At the family banquet, my wife Catherine insisted on giving her first love Fred’s child a home. She even publicly announced that Fred’s child was her child. Even the photos on the big screen had been replaced with pictures of Fred’s child. But my child was gone, and no matter how frantically I searched the entire hall, I couldn’t find my child. I could only rush onto the stage and demand to know why our child had become someone else’s child. But with red-rimmed eyes, Catherine begged me: “Albert, Fred’s child is my child too.” “I want to be this child’s mother. You should be able to understand how I feel, right?” “Don’t worry, I’ll always love our child the most.” “Our child is being taken good care of by Fred. Nothing will happen to them.” Hearing her careless tone, I was finally able to find our child in the storage room, panic-stricken. Looking at Catherine on stage, I thought she seemed to have forgotten one thing. That the only reason I could still stay by her side was because of this child. Since she no longer loved our child, I should leave her world too.
Under the stunned looks of the other relatives, I walked out of the storage room holding my child. “Catherine, what’s going on? Why did Albert bring out another child?” “Yeah, I remember you only had one child. Where did the child in his arms come from?” The relatives who had come to the banquet were looking back and forth between me and Catherine. Catherine held the child in her arms, and after freezing for a second, she hurriedly found an excuse and explained: “That’s a child we adopted. The kid has a sad background, and having two kids will make the house livelier.” Hearing Catherine’s explanation from the stage, I felt my whole body freeze. For the sake of her first love, Fred, she could actually call someone else’s child her own. And she could even describe our child as an adopted child. The child in my arms also seemed uncomfortable in this noisy scene and kept crying. I hurriedly patted the child, only then remembering that the child hadn’t eaten for six hours. Just then, Catherine also came down affectionately holding Fred’s child. Catherine smiled at me: “Albert, thanks for not making trouble this time.” “Look how cute Fred’s child is. We’re all family now, so say hi to Fred’s child.” I held the child in my arms and forced down the anger in my chest before speaking: “Catherine, do you know Angel hasn’t eaten for six hours?” To prepare for today’s banquet, Catherine and I had started getting ready three months ago. I had thought today’s banquet would be the happiest time for our family of three. But the banquet we had carefully prepared together had turned into something for Fred’s child. And now, for Fred’s child, not only had she put the child in a pitch-black storage room, she had also gone this long without feeding them. Catherine looked at Angel crying in my arms, and her face went pale. Panic flashed in her eyes. At that moment, Fred arrived just in time and naturally wrapped his arms around Catherine. “Catherine, thank you for being willing to be my child’s mom. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to repay you.” It was as if they were the real family. My eyes stung, and my gaze turned even colder. “Fred, take the child for a moment.” But Fred looked at me and put on a hurt expression. “Albert, even if you don’t want Catherine to be my child’s mother, you can’t deliberately pinch Angel until she cries!” As he spoke, Fred’s eyes even turned slightly red. “And I even made formula for Angel myself. Albert, you can’t just make false accusations like that!” Catherine, who had been anxious a moment ago, suddenly froze too. Holding Fred’s child, she frowned at me. “Come on, Albert. Isn’t this kind of cheap trick childish?” “Besides, Fred has taken such good care of Angel. How could he not feed her?” “Angel only started crying after she got to you!” But I had clearly seen from Angel’s trembling body that she was crying because she was hungry, and her stomach was completely empty. She didn’t even look at Angel once and just believed what Fred said. I took a deep breath, forced down the anger in my chest, and said through gritted teeth: “Catherine, do you know where I found Angel?” “It was in a storage room, an empty, pitch-black storage room!” Catherine froze slightly, but when she glanced at Fred beside her, she immediately frowned and asked: “How could a child be in a