Chapter 4

[Elara]

After taking out the dress and having the maid deliver it to Hannah’s room, I dropped Cora off at school and headed straight to the hospital.

Dr Wilson is already waiting for me by the time I walk through his cabin door.

“Mrs Blackwood,” he stands up from his chair, gesturing for me to take the seat.

I’m so nervous at the thought of what he might say, I almost knock my foot against the leg of the table.

“Careful,” he says, ready to come rushing if I somehow fall.

I don’t, however. I straighten myself instead, and pull up the chair.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” What was so important that he couldn’t tell me over the call?

Dr Wilson, a handsome man in his late thirties, sits down.  “Mrs. Blackwood,” he begins, opening the file and sliding a few pages toward me.

“These are Cora’s most recent echocardiogram and MRI results. As you can see here—” he points to a grayscale image of her tiny heart, “—she has multiple ventricular septal defects, or VSDs. In simpler terms, there are several small holes between the left and right ventricles of her heart.”

My breath catches. “She… she was born with this?” 

“Yes,” he says gently. “It’s a congenital heart defect. But in some cases, symptoms don’t appear until later. The fatigue, the fainting spells—these are signs the defects have begun to affect her heart’s ability to pump efficiently.”

My hands tremble as I open the file. “It’s dangerous, isn’t it?” I murmur. I had read about it back in medical college. 

Yes, I used to be one of the top students in my year at St. Alden’s Medical University, certain I’d spend my life in white coats and bright operating rooms. But after marrying Damon, life pushed those dreams aside—and becoming a stay-at-home mother for Cora became my whole world.

Little did I know my daughter would end up having such disease. What were the chances?

“It can be. The good news is, it’s treatable. But she will need surgery. The procedure is called open-heart VSD repair, and in her case, we recommend performing it within the next few weeks.”

Surgery. The word echoes in my head like a gunshot. “You mean… open-heart surgery?”

“Yes.”

Even after I leave the hospital, his words continue to echo in my head.

Holes in her heart. Open heart surgery. Dangerous.

Tears burn my eyes, but no matter how hard I try to suck them in, they come running down.

No. I won’t let anything happen to my daughter. If surgery is the only way for her to get well, then that’s exactly what she’s going to get.

I take out my phone from the purse and dial Damon.

He doesn’t pick up, as usual. But that doesn’t mean it makes me any less frustrated.

I dial again.

This time, he answers. “What?”

“Damon, I just had a word with—”

“How does it look, D? Do you think this necklace suits the gown?” Hannah’s voice comes from behind him.

“It looks great,” he says, and I’m speechless once again.

In the five years of our marriage, Damon never accompanied me on any shopping trips. Even when we needed gifts for his parents, his siblings, or his clients, he would always toss me his card and ask me to get them something good. According to him, that was the least I could do for him, rather than being a useless housewife.

I shake my head, and try to focus on Cora. “Damon, I—”

“I don’t have time for your nonsense right now. We’ll talk tomorrow—if it’s even worth talking about.”

“But—” Before I even get to finish, he disconnects the call.

I stare at the phone, wanting nothing more than to scream.

I call his assistant next.

“Hello, Mrs. Blackwood. What can I do for you?”

“I need to talk to Damon. Where is he right now?”

“Right now?” He pauses for a whole three seconds before continuing. “Uh, he’s occupied. But he’ll be heading straight to the Blackwood residence later. You should be able to find him there.”

Blackwood residence. That’s right. The family dinner.

He’s obviously going to show up—like he does almost every year.

But then, our conversation from this morning comes to mind. He specifically asked me not to attend the dinner. If I go now, he will be pissed off for sure.

But Cora can’t wait either. Dr. Wilson wants to admit her for pre-surgical evaluation by the end of this week. That means he needs the approval of her guardians as soon as possible.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I have to talk to Damon tonight. It’s only right for him to know the condition of his daughter. No matter how indifferent he is to me, he’ll surely not turn a blind eye to Cora’s condition.

Right?

But first, I need to pick up Cora from school. At the same time, I dial a number—the only person I can trust.