Chapter 2

After returning from the hospital, Dad brought Megan home.

He said that her fetus was unstable and was worried about leaving her alone at home. He reassured Mom and told her not to overthink things.

But when Mom was pregnant and felt so horrible she lost all her appetite, Dad said it was normal and simply told Mom to bear with it.

Megan merely made a passing remark that she had no appetite, and Dad immediately hired a professional nutritionist to plan meals for her. He even gave Megan everything Mom had prepared for her own baby.

When Megan complained about feeling stuffy in her room, Dad immediately asked Mom to let Megan have the master bedroom.

“The master bedroom is airy and well-ventilated. Megan will sleep well in there,” he said. “Tina, you’ve gone through this before. Don’t make things difficult on account of the baby.”

I thought Mom would get mad.

She had painstakingly decorated and furnished the master bedroom by herself. She once told me the bedroom symbolised the happy marriage she and Dad shared.

To my surprise, Mom simply nodded.

“I’ll sleep with Ann.”

She took my hand and led me back to my bedroom.

Dad rushed over. He looked uneasily at Mom, somehow in disbelief that she would give in so easily.

“Tina, I grew up with Megan. She’s like my younger sister. Don’t worry, I’ll come to you two once I’ve settled her down.”

But Dad never appeared even after lights out.

I asked Mom if she was still waiting for Dad.

She patted my back gently. “No, never again.”

The next day, Mom told me to stay at home as she was going to meet someone who was going to help her and Dad separate.

After I was done with my homework, I left my bedroom, only to see Megan burning something on the balcony.

It was the lucky charm Mom sewed for the baby.

It took her very long and she even got it blessed at a church.

I rushed over and snatched it back. The flames licked the back of my hand, and it hurt so badly tears sprung up in my eyes.

At the next moment, Megan rushed behind me and said as she choked back tears, “Gerald, perhaps it’s better that I leave.”

Dad was back.

“I just wanted to see what it was, but Ann called me a murderer and even said she wanted to burn me alive,” Megan said through sobs.

“I did not!” I tried to speak up for myself, suppressing the pain on my hand. “She was trying to burn Mom’s stuff, that’s why…”

Dad slapped me before I was done explaining things.

“Ann Gadbury, you’re lying again! You’re learning to be so wicked at such a young age. You need to be taught a hard lesson today.”

He grabbed me by the arm and locked me on the balcony.

Both my hand and cheek hurt.

I insisted that I didn’t do anything wrong, but Dad was busy comforting Megan instead.

The residual sparks flew in the wind and landed on the curtain. Fire started burning and thick smoke started filling the balcony, making me choke.

I banged hard at the door, yelling, “Dad, I’m scared…!”

But the first thing Dad did when he saw the fire was to haul Megan in his arms and run to the door.

I was having difficulties breathing and on the verge of losing consciousness.

In my daze, I saw Mom rushing into the fire and getting her back burned. Her entire body shook with pain, but it didn’t stop her from holding me tightly in her arms.

Very soon, the fire was put out.

A look of guilt flashed past Dad’s face when he saw the burn marks on Mom’s back.

“Everything happened so quickly, and Megan's pregnant… Tina, I didn’t expect the fire to be so bad…”

He reached out to hold Mom, but her knees suddenly went weak as she collapsed on the floor.

“Gerald, my stomach hurts…”

Just then, the ambulance that was called for Mom came, but Dad immediately carried Megan in his arms and hopped on the vehicle instead.

“Tina, Megan is in critical condition. Wait for the next ambulance, okay?”

Mom’s back was a mess of blood and flesh, and she was in such terrible pain she was almost fainting.

Dad completely turned a blind eye to her condition.

When we finally arrived at the hospital, the moment Mom stepped out of the ambulance, Dad rushed over to ask her to save Megan.

“Tina, Megan had a bad fall and needs a blood transfusion. Bear with the pain a while longer.”

He forcefully took Mom away and made her transfuse her blood.

Right after, he left Mom alone in the corridor as he rushed to Megan’s side.

Mom finally couldn’t take it any longer and fainted.