storage room? The child was clearly being taken care of by Fred the whole time.” “Enough, Albert. If you keep acting, you’re going too far!” I laughed in anger. “Acting? Catherine, would I joke about my own daughter?” Fred continued to hold Catherine affectionately right in front of me, looking wounded. “Albert, don’t be mad. Angel isn’t even hurt, is she?” “Besides, look, you’ve scared our child to tears.” Catherine noticed that Fred’s child in her arms was crying too, and she quickly started soothing them softly. “Don’t cry… don’t cry. Are you hungry? Mommy will feed you right away.” Watching how much attention Catherine gave Fred’s child in her arms, disappointment filled my eyes. Had she still not realized it? She had never cared about me or Angel at all. Catherine had always liked Fred and favored him in everything. Three years ago, Fred announced his relationship overseas. Catherine chased after him and got into an accident on the road, leaving her unable to walk. I stayed by her side day and night, encouraging her and helping her with rehab until she finally recovered, and she married me. A year ago, we had our daughter, Angel. Just when I thought our family of three would live happily ever after, Fred came to this city with his newborn child. For the past year, Catherine had barely come home at all and had just kept going back and forth to Fred’s house. Up until now, she cared more about Fred’s child than Angel. Looking at the scene before me, I knew it was time to leave. There was no need for me to keep staying by her side. Seeing that I stayed silent, Catherine sighed: “Albert, I don’t have time to take care of Angel right now.” “You take Angel home first and wait for me to come back. Don’t make trouble here, okay?” I just looked at Catherine coldly. Right now, everything she said was about Fred. There was already no place left for me and Angel in her heart. Then I wouldn’t keep holding on anymore. I said in a voice cold as ice: “Catherine, Angel and I will never give you any more trouble. Let’s get divorced!”
Hearing this, Catherine’s heart suddenly jolted. “Albert, what nonsense are you talking about?” “We just had Angel. Why are you talking about divorce?” “I get it. Are you still mad at me?” “It’s just adopting a child. Why have you suddenly become so petty?” I only felt confused by Catherine’s questions. She loved Fred and his child so much. As long as she agreed to the divorce, wouldn’t she be able to be with Fred officially? And become Fred’s child’s mother? Wouldn’t that be great? I didn’t want to keep dealing with this anymore. I could feel Angel trembling slightly in my arms from hunger. Fred pulled Catherine aside and whispered in her ear: “Catherine, divorce is complicated. You already have a child now. How could you possibly get divorced that easily?” “And how could Albert really divorce you?” “He loves you so much. Even when you and I were together for so long, he never even lost his temper with me.” Hearing this, Catherine immediately agreed. All these years, no matter what she did, I had always been able to tolerate everything about her perfectly. This time, it had to just be me throwing a little fit, and wasn’t it just adding another child to the family? What was the big deal? So she nodded. “Fred, you’re right. Divorce is so troublesome. We’d need a lawyer to divide the property, and then there’d be custody of the child.” “And with how much Albert loves me, how could he possibly divorce me?” As she spoke, she looked at me with disappointment. “Albert, because I didn’t want Fred’s child to become my child, you’re actually trying to threaten me with divorce!” “I’m telling you, it’s impossible. I have to raise Fred’s child!” Hearing that everything Catherine said was about Fred and his child, the last bit of hope in my heart shattered completely. The Catherine I had once loved was now thinking only about Fred and his child. I bent down and kissed Angel. “Angel, from now on, it’ll just be the two of us. We won’t need her anymore, okay?” Catherine’s face darkened, and she quickly reached out to me. “Albert, what are you talking about? I’m Angel’s mother!” I slapped away Catherine’s hand, picked up Angel with a cold face, hailed a taxi, and hurried home. Seeing me leave, Catherine instinctively tried to chase after me. But Fred grabbed her, and after looking down at the child in her arms still crying, she didn’t come after me.
