Five months pregnant, my husband, David Miller, secured approval for family relocation on base, yet he had no intention of bringing me. “Audrey, Leah’s husband died saving my life. I owe them everything.” “Just wait a little longer. In six months, I promise I’ll come for you and Mom.” I waited year after year. At first, my husband would still send letters, but then, complete radio silence. The local scoundrel, seeing my family’s vulnerability, came to force me into becoming his woman. To protect me, my mother-in-law, Martha, was beaten to death with a wooden club. My daughter was thrown into a well and drowned. David finally came back, only to curse me, calling me a loose woman who had caused our whole family’s demise. He forced me to sign divorce papers, then turned around and held a city-wide sensational wedding with his ‘benefactor’s’ widow. While they feasted in their sprawling mansion, I was left to starve to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back—the day before that scoundrel showed up. This time, I vow to lead Martha and Daisy to the life that should have been ours!
“Audrey, why don’t you go hide somewhere?” “When Butch comes tomorrow, he’ll see it’s just me and Daisy. He won’t touch us.” Mom, her back stooped, looked at me with a worried expression, pleading. I shook my head, hearing her words. “No, Mom.” In my last life, I listened to Mom and hid in the mountains. Who knew that monster, Butch, would fly into a rage when he didn’t find me? He beat Mom to death with a wooden club. Neighbors said Mom was bleeding all over, and before she closed her eyes, she was still thinking of me: “If I’m gone, how hard will it be for Audrey to take care of the child alone?” And Daisy, for biting Butch, was directly thrown into the well. Her heart-wrenching screams abruptly ceased. Daisy was gone, her body swollen from the water. This time, I would never allow such a tragedy to happen again. I looked at my daughter, gaunt and pale from malnutrition, then at Mom, barely fifty but looking eighty. A decision solidified in my heart! “Mom, we’re going to the base to find David!” “Otherwise, even if Butch doesn’t come for us, we’ll starve to death anyway!” “Alright… alright.” Mom roughly wiped away her tears with her threadbare sleeve. “Since you’ve decided, Mom supports you.” “Are we going to find Dad?” A spark of excitement lit up Daisy’s eyes. “Yes!” I nodded firmly. No sooner said than done. I packed the last three potatoes we had in my pocket and set off with Mom and Daisy. We walked and rested, asking for directions until we finally found Major Miller’s unit, the 211th. Staring at the solemn, imposing gates of the military base, a sarcastic smile touched my lips. So, the 211th Unit’s base was this close. Barely a ten-mile distance, yet David hadn’t come home in three years, not even a single letter. Did he know that, in those three years, our home had run out of everything? Mom and I lived by digging wild vegetables and begging every day. My poor daughter, so young, suffered countless stares and insults alongside us. The entire village bullied us. Butch tried every trick to take advantage of me. And my husband… was ‘serving his country with utmost loyalty’ barely a stone’s throw from home! How… ironic! I held my frail daughter in one arm and supported my limping mother-in-law with the other, walking towards the guard post. “Officer, who can I help you with?” “David Miller.” “Major Miller?” The guard’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Strange, isn’t the Major an orphan?” The guard mumbled softly, then as if something clicked, a look of realization flashed in his eyes. “Ah, I get it! You must be relatives of the Major’s wife!” I froze. The Major’s wife? Then who was I? Just as I was about to ask, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind me. “Audrey!” I turned to see David Miller. Compared to when he left, he seemed stronger and more handsome. “What are you doing here?” David’s face was filled with shock as he quickly walked towards us. “Major Miller, they’re relatives of your wife.” The guard eagerly explained. Hearing this, David’s face turned grim. He pulled us aside. “This is outrageous! Showing up without a word, acting on your own! What gave you the nerve?!” David looked utterly displeased. Mom was stunned, her face etched with confusion. “Son, who is he talking about? Whose wife?” David’s face stiffened. Daisy, oblivious to the tension, excitedly hugged David’s leg: “Are you my dad?” “Shut up!” David barked, glaring fiercely at Daisy. Just then, the guard not far away suddenly called out, “Mrs. Miller, you have visitors!” David quickly pushed Daisy away. He pushed too hard, and Daisy fell heavily to the ground.
