Chapter 3
"Chevel, hang on," I said calmly as I scanned all the hate-fueled comments.
"He likes to act, doesn't he? Then let him put on his greatest show. After he has reached the pinnacle of his acting tour de force, I will personally bring about his downfall," I mused with narrowed eyes.
Meanwhile, the rumors and gossip went into overdrive.
Ulrich and his mother wasted no time and seized the moment to appear on a reality TV show featuring family dispute mediation.
During the show, Ulrich's mother cried her heart out as she listed all my alleged "crimes" from the past five years.
She claimed I spent money recklessly, disrespected my in-laws, and even fooled around with other men.
Ulrich sat beside her with a pained expression. He was playing the role of a loving husband betrayed by his wife.
With red-rimmed eyes, he looked straight at the camera and said, "Winnie, I know you're mad at me, but you can't throw away five years of our relationship just because of one mistake I made. Come home. Mom and I are waiting for you."
It was indeed a performance that deserved an Oscar award.
Cherika also gave an interview as an "insider," and insinuated that I had been in touch with the Fulcher family all along. She claimed that I had staged the whole thing just to marry into a wealthy family like the Luciers.
Together, the three of them wove a web of lies so thick no one could tell where the nuggets of truth were anymore.
Overnight, I became the villain everyone online loved to hate.
Chevel was trembling with suppressed rage as he watched the show. "These shameless scumbags! I'm gonna make them vanish from the capital city, right now!"
"Chev, it's not time yet," I pacified him gently.
He looked at me with a mix of worry and bafflement, "Winnie, are you…"
I gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine."
Of course, I was fine. After all, I could not possibly feel hurt when my heart was long dead…
*****
That night at the hospital, Nellie's attending physician brought us some great news.
"Ms. Fulcher, we found a match for Nellie's bone marrow," the doctor announced.
I stood up excitedly. "Really? Who is it?"
"It's your brother, Mr. Chevel Fulcher. Siblings have a high chance of being a match, to begin with. Nellie is very fortunate," the doctor replied with a smile.
I looked at Chevel, who was just as thrilled, and before I knew it, I burst into tears uncontrollably. "Chev..."
"Silly girl, why are you crying? We're family, after all," Chevel said as he patted my head kindly.
He was right. We were family…
After the doctor left, I sat by Nellie's bedside, holding her tiny hand.
Looking at her little face, which had grown thin from illness, I felt as if someone was squeezing my heart tightly.
I recalled Nellie's birthday, which was just one month ago. I had begged Ulrich for days before he finally agreed to take us to the amusement park.
But on that day, the moment Cherika called to say she was suffering from a bad stomachache, he dropped everything and left us behind.
At that time, Nellie had tugged at my sleeve and asked meekly, "Mommy, does Daddy not like me anymore?" I had no answer for her…
Then there was the time when I was pregnant and constantly suffered from morning sickness. Yet, Ulrich's mother kept forcing me to consume those greasy soups, which were supposedly health tonics. When I refused, the old woman would complain that I was being difficult and that her future grandchild would suffer from malnutrition.
Ulrich would only shrug and say, "Mom's doing this for your own good."
These and countless other incidents began surfacing in my memory. Back then, I had tried so hard to forget them or console myself that Ulrich was too busy with work.
How deeply trapped in the state of denial must I have been to stay by this callous man's side for five years?
How weak must I have been to put up with a family like that for five years?
I slowly wiped away my tears as I galvanized myself with a new steely resolve.
The timid and weak Winona, who worshiped her husband, was no more. She died the moment my daughter found hope for a new life, and I finally saw the truth in all its clarity.
From this day onward, I would live only for myself and Nellie.
With that, I pulled out my phone and sent Ulrich a message. [Meet me at the lawyer's office at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I want a divorce.]
The next morning, I showed up at the lawyer's office punctually.
Ulrich was already there, waiting for me. He looked somewhat tired with those dark circles under his eyes. The moment he saw me, he hurried to me.
"Winnie, you have finally agreed to see me," he cried out and reached out to grab my hand. However, I evaded his touch.
"Don't touch me. You disgust me." I told him sternly.
Ulrich's face froze for a moment. In the next second, he reverted to the pained look he had been using excessively recently.
"Winnie, I know you're still angry with me. Don't believe anything you see online. Those are all my mom's nonsense. I have already told her off.
"Forget about the divorce. Let's go home and talk things through, shall we?" he pleaded.
I looked at him with as much disdain as I could muster. "Ulrich, do you think any of this matters now?"
I pulled from my bag the divorce papers that my lawyers had already prepared earlier and shoved them against his chest.