After I got home, I quickly mixed a bottle of formula, shook it to cool it down, and carefully fed it to Angel. I also took that time to print out the divorce papers. While Angel was sucking down the milk, the photographer sent me a string of videos. “Here are the banquet photos we took for you. See if they’re to your liking?” When I opened the videos, I saw Catherine and Fred, taking turns holding the child in their arms, looking unbelievably sweet. Maybe the photographers had subconsciously mistaken Fred for me. Just then, I suddenly noticed that after Angel took a few big gulps of milk, she started vomiting, and her face turned even paler. This was clearly a symptom of lactose intolerance. A chill made me shiver. I quickly checked the formula. Angel was lactose intolerant, and all the formula at home was non-lactose formula, but the one I had just made had no problem at all. So why had Angel suddenly become like this? Looking at how miserable Angel was, I didn’t dare waste a second and immediately called emergency services. After calling for an ambulance, I hurriedly called Catherine too, since she was Angel’s mother. “Catherine, where are you? Come back now! Angel is in trouble, she—” Before I could finish, Catherine on the other end impatiently cut me off: “Are you done yet? Fred’s child accidentally caught a chill, and we’re at the hospital!” “Even now you’re trying to fight for attention? Are you really this petty as a grown man?” Before I could say anything, Fred’s gentle voice came through from the other end. “Catherine, was that Albert calling?” “If Albert really doesn’t like my child, then it’s fine if I stay with the child alone.” Hearing that, Catherine kept scolding me: “You know Fred’s child is the one who needs care right now, and you still want me to leave them and come back alone!” “Do you know how dangerous it is for a one-year-old to catch a cold?” Watching Angel, who was already in pain and clutching herself, I hurriedly said: “No, Angel is lactose intolerant. She’s already vomiting and having diarrhea. Come back right away!” But Fred on the other end put on a hurt tone again. “Albert, if you want Catherine to come back, just say so. There’s no need to beat around the bush.” Catherine was even angrier now. She couldn’t help but snap: “Enough with you. You’re enjoying this act now, huh?” “One minute you say Angel’s in trouble, and the next you say she’s vomiting and having diarrhea. Nothing that comes out of your mouth is true.” “I still have to take care of Fred’s child. I don’t have time to keep arguing with you.” “Be smart and stop calling me to bother me.” After saying that, Catherine hung up directly. Listening to the ruthless hang-up and looking at Angel suffering in my arms, it felt like my heart had been pierced by thousands of blades. Yes, Catherine only cared about Fred and his child now. What did Angel and I even count for? What was I still hoping for? Hoping she would abandon Fred’s child and rush back because of Angel? The ambulance arrived very quickly. I hurried with Angel to the hospital. Only one-year-old Angel was sent into the ER, while I was dragged outside and harshly scolded by a doctor: “What kind of father are you? If there hadn’t happened to be a specialist here, your daughter might have died!” “She’s been lactose intolerant for six or seven hours already. Why did you only bring her in now? Were you trying to kill your daughter on purpose?” After hearing the doctor’s scolding, I sat dazed in the hospital hallway. What do you mean she’d been lactose intolerant for six or seven hours? Angel had only been vomiting for a little while. Just as I was thinking, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside me: “Huh? Albert, why are you at the children’s hospital too?”
I looked up and saw Fred and the other two. Catherine was arm in arm with Fred in an unusually intimate way, while Fred’s child was smiling as they touched Catherine’s face. They said it was a cold, but in reality it was just a little chill. There was barely any problem at all. When she saw me looking over, Catherine quickly let go of Fred’s arm. That caused a flash of gloom to pass through Fred’s eyes. “Albert, what are you doing at the hospital? Where’s Angel?” I held back my anger and said coldly: “Why am I here? Because Angel was sent into the ER!” Catherine’s face instantly went pale, and her whole body was trembling. She asked anxiously: “What happened? Why was Angel sent to the ER? Wasn’t she fine before?” My gaze turned sharply toward Fred, who was standing off to the side. Just now, I had been thinking about what the doctor said. Why did they say Angel had already been lactose intolerant for six or seven hours? But now I seemed to understand. Six hours ago, Angel was taken away by Fred! Then everything lined up! Fred also flashed with panic. He forced out a smile and said: “Catherine, look, Angel is only one year old. Even if she’s lactose intolerant, how much time