Chapter 2
I shook my head, refusing his help, and struggled to my feet, using every ounce of strength I had.
The painkillers had worn off, and waves of sharp cramps hit my abdomen, making me tremble all over.
Arturo let out a cold snort and took Paloma from Lisa's arms.
"That woman is always acting pathetic, Lisa, just ignore her," he said.
"Lisa, if I'd married you back then, I wouldn't be stuck in this hellish mess. With you by my side, I can't even imagine how happy I'd be," he added.
Lisa shyly punched Arturo's chest and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Stop it, Melany's still here."
Paloma didn't even wait for Lisa to answer. She immediately squealed with delight.
"Yay! I finally have a beautiful mom. I'm the happiest kid in the world!" she shouted.
Her innocent words hit me right where it hurt, dealing a heavy blow to my heart that was already barely hanging on.
The day I gave birth to Paloma was pure hell. I struggled through labor for three days and nights, fighting for my life before she finally arrived.
Arturo watched me go through hell and back.
With a choked voice, he said, "Honey, you've been through so much. Let's just have this one child. I don't want you to suffer like this ever again."
Hearing him say that made me feel so comforted. I loved Arturo, and I loved our child even more.
After we got home from the hospital, Arturo hired a maternity nanny to help take care of me and Paloma.
But he also bought a whole stack of parenting books and fumbled his way through learning how to care for a newborn. From mixing formula to changing diapers and even burping Paloma, he patiently learned everything from the maternity nanny.
I thought this was happiness.
Everything changed when Lisa started working as Arturo's secretary.
The moment Lisa walked into Arturo's life, she stole his heart and soul.
For Lisa, he let me down time after time.
Family dinners, family trips, even our wedding anniversary, he canceled them all.
When I was hospitalized for gallstones, he just brushed it off, saying, "It's just a stone. Get it removed. It's not like you're going to die. Stop bothering me all the time!"
In that moment, disappointment washed over me like a tidal wave. My love for Arturo faded away, bit by bit, with every cold shoulder, every let-down.
For Paloma's sake, I just had to grit my teeth and take it.
But Paloma didn't know any better.
She'd blow off her homework and mess around with a bunch of boys, playing with cigarette cards. When I caught her, I came down hard and dumped her whole stash in the trash.
But Lisa would just giggle and let her get away with it, even sneaking her out to buy more cards when I wasn't looking.
I was furious when I found out, so I gave her a time-out to think about her actions.
But from that day on, Paloma started to hate me.
On her sixth birthday, Paloma grabbed Lisa's hand, pointed at me, and shouted, "I don't want you as my mom. I hate you! I want Lisa to be my mom! This is my home. Get out!"
Arturo just sat there on the couch, watching coldly, not even lifting a finger to stop her.
Memories spun around in my head, and all that pain from before felt like nothing but dust in the wind now.
Even with death staring me in the face, I couldn't help but worry about the daughter who despised me.
Clinging to the wall for dear life, I put on my face mask and dragged myself to the most secluded spot in the classroom.
The parent-teacher conference kicked off.
Paloma's grades were nothing to brag about, but she still snagged first place in the watercolor painting contest.
After the homeroom teacher finished praising Paloma, Lisa whipped out a pricey, limited-edition Barbie doll and handed it to her. Instantly, every kid in the class was staring with envy.
Paloma was practically bouncing with excitement. She rushed into Lisa's arms and snuggled up to her like she couldn't get enough.
Paloma squealed, "Wow! I love it! Thank you, beautiful mom, for the Barbie doll. You're the best!"
I just stood there like a stranger, my heart shattered as I watched my own daughter call someone else 'mom' right in front of me.
After the parent-teacher conference, Lisa walked over to me and said, "Melany, Paloma won first place in the painting contest. Arturo and I are taking her out for a nice meal to celebrate. Do you want to join us?"
Before I could even get a word out, Arturo cut in coldly.
"Lisa, why are you even asking her? Look at her, she looks half-dead. Do you really think she can come eat with us? Besides, this is a big deal. Paloma won first place. Inviting her would just ruin the mood," he said.
Paloma pouted and complained, "Lisa, didn't you only book a table for three? If that ugly mom comes too, we won't fit!"