All Chapters of A Close Call: Rescuing My Daughter: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Every hair on my arms stood up when I heard that familiar voice.Agonizing images from my previous timeline flooded back into my mind.I vividly remembered how my daughter, Luna Woods, had slowly gone cold as I held her.My wife, Marina Marlow, screamed hysterically. Her eyes were bloodshot with stress.The groom’s voice from the electronic invitation was etched into my memory.“We’d be honored if you could join us to celebrate our special day!”It was him! It was Kai Pierce, our neighbor!He was the man who always seemed to “coincidentally” run into Marina in the elevator. He would smile and praise her for being such a “capable housewife.”“Hello? Can you hear me? Do you need an ambulance?“Is that a child sick? Is she having a fever?”Kai’s voice came through the phone again. He sounded calm.A cold shiver ran down my spine.This time, I did not even have the chance to tell him what happened.How could he possibly know Luna was ill?Was he waiting for this call all alon

Chapter 2

“See? That’s all it took.“I’ve no idea what that little performance was all about.“If you’d just told the dispatcher clearly from the start, Luna would probably be in an ambulance by now!”I scoffed.Kai’s actions had only confirmed my guess.These two wretched people had been involved with each other for a long time.I thought of the electronic invitation from the past.She was wearing a white wedding dress and was nestled in Kai’s arms with a sweet smile.The invitation read, [Out of the past and into our future, together.]‘Out of the past?’ I thought.It seemed Luna’s life and our shattered family were just something to be left behind so they could start their future together.I stared at the woman who had once shared my bed.“That ambulance isn’t coming.“Get out of my way if you don’t want her to die!”...She was taken aback and instinctively took a step back.I did not spare her another glance. I rushed toward the elevator as I held Luna tightly. She had begun

Chapter 3

I had just laid Luna on the gurney when I heard a familiar voice.“Shawn? How’s she?”Kai stood a few steps away. He looked worried.Marina was beside him.“I was worried after Marina called, so I came with her to check on things.”I instantly flew into rage when I saw them standing side by side.“To check on things?!” I said scornfully.“Or did you come to see whether Luna would make it, so you two lovebirds could start your new life together a little sooner, without so much baggage?”Marina’s expression changed drastically. “Shawn Woods! What’re you saying?! How can you spout such nonsense, especially with Luna like this?”“Me? Spouting nonsense?” I took a step forward. My tone grew sharper.“Marina, look me in the eye, and tell me how long you and Kai have been together.“Were you together even before what happened to Luna?“While she was burning up with fever, were you sneaking around and secretly thinking she was in your way?”“You!”Marina was furious. She pointed a

Chapter 4

“I want to see if anything links back to him!”Kai immediately became agitated.“Shawn, I get you’re worried about Luna, but you can’t just throw around accusations like that!”His eyes welled up with tears as he turned to Marina.“Marina, I just came by to help. I was worried that you might be overwhelmed.“Why on earth would I hurt a child? I’ve only even seen her a couple of times!”Marina frowned. She looked at me. Her face shone with frustration.“Shawn Woods! You’ve been completely out of line all night.”She took a deep breath, then said, “She had a fever. I told you to call 911. You hung up for no reason and tried to drive her here yourself. I told you an ambulance was faster and safer, but you screamed at me. You said that I…”She paused. A flicker of shame crossed her face, but she continued, “You said that I was trying to hurt our daughter.“Fine! Let’s say you weren’t thinking straight. Before your tire was slashed, I called 911. Kai here was kind enough to help e

Chapter 5

It contained several tufts of suspicious-looking fuzz.“Doctor, we found this residue inside the child’s pajamas. It’s likely the allergen that caused the fever and seizures.”Everyone was stunned.Marina stopped. Her hand hovered midair. Her face was still twisted in anger.I turned sharply to the nurse. My heart pounded in my chest.“What is it?”The nurse lifted the sealed bag and examined it carefully against the light.“It’s feather debris. Very specific texture, like… peacock down.“There’s not a lot, but it’s extremely fine. It clings to the fabric and is very hard to see.“And it doesn’t look like it was naturally shed. The edges seem like they were cut.”‘Peacock feathers?’ I thought.The image of a slightly ajar door at Kai’s house flashed through my mind.I remembered the vase in his entryway, just behind the door. It was always filled with several brightly colored peacock tail feathers.“Peacock down is a powerful allergen for kids with sensitive lungs. A signi

