Chapter 3
Just because of that mean joke between him and Sarah, I and Laura became the victims. I couldn’t let out a scream. My mouth was full of the taste of blood. I wiped the tears off my face randomly and forced a smile as I pushed open the door of Laura’s ward and said, “Laura, I bought you some chicken soup. Do you feel better now?” Laura’s face was pale, and she said helplessly, “Mom, I’m going to have an operation tomorrow, and I have to fast today.” I was stunned for a moment. I was so stimulated by Scott that my mind was all messed up. I was angry at myself for forgetting about this and picked up a cotton swab to wet Laura’s chapped lips with water. She held my hand tightly and asked gently, “Mom, is Dad still busy? I miss him so much.” Looking at her, I couldn’t tell her the truth. I stroked Laura’s head lovingly and said, “You’ll see Dad before your operation tomorrow.” I planned to beg Scott to come and stay with her. After being a clown in their rich people’s game for seven years, my dignity seemed to be worth nothing. After Laura fell asleep, I went to find the doctor to confirm the specific time of tomorrow’s operation. I squatted on the floor of the corridor with my back against the cold wall, and only then did I become a bit more clear-headed. Taking out my phone, I called Scott. This time, he picked up the phone quickly. “Angela, what’s up? I’m accompanying the investor right now. If we can seal this deal, we can get out of our current tough situation!” Over these seven years, he had always used such words to deceive me, and every time I had believed him. At first, Scott pretended to have found a job of moving bricks on a construction site. Seeing that his hands were red and swollen, I told him to focus on finding investors and that I would earn the money. But he just had fun all day long and left us at home to suffer. The music on the phone was loud. I guessed that he was probably still on the cruise ship with Kelly. I controlled my emotions, took a deep breath, and then said, “Scott, Laura is going to have an operation tomorrow. Can you come and stay with her? You know she misses you a lot…” My words were coldly interrupted by Scott before I could finish, “Angela, what on earth has been wrong with you recently? You know I’m busy, yet you keep bothering me! I’m working so hard just to make sure you can live a good life!” Listening to him yelling at me so confidently, I gave a bitter smile. After calming down, I said in a hoarse voice, “Scott, it doesn’t matter if you think I’m silly and unsophisticated. But Laura is your daughter. Do you really not care about her at all?” Scott paused for a moment and said in a flustered manner, “Angela, what nonsense are you talking about? I’ll go to the hospital as soon as I’m done here.” I looked at Laura through the glass of the ward, and my whole body trembled. She was curled up under the thick quilt, looking so weak. When she was just born, she couldn’t even open her eyes and would hold my finger with her soft little hand. Laura had poor health and had never been to kindergarten, even for a day. She only knew me and Scott. But the father she relied on had never really cared about her. I couldn’t hold on any longer and started crying. I didn’t expect that Scott would actually come. Maybe in his heart, he still cared about Laura. The red marks on his neck hadn’t faded yet, and he rushed into the ward wearing those old patched-up clothes. Looking at the sweat beads still dripping down from his forehead, I had mixed feelings. For a moment, I almost thought that we were still a poor but loving family. I thought that suffering wasn’t a big deal. As long as we loved each other, we could get through any difficulties together, until a flash of gold on his wrist caught my attention. That expensive watch brought me back to reality.