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After That Day
After That Day
Author: Perfect Timing

Chapter 1

Author: Perfect Timing
"Harriet, are you accusing me of lying? What would I gain from that?" said my sister-in-law Alicia, her tone dripping with sarcasm, as she led her son. He had just been discharged from the ICU and was already bouncing with energy.

I clenched my hands, fighting to keep my composure.

"I'm just worried about Tony. He was on an IV just yesterday, and now, he's acting like nothing's wrong. It's concerning..."

"Go ahead, check him then. Don't you think I'd know if my son wasn't well?" Alicia cut me off with a sneer, patting Tony's back and nudging him toward me.

After a thorough check-up, the results left me cold with shock.

Tony was four, and he had been fighting for his life in the ICU. He was born with a congenital heart defect so severe that leaving the hospital could send him into shock.

However, his vitals this time were perfect.

His once frail arms were then muscular, as strong as a young bull's.

Alicia, seeing my astonishment, yanked Tony back to her side, impatient.

"I've always said my son is a fighter, protected by the gods! No disease can touch him, let alone a heart condition."

'Impossible,' I thought to myself.

A patient chuckled in disbelief nearby, clearly not buying Alicia's claims.

"Protected by the gods? You're kidding, right? He's just a kid..."

Before he could finish, Alicia leaned in and whispered to Tony.

Without hesitation, Tony dashed to the window and leaped out.

"Oh my God! Someone check on the child, quick!"

My husband, Jeff Charlton, and mother-in-law, Kelly Freeman, panicked, but Alicia calmly strolled down.

Tony was standing at the hospital entrance, not a scratch on him.

The onlookers gasped in disbelief as they watched from below. "How could anyone survive a fall from the fourth floor without a scratch?!"

However, my attention was abruptly diverted by a call from the kindergarten teacher.

My little girl, Laura, had collapsed out of the blue.

Worse still, a gentle attempt to move her by the teachers had somehow broken both her legs!

I frantically told my husband to fetch Laura from the kindergarten and take her straight to the hospital.

Alicia was not having it, though. "My boy's just gotten over a nasty bug and is itching for a thrill. Jeff promised to take us bungee jumping!"

Memories of my daughter's previous ordeal flashed before me, and I yelled without thinking, "No! I must get my daughter first!"

A sharp slap landed across my cheek.

Kelly's eyes bore into me with discontent. "Go get your daughter yourself. I'm taking my grandson out for some fun!

"If you don't agree, I'll cause such a scene, and it'll cost you your job!"

Rage bubbled in my chest.

I had paid for that car, yet Jeff kept the keys, claiming he needed them to drive Alicia to the hospital.

With Alicia's son already on the mend, my daughter was in trouble. What were the odds?

Alicia had to be behind that!

I knew better than to expect Jeff and Kelly to take my side after what happened before.

I had to uncover the truth to prevent history from repeating itself with my daughter.

I could not afford to lose time arguing, so I borrowed a colleague's car and sped off to the kindergarten.

Meanwhile, Alicia had started a live stream on her phone.

My heart raced as I watched Tony leap from a 50-meter-high platform, his safety rope dangling precariously unsecured.

Just as I feared, the rope came undone as he neared 10 meters.

Miraculously, Tony landed perfectly on the safety mat, unharmed.

I rushed to the kindergarten just in time to find Laura lying there unconscious, her legs smeared with blood.
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  • After That Day   Chapter 8

    "Swapping pain?" I asked. "I don't know what you mean."I yanked Laura closer, my eyes locked on Alicia, who cradled Tony in her arms. "You think you're the only one who can pull something like this off?"The onlookers were lost, trying to make sense of our cryptic exchange.I laid out my purchase history for all to see.The bracelet for Tony? That was my doing. The sponsor for his safe ventures? Also me.I laid out the story, from start to finish.Everyone was taken aback."Swapping pain and sickness?"I broke it down for them, keeping my cool. "The bracelet is a life-swapping charm. I linked Tony and Laura with it."I was just playing by their rules–returning the favor!"My eyes were frosty as they swept over Alicia, sprawled on the floor.I remembered when Laura was a newborn, Alicia had gifted her a red string anklet. As Laura got older, I kept it on her.It was during Tony's desert trek that I spotted the red string.A thought struck me: if science had no answers, cou

