety and persistent exhaustion.
At work, she started communicating more clearly about competing deadlines.
One afternoon, Mr. Kareem handed her three urgent assignments.
“All of these need to be completed today.”
Elia took a breath.
“I can complete two properly today. Which should take priority?”
He looked surprised.
“Are you refusing the third?”
“No, sir. I’m asking you to prioritize the work so I can deliver it accurately.”
For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he pointed toward two files.
“Finish these first.”
It was a small moment, but for Elia, it felt enormous.
She had spoken up, and the world had not ended.
The workplace did not transform overnight. The pressure continued, and Mr. Kareem remained difficult. But Elia no longer believed that every problem was hers to solve alone.
Three weeks later, she received an email inviting her to interview at another consulting firm.
This time, she asked the interviewer questions too.
“How does your team handle conflicting deadlines?”
“What support is available when workloads become excessive?”
The interviewer answered thoughtfully.
A week later, she received a job offer. The salary was slightly higher, and the responsibilities were clearly defined.
Elia accepted the offer.
Then she submitted her resignation.
A Different Kind of Victory
On her final day, Mr. Kareem barely looked up from his computer.
“Good luck,” he said.
That was all.
No recognition. No apology. No appreciation for the countless evenings she had sacrificed.
Once, his indifference would have devastated her. Now, she simply thanked him and walked away.
Outside, the evening air felt unusually fresh. Her phone vibrated, and for a moment, her stomach tightened automatically.
Then she looked at the screen.
Nura: Dinner tonight? No laptops allowed.
Elia laughed.
Elia: Only if there’s chocolate cake.
Nura: You missed your birthday. You owe us a celebration.
Elia slipped her phone into her bag.
She was going somewhere she didn’t have to go to work. For the first time in months, she had a place to be without working. There would be days that were hard, challenges, and deadlines in her new work. She knew that moving to a new work environment wouldn’t magically eliminate the anxiety she had built up. Recovery would be delayed. But there was one thing she was learning. It wasn’t ambition that was the enemy. Labor did not pose the problem. The real threat was when all that mattered in a day was work, when fatigue was a virtue, when a man was worth just what he produced. Elia came into the restaurant early that evening. She ordered her favorite meal, put her phone face down, and she watched the city lights flicker out of sight beyond the window. This time, she was not counting the hours till the next deadline.
She was simply enjoying the moment.
When Nura arrived carrying a tiny cake with one ridiculous candle, Elia laughed so loudly that people at the neighboring tables turned to look.
She didn’t care.
For eight months, Elia had worked tirelessly to prove she was good enough for her job. In the end, she discovered that she had never needed to sacrifice her mental health to prove her worth.
And this time, when her phone vibrated, she let it ring.
