Lahat ng Kabanata ng Five Minutes Too Late: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

"Where is Daisy's father?"Dr. Stevenson set the death certificate on the desk in front of me, his pen hovering."My daughter doesn't have a father.""Charlotte, that's not what I asked. When you brought Daisy in last night, he wasn't here. If he isn't here for the cremation either, you might end up regretting it down the road.""I won't."Dr. Stevenson took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Time of death: 1.47 a.m. Cause of death: respiratory failure triggered by an acute asthma attack. Cardiac arrest occurred prior to arrival. Please review and confirm."I recognized every word printed on the document. But strung together like that, it felt like a story happening to someone else entirely."It's correct.""Sign here, please."The tip of the pen cut right through the paper as I wrote "Charlotte Coleman".Dr. Stevenson held the paper down and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to wait for him a little longer?""No."A staff member from the funeral home cam

"Oh look, Theo actually brought her over.""Dressed like that to a birthday party? If I didn't know better, I'd think a beggar wandered in."The chatter in the private dining room ground to a halt. Over a dozen pairs of eyes locked onto me at once.Theo pulled out the chair right beside him. "Everyone, cut it out. She's my wife."He turned to look at me, his voice soft. "Offer your apology and sit down to eat. I had the kitchen save some of that salmon you like."Debra scoffed loudly. "Who'd dare let her sit? She was just talking about Sophia dying earlier today, and now she doesn't even bother putting on decent clothes."Ava chimed in with a smug laugh, "Charlotte's sweater is practically washed out. Guess she was too busy hiding Daisy to bother dressing up."Someone at the table asked, "Is the kid actually sick?"Debra waved her hand dismissively. "That's just how she raises her kid. Daisy sneezes twice, and she acts like she needs to call an ambulance. Let's not ruin the moo

"Charlotte, you're scaling the fish backward! You're tearing the skin right off."My aunt took my hand and turned the knife in the right direction."I'm sorry.""Why are you apologizing to me? Didn't you know how to do this before?""I forgot."In the two weeks since returning to the coastal fishing town, I kept forgetting things. I forgot to turn off the faucet or whether I had already added salt, and I would still reflexively set out a small extra bowl during dinner.Daisy's urn sat inside the wooden cabinet my grandmother left behind, right next to her unused nebulizer mask."Charlotte, there's a man kneeling outside!" The neighbor's little girl ran inside, holding half a piece of rice cake in her hand. "He says his name is Theo."I walked over to the front door.Theo had lost a lot of weight. Stubbled dark hair covered his jawline, and he was clutching a small Play-Doh figure that had been molded back together. The figure's head was crooked, and its broken arms were wrappe

"Is this your medical report?"Theo stared at the date, his fingers pressing heavily into the paper."You were at the flea market that day too?""I was.""But after I woke up in the hospital, my mother told me you fell at home...""She lied to you.""This says emergency C-section..." His voice began to falter. "Was Daisy born that night?""Yes."Sophia scrambled forward to snatch the paper. "Theo, medical records can easily be forged. She's just trying to drive a wedge between us!"I brought up the payment receipt on my phone. "The invoice number, timestamp, and admission ID are all here. Look it up yourself."Theo didn't reach for the phone."What really happened back then?""You were cornered by debt collectors outside the warehouse. They came at you with wooden planks, so I threw myself in front of you and took a blow straight to the stomach."After you passed out, I called the ambulance. Sophia had been hiding behind the shutter door the entire time. She only came out

"Charlotte, you're here."Theo leaned against the edge of the bed and sat up, a faint smile actually gracing his face.A nurse was in the middle of replacing his bed pad. "Family members, please step outside and wait a moment.""She's not family," he blurted out before quickly changing his words. "Well, she still is right now."I stood outside the doorway, waiting until the nurse finished taking away the soiled bedding.Theo had no sensation in his lower body. For the rest of his life, he would be completely dependent on a wheelchair and daily nursing care.Sitting right on the bedside table was that patched-up Play-Doh figure."Did Mandy's mom tell you that I could sit up now?""No.""Then did you come to see me?"I placed the divorce agreement in front of him."Sign it."The smile on his face froze completely. "I thought...""You thought what?""That day, you signed the consent form for my emergency surgery.""I was the only person at the scene who could sign it.""An