Chapter 2

2

Unable to suppress the rage burning inside me, I dialed Harrison's number. "Harrison, are you even human?! How dare you drag Maya to drain her blood for your little mistress's kid? You're an absolute monster!"

Harrison's irritated voice came through the speaker. "Leah, Yolanda is not my mistress. Watch your mouth."

A wave of bitter irony washed over me. He treated Yolanda's daughter a thousand times better than his own, to the point where outsiders thought he was Yolanda's husband. And yet he still had the nerve to say she wasn't his lover.

Then again, in his heart, Yolanda was probably his true wife, while I was merely an intruder occupying her rightful place.

I gritted my teeth, uttering every word through tears. "Maya is dead. If you come to the operating room right now, you might still catch one last glimpse of her."

Harrison suddenly snapped in anger. "Leah, stop letting your jealousy get out of hand! Lily was in a horrible car crash, and I have to stay here for them. You don't need to invent such sickening lies to trick me."

"Just a while ago, Maya used the nurse's phone to call me, whining that she wasn't feeling well and begging me to visit her. Now you're claiming she's dead? She learned all these lying tricks from you, didn't she?"

"She's such a headache. Last time I took her out with Lily, she actually pushed Lily. When I caught her, she refused to admit it and kept lying. Mark my words, she's going to grow up to be a delinquent, nothing like how well-behaved Lily is."

If I had not heard those words with my own ears, I would never have believed a father could describe his own daughter with such malice.

In the eyes of her teachers and classmates, Maya was always an obedient and sweet girl. Even complete strangers praised her for being well-mannered. Yet in Harrison's mouth, she was only fit to become a delinquent.

No mother on earth could tolerate her child being slandered like this.

I screamed into the phone recklessly, "You goddamn piece of trash! You killed Maya! I was blind to ever marry you! If I hadn't, my poor baby wouldn't have been born just to suffer and die because of you!"

Harrison's tone grew increasingly impatient. "Are you out of your mind? I told you I can't leave Lily right now. All they did was draw a little bit of blood, and you're acting like the world is ending. So many people donate blood every day, why is she the only one making a scene? If she's dead, then she's dead. Stop bothering me!"

Harrison was utterly convinced that I was lying. He believed my jealousy was acting up, and that Maya had only called him because she was trying to keep him away from Lily.

What he didn't know was that it was the final phone call Maya would ever make in her short life.

Over the receiver, I could hear Yolanda's manipulative, sugary voice in the background, telling Harrison that they were fine and that he should come home to me so I wouldn't be upset.

Sickened by the sound of that vile pair, I hung up immediately.

A nurse nearby stepped forward, hesitating before speaking up. "Ma'am… when little Maya called her father earlier, I overheard a woman's voice on the line. That woman told Maya that her daddy didn't want her anymore, and that he was now her own daughter's daddy."

Even though Harrison had never been affectionate toward Maya, she had always loved him deeply because of their blood bond. I could not begin to fathom how broken and terrified Maya must have felt hearing those words.

The nurse paused, glanced at my pale face, and continued quietly. "When your husband brought the child in, we initially refused to draw blood because she was far too young. But your husband insisted there was no problem. He even signed a liability waiver, promising to take full responsibility for whatever happened."

My heart felt like it was being ripped apart, and I could barely breathe. How could Harrison do this? Forcing a three-year-old toddler to undergo massive blood extraction… How frightened must Maya have been, lying in that cold hospital all alone?

Like a hollow shell, I followed the funeral staff to have Maya cremated. Hugging her tiny urn tightly against my chest, I walked back home alone.

When I opened the front door, there was no sweet voice calling out Mommy, nor was there a warm little hug waiting for me. The house was dead silent, leaving only me and Maya's cold ashes.

Her last voicemail kept replaying in my mind over and over again. "Mommy, Daddy told me he needed my help today. I was so happy and went with him right away. At the hospital, Daddy said he needed to take some of my blood. I was scared, but I didn't want to let Daddy down, so I said yes. I thought Daddy would spin me around in his arms when I came out, but the nurse said he had already left. I called Daddy, but another lady answered. She told me Daddy doesn't want me anymore. But Mommy, I listened to Daddy and helped him, so why doesn't he want me? Mommy, I'm so sleepy… Maya can't hold on anymore…"