has even passed?” “How could she possibly have been sent to the ER? At most, she just needs some medicine.” “Albert, if you’re going to make up a lie, at least make it sound more believable.” Hearing Fred’s words, Catherine, who had been anxious a moment ago, suddenly relaxed. When she looked at me again, her face was full of disappointment. “Albert, I don’t know how you’ve become like this.” “To make up this kind of lie just to scare me? Do you hate Fred’s child that much? Do you disrespect my wishes that much?” As she spoke, she looked around and, not seeing Angel anywhere, anger rose in her voice. “Where’s Angel? Because you were throwing a tantrum with me, did you leave Angel alone at home?” “Don’t you know she’s only one year old?” Fred took Catherine’s hand and spoke softly: “Catherine, calm down. The doctor said our child caught a chill. We should hurry back. Let’s not stay in a crowded place like this.” Catherine looked at me with anger all over her face. “Get back home right now. If anything happens to Angel while she’s alone at home, we might as well not stay together anymore.” As she spoke, Fred tried to pull Catherine away from there. But how could I let Fred get away that easily? I grabbed his wrist. “You’re not allowed to leave. I think you’re deliberately trying to harm Angel!” Seeing this, Catherine shouted: “Albert, what the hell is wrong with you now? Threatening me with Angel won’t work, so now you’re just laying hands on people?” “I’m warning you, let go of Fred right now!” Seeing that I still wouldn’t let go, she slapped me across the face. “Do you have to make me divorce you before you’re satisfied?” The slap was hard. Blood even seeped out of the corner of my mouth. But I just licked the blood off my lip and used my other hand to call the police. Seeing the blood at the corner of my mouth, Catherine panicked a little too and hurriedly explained: “I didn’t mean to hit that hard! And this is your fault too. Who told you to treat Fred like that?” “Besides, Fred has been so good to Angel. How could he possibly harm her?” “Stop framing Fred here!” I laughed in anger, my eyes growing even colder as I looked at Catherine. “Framing him? Then tell me why Angel was left alone in a pitch-black storage room.” “Tell me, was that Fred’s doing?” “Now Angel has been sent to the ER. Do you know what the doctor said?” “He said Angel had already been lactose intolerant for six or seven hours, and it only got this serious because it was left untreated until now.” “Six or seven hours ago was when you handed Angel over to Fred, and you still say I’m framing him?” Hearing me say that, Catherine froze for a second, then got even angrier. “Stop talking nonsense here! I know Fred better than you do!” “Albert, I never expected you to be this shameless. Just to frame Fred, you actually cursed our daughter!” “Angel is your biological child!” My anger only grew stronger, and I said in a voice cold as ice: “So you do know Angel is our biological daughter?” “Then where were you when Angel got sick this whole past year? Where were you when she wanted her mother?” As I said that, I got even angrier: “Now Angel has lactose intolerance. This is life-threatening.” “I called you, and you were still comforting some other kid? Telling me not to bother you!” “Someone like you still deserves to be Angel’s mother?” Catherine was stung hard by my words, and she snapped back furiously: “Are you ever going to stop? I’m Angel’s real mother. Wouldn’t I know how healthy she is?” “Albert, you really disgust me. Just so I’d leave Fred’s child and come home, you made up such a disgusting lie.” “If you keep making a scene like this, then there’s no point in us staying together. Let’s divorce!” With rage all over my face, I slammed the divorce agreement I had already prepared right onto Catherine’s face. “Catherine, you don’t need to say it. I already prepared it!” “Don’t you want to raise Fred’s child?” “Then go ahead and become his child’s mother for real. From now on, Angel and I will have nothing to do with you ever again!” Catherine’s face instantly went pale, but then she shouted at me with a red face: “Albert, you really think you’ve achieved something, don’t you? Just because of this one little thing, you really want to divorce me?” “Fine, then let’s divorce. Anyone who backs out is a bastard!” My gaze grew even colder as I shouted with all the anger in my chest: “Catherine, say that again?” “You call this a little thing? Because of Fred, Angel is already almost dead!” Catherine was so angry her hair almost stood on end. She shouted even louder: “Albert, enough! How long are you going to keep acting?” A nurse on duty shouted at us because of all the noise: “Quiet! You’re the father. Don’t you know you’re supposed to stay quiet while someone is being treated?” Catherine suddenly felt a wave of unease. She hurriedly asked: “Nurse, whose child is in the ER?”
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