Chapter 5

"Mommy... my tummy hurts so much..." Dulce whimpered.

It was the middle of the night, and Dulce was curled up in her little bed, her face pale and covered in cold sweat.

Her tiny hands were clutching the hem of her pajamas so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

I reached out and touched her forehead; it was icy cold.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Don't be scared, Dulce. I'm right here," I whispered, trying to sound calm.

I scooped her up in my arms, snatched my car keys and wallet, and bolted out the door in a panic.

I didn't even have time to change out of my slippers.

The lights in the emergency room were so bright they hurt my eyes.

"Acute appendicitis. She needs surgery right away. There's no time to lose," the doctor said urgently.

"Can someone from the family sign here?" he asked, his tone grave.

It was the surgery consent form.

Even though it was just a thin sheet of paper, it felt as heavy as lead in my hands.

My fingers trembled as I pulled out my phone.

I dialed Jeffery's number for what felt like the millionth time.

Every ring felt like a knife twisting in my heart.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is unavailable at the moment..."

No one was answering.

Gritting my teeth, I found his assistant's number.

I practically yelled into the phone. "Where's Jeffery? Put him on the phone right now!"

Allan Drake stammered, "Mrs. Fox... Mr. Fox is with his assistant Vanessa right now, dealing with something urgent..."

"Vanessa got a bit rattled, and Mr. Fox said not to let anyone bother him..."

Vanessa got a bit rattled?

Was that really more important than my daughter needing surgery?

"Mommy..." Dulce's voice was so faint, it barely reached my ears.

As they were about to wheel Dulce into the operating room, she struggled to open her eyes, fighting to stay awake.

"Is Daddy... here yet?" Dulce asked, her words barely a whisper.

Seeing the hope in her eyes made my heart ache even more.

My throat felt tight, like it was stuffed with cotton.

"Daddy... he's on his way," I said softly.

I lied.

Not even I believed that.

The doors to the operating room slowly closed.

The red light flicked on.

I leaned against the cold wall and slowly sank to the floor.

Staring at the glowing "Surgery in Progress" sign.

I felt like a complete idiot.

Seven years of marriage couldn't even compare to another woman's little scare.

I took out my phone.

I stared at the family photo on my phone's lock screen.

It was taken last year on Dulce's birthday.

Jeffery was smiling as he hoisted her up onto his shoulders.

And I was right there beside them, grinning just as wide.

How ironic.

I pulled up my photos.

I tapped on that family picture.

My finger hovered over the "Delete" button, trembling.

In the end, I just couldn't do it.

It wasn't that I couldn't bear to delete it.

I just didn't want to let him off the hook that easily.

*****

Three hours later, the surgery light went out.

The doctor walked out.

"The operation went really well. She just needs plenty of rest now," the doctor said.

My heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally dropped back into place.

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, the relief and exhaustion almost overwhelming me.

I walked over to Dulce's bedside.

She was still deep under the anesthesia, her tiny face so pale it made my heart ache.

I gently held her cold little hand.

And pressed it to my cheek, needing to feel her warmth, even if it was just a little.

I bent down close to her.

I leaned in and whispered so softly that only I could hear, speaking to my sleeping Dulce.

"I'm sorry, Dulce," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I lied to you. From now on, you won't ever need the kind of dad who's always 'on his way' but never really here."