Thud! Daisy’s head hit the ground, and instantly, blood welled up. “It hurts so much! Mom!” Daisy wailed. Watching her forehead swell rapidly, my heart ached. I quickly knelt down, gathered Daisy into my arms, and gently comforted her: “It’s okay, Daisy, Mom will make it feel better.” “David! How could you?! Why would you hit a child so hard?!” Mom’s eyes flashed with resentment. For the past three years, Daisy had been her precious little girl. She’d rather starve than let Daisy go without, always giving her the last potato. Now seeing her granddaughter injured, a flicker of anger ignited towards her son, who hadn’t returned home in so long. “David, who *are* these people?” The woman sashayed over to us, her eyes openly contemptuous. I looked up at her. She wore a designer dress, the form-fitting waistline accentuating her perfect figure. Her makeup was exquisite, her hair fashionably curled, and a faint sweet scent wafted from her. As for the white heels she wore, I’d seen them in town—they cost a fortune, easily twenty dollars. Then I looked at myself: a faded, patched, and worn old dress, my canvas shoes torn at the front, my big toe peeking through. My sun-baked face was covered in burn marks. No wonder… David hadn’t wanted to come home in three years. With a beauty like her by his side, he probably long forgot about his long-suffering wife. “Leah, what are you doing here?” David looked a bit awkward. “I was just heading to the daycare to pick up Leo.” Then, she pointedly glanced at me: “Aren’t you going to introduce us, David?” “This is… my mother, my daughter, and… my wife.” David’s voice grew softer with each word, the last two barely a whisper. Hearing this, Leah’s face stiffened, a flicker of displeasure flashing in her eyes. “Audrey, this is Captain Miller’s widow, whom I’m looking after.” David looked at me. But I didn’t respond. I’d known who she was all along. In my last life, after David forced me to divorce, he turned around and threw a city-wide sensational wedding with Leah Stewart. Leah, adorned in an expensive Western-style wedding gown, dripping in gold rings, earrings, and necklaces, shone like a movie star. Meanwhile, I was barely clothed, collapsing on the street after three days without food. How could I forget her? “Mrs. Miller, why didn’t you notify us you were coming?” Leah spoke politely, as if she were the lady of the house, exchanging pleasantries. A sarcastic smile touched my lips. “Do I need to notify someone to visit my husband?” “And please, don’t call me ‘Mrs. Miller’. What if those guards over there misunderstand?” Hearing this, Leah’s face turned grim. Seeing her expression, David quickly explained: “Audrey, you know military regulations are pretty strict. Only official family members can live on base.” “That’s why I asked Leah to pretend to be my wife. But we’re completely innocent, you have to believe me.” “That’s right, Mrs. Miller. It’s thanks to David’s help all these years. I truly don’t know how to thank your family enough.” Watching their sickening charade, my stomach churned. I was utterly disgusted. I really didn’t want to say another word to Leah. I looked at David, my voice cold: “Daisy’s head is bleeding. Take us to the base clinic to get it bandaged now.” “But…” David looked hesitant. “What’s wrong? You can’t even do this small thing?” I was getting angry. Leah, seeing my frustration, smiled sweetly and pulled David behind her: “Mrs. Miller, let me explain this to you.” **截断点**
“Mrs. Miller, the medical clinic on base has a limited supply of medicine. David’s quota for this month has already been used for my son, Leo.” “So it’s not that he doesn’t want to take you, it’s that there’s no point.” Leah pretended to be helping David, but her eyes were filled with triumph. My anger flared. “Daisy is your own daughter!” I roared at David. “Keep your voice down!” “Come home with me first! We’ll talk there!” With that, David scooped up Daisy and strode forward. Seeing this, I had no choice but to help Mom follow. “Wow! Dad, is this where I’m going to live? It’s so big and beautiful!” As soon as we entered the house, Daisy excitedly exclaimed. I looked around. There was even a black and white television in the living room. Even though I already knew David was living a comfortable life, I was still stunned. Even the wealthiest families in our village didn’t have a TV. After all, it was a luxury money couldn’t always buy. I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it, but David quickly snapped: “Don’t touch it! If you break it, Leo won’t be able to watch cartoons tonight.” Hearing his words, my heart ached. Leo? He’s so ‘dedicated’ to raising someone else’s son. But what about his own biological daughter? Daisy is three, and she’s barely had a proper meal. Is he even human? I looked at David coldly: “Didn’t we agree that you’d send your military pay and allowance home every month? Why didn’t you do that?” “Audrey, you need to be more understanding.” David frowned. “It’s tough for me on base. I have to take care of Leah and her child, and I also have to spend money to grease the wheels with my superiors. I don’t have any extra.” “Besides… you three don’t really have any expenses in the village anyway!” “You shouldn’t be so demanding!” Hearing this, Mom’s eyes flashed with disbelief: “David, are you even speaking like a human being?” “Do you have any idea how hard Audrey worked? She was out in the fields, working back-breaking hours, even right after giving birth to Daisy, and you call her demanding?” “If we hadn’t come to find you today, the three of us would have starved to death!” Mom’s old tears streamed down her face as she spoke. Just then, Leah returned with her son, Leo. “Who are you? Why are you touching my toy!” Seeing the toy car in Daisy’s hand, Leo yelled unhappily. Daisy flinched, her voice trembling slightly: “Dad let me play with it.” “You little brat, who’s your dad?!” With that, Leo lunged forward, trying to snatch the toy car from Daisy’s hands. I looked at Leah with cold eyes: “Is this how you teach your child?” “Mrs. Miller, kids say the darndest things, don’t take it to heart.” Leah smiled sweetly. Just then, Leo suddenly bit Daisy. Daisy cried out in pain and instinctively pushed Leo. Leo tumbled backward and sat on the floor, wailing aggrievedly. “Dad, Mom, she bullied me!” Leo looked at Leah and David. Their hearts immediately ached. “Daisy! Who told you to hit people?!” David roared. Leah, hugging Leo, looked utterly wronged: “David, since your family is here, Leo and I will just leave. Why would you let your daughter bully Leo like this?” “I… I didn’t.” David stammered, trying to explain. Leah said nothing, just silently let the tears fall. Seeing this, David actually turned his anger towards Daisy. “You brat! Who told you to hit people!” With that, David raised his hand and harshly slapped Daisy across the face. *Smack!* Daisy flew backward, her head hitting the television cabinet with a sickening thud. “Daisy!” I cried out in alarm! “David Miller! You monster! How could you hit your own daughter like that!” I shrieked, rushing towards Daisy.
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