Chapter 2

I smiled and gently rubbed her head. The wig felt stiff, nothing like the soft, smooth hair she had before chemotherapy. The color was not even the same anymore, yet Edward had not noticed a thing.

I remembered when she was first born. Edward had held her and cried his eyes out, saying she was the best gift I had ever given him.

Later, when she first called him "Dad," he had called people in the middle of the night just to brag, laughing so hard that even being scolded as crazy could not wipe the grin off his face.

He knew how hard it was for me to raise Lily. Every day after work, he would take her from my arms and put her to sleep himself, afraid I might be too tired.

Late at night, he used to hold me and choke up as he said, "Thank you, my love, for giving me a daughter. I swear I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."

But after Charlotte appeared, Edward never held Lily again. "She's not just my responsibility, you know. You're tired? So am I. Make her stop crying. It's so annoying," he snapped.

Then he would go to the bar to find Charlotte, afraid she might be bothered by strangers, and stay by her side all night long.

At first, I cried and made a fuss too. But every time, Edward only said one thing. "Charlotte's my sister. I can't just leave her alone. She's just a kid to me—there's no way I'd ever be into her. Stop imagining things."

I swallowed it all for Lily, but I never imagined they'd actually sleep together. If it wasn't for Lily's last wish, I would never have forgiven Edward again.

I could endure a little longer, long enough for her to leave this world without regrets.

Everything Lily said, I kept deep in my heart. When we divorced again, I would take back what was rightfully mine. I would not let anyone take advantage of me ever again.

*****

The next day at noon, Lily finally opened her eyes. She choked back tears as she said, "Mom, I'm scared I might never wake up again. Then I wouldn't get to see you."

I forced a smile. "You will. I will always find a way to wake you up."

Today was Edward's birthday, and Lily said she wanted to bake a birthday cake for her father herself.

I went to the supermarket and bought everything we needed. We baked the cake layers together, cut the fruit, and piped the cream.

Just as the cake was finished, we heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Lily's eyes lit up. "Dad's home."

But the person who walked in was not Edward. It was Charlotte. She waved the key in her hand smugly. "Edward's still asleep, so I came to grab a clean set of clothes for him. He stayed with me at the hospital for IVs until midnight last night. Susan, you're not mad about that, are you?"

I managed a smile. "He's got a contract to sign today, but he probably won't make it now anyway."

Charlotte's expression stiffened, but she said defiantly, "It's just a contract. Edward's way more worried about me than some contract."

Lily could not stand seeing me bullied. She rushed forward to drive Charlotte out. "Get out! Our house doesn't welcome bad women like you."

Charlotte shoved Lily to the ground and cursed viciously, "You little bitch, say that again and see what happens. Edward's not here. Let's see how I deal with you."

Lily couldn't dodge in time and fell hard onto the floor. The next second, she cried out and vomited blood all over herself.

Charlotte froze. She barely touched Lily. How could she be coughing up blood?

"Lily!" Frantically, I rushed over and scooped Lily into my arms. "Don't be scared, Lily. I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

I carried her and ran toward the door, only to bump straight into Edward as he was coming in.

Edward was shocked. "What happened to Lily?"