  • After That Day   Chapter 7

    "But if Tony isn't tired or hurting, why the long break? You could've just told us straight up. But every time we asked during your streams, you'd ignore us like we were invisible!"The audience was not dumb; they immediately picked up the inconsistency. "What's this got to do with the competition? Don't let her sidetrack you with her lies!" Alicia snapped at me, losing her cool.I just grinned wider. "Struck a nerve, did I, Alicia? Scared that Tony lost his magic touch during that time?""That's ridiculous–you're spouting nonsense! I just wanted Tony to take a breather!"Don't believe me? Just wait, I'll have Tony show you what a real fighter looks like!" she said.With my taunt hitting its mark, I did not waste any more words. I brought Laura out from behind me.Alicia was stunned at the sight of Laura, healthy and blushing. She was so taken aback, her mouth hung open wide enough to fit two eggs.Alicia charged up to Laura, grabbed a wet wipe, and started scrubbing her face ha

  • After That Day   Chapter 6

    My parents thought I had lost my mind.Letting little Laura take on rock climbing?Jeff, whom I had blocked on Messenger, even called just to taunt me."Are you so obsessed with cash that you've lost your mind? If you grovel and say you're sorry, and help me out with my son, maybe I'll throw a few bucks your way!"Let's not forget, Alicia has hit the big time but hasn't forgotten Mom and me. Not like you, strutting around the house like you own the place!"I did not bother with a reply; I just hit 'block' on his number once more.He was just a poor kid from the sticks, with a sickly brother who did not make it.Alicia was the girl his family had spent loads to bring home. Heck, he got through school on loans.I was the one who pulled strings to get him internships and jobs. I did not even ask for a wedding present.However, Jeff got tired of the grind and snagged a cushy job that barely paid, with more off days than work. He would kill time fishing while I shouldered all the b

  • After That Day   Chapter 5

    Alicia's response was a sneer. "Why keep up the act? I've seen your posts. Your daughter has been gone for a while–"She was cut off mid-sentence as Laura popped up beside me, handing me a glass of milk. "Here's your milk, Mom."Alicia and her friends looked like they had seen a ghost.I raised an eyebrow and let out an icy huff. "What's with the looks? Did you want Laura to be dead?"Apparently, Alicia had not clued in Kelly and Jeff about Tony's newfound prowess. They quickly accepted the truth.However, Alicia, in disbelief, cried out, "How can this be? Tony was supposed to be..."Her odd reaction raised eyebrows among the viewers.[Can't stand to see your niece healthy? You were just pretending to care!][What's this got to do with Tony? Why are you hiding him? Didn't he get hurt crossing the desert or something?]Alicia defensively shot back, "Impossible. My son's invincible! He's a true fighter!" She fumbled for words. "I…just heard Laura had a heart problem, and after s

  • After That Day   Chapter 4

    With the pieces put together, I rushed Laura to the closest clinic.The pharmacist, noticing Laura's flushed face, shrieked, "Get this kid to a major hospital, stat! She's got heatstroke, no question!"But how? It's not even that hot here! How did this happen?"Ignoring the pharmacist's astonished stare, I started to draw blood from Laura."You're bleeding her while she's like this? Are you trying to end her life?!" The pharmacist was frantic, shouting, but I might as well have been deaf.Had he not known I was her mother, he might have thought I was a criminal.I bought some bandages and painkillers from him and headed home.To my surprise, Laura was awake only three hours later, tearless and pain-free.At the same time, Alicia's live stream had come to a halt because her phone overheated and shut down, and she could not keep up with the broadcast.Nonetheless, Tony had genuinely walked across half a desert.Alicia became an instant sensation with a million followers.Every

  • After That Day   Chapter 3

    I kept a close eye on Alicia's streaming antics.I found out that in three days, she planned to have Tony take on monstrous waves, some as high as buildings. Tony was just a kid, barely taller than a surfboard!When the day came, my parents and I were glued to the stream, faces all tense. They believed my worries, not a shred of doubt–nothing like Jeff!My eyes started to water. If only I had listened to them and not married Jeff out of pity!Then, from my phone, the broadcast began. Alicia and her entourage had made it to the beach.Tony clutched his oversized surfboard and sprinted into the ocean. The waves knocked him around as expected, but he popped back up in no time, not a hint of a cough.I rushed to my daughter's room to check on her. She was still lost in slumber, and I let out a sigh of relief.However, in a heartbeat, she started crying and coughing up water, her face turning ghostly white. My parents and I jumped into action, giving her CPR. Still, she seemed stuck

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