Chapter 3
Felicia's mother asked, "Are you really immigrating? I thought you didn't want to at first."
Felicia replied, "Mom, I divorced Wally. He's getting remarried next week."
"How could he treat you like this? He literally got down on the floor in front of us and promised he'd love you for the rest of his life.
"Your dad and I will come see you right now..."
Felicia stared out at the rain, her voice calm. "No need to trouble yourselves. The visa will be ready next week. I'll handle things with him myself."
"Alright, maybe leaving is for the best. At least you won't ever have to cross paths with him again."
Felicia hung up.
She unconsciously placed a hand on her stomach, only then realizing the baby was gone. Her lashes trembled as her gaze fell on her arm.
There was an ugly scar there, left by Emma.
After that fire, Emma stayed home to recover.
The blaze had only singed a bit of her hair, but she broke down in tears every single day, especially when she saw other people with gorgeous hair.
Wally made Felicia cut her own beautiful hair short. Felicia swallowed it and went along.
Later, while Felicia was cooking, Emma grabbed a pot of boiling water and poured it right onto Felicia's hand because Emma had a pimple on her face.
Felicia's hand ended up covered in blisters.
Emma wouldn't let Felicia use any ointment, and because she couldn't treat it in time, the ugly scar was left behind.
Every night, whenever Felicia caught sight of that ugly scar, she'd break down in tears.
Wally would hold her close, promising again and again, "Felicia, it's just a scar. I'll find the best doctors to get rid of it for you.
"It's okay. It's not ugly at all. Once I've paid back what I owe, it'll all be fine."
She'd heard that line for a whole year, worked hard for a whole year, and the scar had stuck with her nearly as long. Even now, the scar was still there.
But that so-called debt of gratitude was nothing but a lie.
Wally had her fooled all along, treating her like an idiot.
"Felicia."
Then, the hospital room door swung open.
Wally walked over with a food container. When his eyes landed on the scar on her arm, he paused.
"Once you're back on your feet, I'll take you abroad to get this scar taken care of."
"No need," Felicia said softly.
She never bothered with it before, and now, she definitely wasn't going to.
Wally's hand paused as he set up the tray. "Are you still upset? About the baby, I've already handled those doctors.
"We'll have another child someday.
"Right now, you need to focus on getting your health back."
He placed the soup in front of her.
Felicia frowned at his words. "So it was the doctors' fault? Wally, if you hadn't pushed me so hard, would I have lost the baby?"
She was eight months along, and every prenatal checkup had been perfect.
If none of this had happened, her baby should've been perfectly healthy. There was no way she should've lost it.
But in the end, the baby was gone.
Felicia clenched the blanket, tears brimming in her eyes. That tearing pain from the ER flooded her heart all over again.
Felicia choked out, "He was always so healthy, always so good. Even when he was gone, he never wanted to hurt me.
"Wally, do you think you've done right by this child?"
Wally lowered his eyes. "I know you're angry with me. I wanted to repay the debt we owe Emma. We both owe her our lives..."
"Wally!" Felicia called out.
She knew that he was still lying to her.
If she'd never learned the truth, she would've spent her whole life in the dark, her conscience haunted, always chained by that so-called debt.
Her curled fingers tightened even more. Staring into Wally's deep, dark eyes, Felicia couldn't hold back anymore.
She pressed, "Did Emma really ever save us..."
Then, a nurse hurriedly knocked on the door.
"Mr. Norris, Miss Norris is on the ground at the hospital entrance. She looks like she's about to collapse!"