Chapter 6

“Oh my God, no way! A father hurting his own kid?”“Did you see how deranged he was acting? Pushing, hitting, and refusing to call 911…”“Depression is truly scary. My cousin almost jumped off a building with her baby.”“It’s no wonder he was acting so crazy! He shoved the guy who was trying to help!”The murmurs grew louder and bolder.At that moment, Marina spoke up.“Shut up! My husband would never hurt our child.”I looked at her in astonishment.Why was she defending me?I thought she would be on Kai’s side.The next second, she looked at me with a complex expression.“Shawn, tell me. What exactly happened today?“I’ll only believe what you have to say.”Kai’s words caught in his throat. He stared at Marina in disbelief.“Marina, the proof’s right here! There’s a peacock feather on Luna’s clothes that came from my place!“He’s been acting strange all night. He—”Marina interrupted him. “No matter how strange he might have been acting, he’s still Luna’s biological f

Chapter 7

The silent footage was more damning than any accusation.A collective gasp echoed through the hallway.“Gosh, he really did it!”“That’s terrifying! He was trying to stop that guy from driving.”“He was faking it the whole time!”I put away my phone and looked at Kai. His face had gone pale. Without raising my voice, I said firmly, “You slashed the tire. You took away our chance to save Luna.”Kai panicked for a moment. Yet, within just a few seconds, he raised his head again.“Fine! I slashed your tire! I admit it! I had a momentary lapse of judgment!“I can’t stand you, Shawn! You’re always acting so superior. I couldn’t stand watching a good woman like Marina have to walk on eggshells around you every day!”He spoke very quickly, attempting to reframe the argument as a personal grudge.“But what does that prove? Does that prove I put the peacock feather in the child’s clothes? That’s ridiculous!“The footage only showed that I slashed the tire. It didn’t show that I wen

Chapter 8

I did not look at him. Instead, I turned to the equally shocked doctor and the hospital security guards who had just arrived.“Doctor, this is how she was exposed to the allergen. Please, call the police.”At that moment, Luna was wheeled out of emergency care.I held her in my arms. She was fast asleep and was smacking her lips. Her small body was warm once more. My eyes welled up with tears.This time, I was able to protect my precious baby.The sound of a police siren grew in the distance. It sounded loud and distinct.Two police officers walked over briskly, looking serious.The doctor stepped forward and explained the situation in a low voice. The officers’ gazes fell on Kai.“He framed me!” Kai cried out.“Those videos are fake! He falsified them! He hates me! He’s just jealous of my friendship with Marina! He’s trying to destroy me!”One of the officers said coldly, “Sir, calm down. You’ll need to come with us for questioning.”“No! I won’t go! I didn’t do anything!”

Chapter 9

She paused. She looked hurt.“When Kai started making those insinuations, and I saw the feathers… For a second, I still doubted you.“I actually believed him and wondered if the pressure had gotten to you. God, I’m awful!”She lowered her head and grabbed her hair. Her shoulders trembled.I did not say anything. I only looked at her in silence. At that moment, the only sound in the room was Luna’s steady breathing.After a long time, I finally said, “Marina, do you know what I was thinking as I held Luna and waited for the ambulance that never came?”Her head snapped up. She looked at me in shock.“But I thought the ambulance did come.”I shook my head. I did not want to explain anything. I just continued as if I were narrating a story.“I thought I had done something wrong. I kept wondering whether I was overthinking. Did I give them the wrong address? Was I being hysterical? Was I… just not good enough to be her father?“I thought that if something happened to her, you’d

Chapter 10

I looked at the sleeping Luna, then at Marina. All my turmoil melted away.“I had this long, awful dream.“In the dream, the ambulance never came! Luna was… she was gone. You blamed me. We split up. Then, I got a wedding invitation from you and Kai.“His voice was identical to the dispatcher who had stalled on the phone.“Then, I woke up. It was the night Luna’s fever started.”Marina’s face turned deathly pale.“An invitation?” she said in an urgent voice. “But Luna’s right here! She’s okay! How could I ever…”She paused. Her gaze turned sharp. “Kai did mention once in the group chat of the building residents that his cousin’s a wedding planner. If he could hurt a child, then forging an invite to break you wouldn’t be…”She did not even finish her sentence, but we both knew what she meant.After a long pause, she spoke up again. Her voice was heavy with emotion.“I’m sorry. Whether in that dream or in real life, I didn’t stand by you. It’s all my fault.”Her eyes welled up

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