Chapter 5

Robert gave me no money, so I could not even afford to go to the hospital.

I had no idea how many days I lay there at home.

Then the child came. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

He stood before me with a glass of water in his hand. His eyes remained lowered. "Mom... Mom."

I thought I had imagined it.

He held out the glass. "Drink this."

I trusted him without a moment's hesitation. I drank it eagerly, down to the very last drop.

I pulled him into my arms.

"Andy..." My voice trembled and caught in my throat. "Say it again..."

His entire body went rigid.

Then something began to feel terribly wrong with my body. Only then did I realize the water had been poisoned.

Just as I lost the ability to breathe, he shoved me away with all his strength and ran. "Hmph! You're so easy to fool. If Mommy hadn't promised me candy when I got home, I never would've called you that! So disgusting!"

He never looked back.

I watched him leave, without even enough strength left to breathe. "What..."

…

The hospital issued critical condition notices more than once.

They called my emergency contact number.

Andrew answered, his voice thick with annoyance as he shouted into the phone. "Why aren't you dead yet?! Once you're dead, my mommy can finally move in! Are you holding on to that spot on purpose just to make Mommy sad?"

In the background, I could hear Amelia's sweet, whiny voice.

Robert let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Again? What excuse are you going to use to drag me back this time? Are you threatening me again? Hang up. Don't waste the phone bill."

I seemed to have no tears left to shed.

Apparently, I was too stubborn to die. The poison had failed to kill me. Instead, the doctors discovered I had stomach cancer.

My hands no longer felt like my own.

Once, long ago, I had studied painting. Now, these hands could do nothing. I did not know whether to consider that fortunate or not.

…

With the divorce papers in hand, I knocked on his office door.

A kiss mark was still visible on his neck.

He twirled a pen between his fingers, his smile never wavering. "Divorce? Have you really thought this through? Can you really give up Andy?"

"Yes."

"Don't come back here later and make a scene." He was certain I could not live without him. "I'll give you the place in Lincolna. Consider it payment for all these years."

As he spoke, he signed his name without the slightest hesitation. His hand did not tremble once.

Only when I turned to leave did he call out to stop me. "Get your hand treated before you go."

I did not stop. I walked out without a backward glance.

Even at 16, I could never have imagined that things would end so wretchedly.

…

By the time I came back to my senses, night had fallen. A dull ache still seemed to linger in my body.

It took me a long while to recover.

The wind howled outside. I finished closing up the store and stepped out into the cold.

I lowered my head to call a car, but a hand suddenly caught my wrist.

His dark eyes shifted faintly in the dim light. His Adam's apple bobbed, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Miss Beaumont, I..."