To celebrate her childhood friend Julian Thorne’s birthday, Chloe Miller didn’t want me around. So, with one phone call, she tricked my daughter and me into going to a ski resort thirty miles away. A fierce blizzard trapped us there, and that’s where my life ended. It wasn’t until the day she regained her sight that she finally remembered me, the one she’d tricked into that ski resort. “Still holding a grudge against me? What a big man, so petty.” Later, when Julian got into a car accident and desperately needed RH-negative blood, she frantically searched for me. She even went as far as draining our daughter’s blood to save her childhood friend. But our weak daughter held her hand, crying: “Mommy, Daddy died a long time ago. Your corneas? He donated them!” “Daddy, please don’t die. I’ll call Mommy to save you right now.” Facing my tear-streaked Lily, I reached out to wipe away her tears, using my last ounce of strength to tell her, “You have to live well. After Daddy’s gone, donate my eyes to Mommy.” My daughter clutched my phone, dialing Chloe Miller’s number again and again. In this icy wilderness, my heart completely died too. The moment my consciousness completely faded, my soul detached from my body and drifted back to where Chloe Miller was. “Happy birthday, Julian.” She was holding a cake. “I wish you peace and happiness every year from now on, forever joyful.” Only then did I understand. She was celebrating Julian’s birthday, that’s why she wasn’t answering my calls. Julian held her hand, and together they blew out the candles. “You spending my birthday with me like this… Marcus Hayes won’t mind, will he?” Chloe Miller smiled. “Don’t worry. I deliberately sent him to a ski resort thirty miles away, just to make sure he couldn’t mess things up. And my phone is off, so he can’t find us.” Watching them so happy, my eyes instantly welled up. Chloe and I used to be the most promising pair in the world of figure skating. Five years ago, during an accident, she was drugged, and we ended up having a reckless night together. Afterward, she became convinced that I had planned it all to get her. Under immense public pressure, she had no choice but to marry me and gave birth to Lily. Since then, she rarely came home, dedicating all her attention to her childhood friend, Julian Thorne. At this moment, the TV was broadcasting the news: “According to reports, at 5 PM this afternoon, an avalanche occurred at a suburban ski resort, resulting in three deaths and one serious injury…” … A year ago, while Chloe was cooking for Julian at home, a faulty stove malfunctioned, costing her sight. In the past year, unable to find suitable corneas, her personality changed drastically. She unleashed all her fury on Lily and me. Naturally, she couldn’t see the news report. Seeing this, Julian quickly turned off the TV. Chloe took Julian’s hand and asked, “Did you make a wish?” “I did. I wished you’d find a matching cornea soon and regain your sight.” That’s good. His wish was about to come true. The next day, the hospital informed Chloe Miller that a suitable cornea donor had been found. “Julian, this is wonderful! The heavens must have heard your wish!” Chloe embraced Julian tightly. “Thank you, Julian.” Witnessing this, a sharp pang of bitterness pierced my heart. I didn’t know if it was Julian’s wish coming true, or my donated corneas, that made her so happy. The corneal transplant surgery went smoothly. The day Chloe regained her sight, she sat in her hospital room, waiting for the doctor to remove the bandages from her eyes. When she saw Julian in front of her, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face. It was at that exact moment that Chloe finally remembered me. She checked her phone and saw forty-eight missed calls. Chloe scoffed, “He really wanted to bother us. Good thing I turned my phone off earlier.” Julian tried to comfort her, “Go tell Marcus the good news!” She nodded, then dialed my number. “The number you have dialed is currently switched off.” After dialing three times in a row, Chloe Miller’s patience ran out. “He’s such a big man, yet so petty! Still sulking over something so trivial!” “I’d like to see how long he can keep this up.” As she said these words, the smile on Julian’s face grew more pronounced. “Marcus just cares about you too much. It’s just his way of playing hard to get.” Chloe snorted in response. “His ‘love’ absolutely sickened me. If he hadn’t drugged me, I should have been standing on a world-class stage today, winning international glory.” The two of them laughed and talked, but a vague sense of unease rose in Chloe’s heart, as if something important was slipping away from her life. At the hospital corner, her steps suddenly halted, her gaze fixed on a small, thin figure walking alone to pick up medicine. She rushed forward, grabbing Lily’s arm. “Where’s your dad?”
Lily’s facial scars hadn’t faded yet. She turned her head, holding back tears, and said, “Daddy’s gone.” “Unbelievable!” Chloe scoffed. “Marcus really went to great lengths, having you put on this act. Those scars on your face, they’re just makeup, aren’t they?” Lily shook her head. “Daddy really…” Julian suddenly pulled Chloe’s arm. “Oh, my head hurts so much. My old problem is flaring up again.” Chloe’s attention was drawn to Julian, and she didn’t hear the ‘died’ at the end of Lily’s sentence. Of course. Chloe only ever cared about Julian. To Lily and me, she was worse than a stranger. No, even strangers wouldn’t evoke such hatred from her. When she got pregnant with Lily, she didn’t want the baby. But the doctor told her that her body wasn’t strong, and if she had an abortion, she might never be able to have children again. So, she gave birth to Lily. Making Lily and me bear the brunt of her resentment. Lily stood in the empty hallway, looking up and wiping her tears. “Daddy’s dead, and Mommy doesn’t want me either.” I reached out to wipe her tears, but my hand passed straight through her face. I almost forgot, I was just a soul now. As Chloe left, she didn’t forget to turn back and tell Lily, “Tell your dad to come back quickly. Some games just aren’t fun after a while.” Lily clutched the hem of her shirt. “Daddy can’t come back.” Chloe returned home and found I still wasn’t there. Normally, I would have prepared her favorite dessert, like almond and lotus seed soup, waiting for her return. We had fought side-by-side for three years. The trophies we won together were countless. Then she was drugged, and we spent that night together, and later, Lily came along. So, all these years, I’ve been trying to make it up to her. In the end, I even gave my life. It’s laughable. My efforts at compensation meant nothing to her. On their way back. Perhaps fate truly intervened, because Julian got into a car accident. His car crashed into the guardrail, and shattered glass embedded itself in his arm and body. “The patient has RH-negative blood, and the hospital blood bank doesn’t have enough!” “I know someone with the same blood type. Wait for me.” I knew she was thinking of me. Because Julian and I both had RH-negative blood. Chloe Miller sat by the operating room door, calling me endlessly. My phone, though, had long been buried under that heavy snow. Then, she seemed to remember something. Chloe sent me a SnapChat: “Marcus, if you don’t show up, I’ll drain Lily’s blood for Julian. How much do you think she has to spare?” Chloe actually found Lily. She picked Lily up from daycare. “Tell me quickly, where is Marcus hiding?” Lily gritted her teeth. “Mommy, why won’t you believe me? Daddy’s dead.” “Dead?” Chloe clearly didn’t believe it. “To avoid donating blood for Julian, you’re using this kind of excuse? You’re as malicious as ever.” Lily grabbed Chloe’s arm, crying almost hysterically. “Mommy! You sent him to the snowy mountains, that’s why he froze to death there!” “Liar!” Chloe flung Lily’s hand away. “If he doesn’t show up, I’ll have the doctors drain your blood.” “Even if you drain me dry, Daddy won’t appear!” Lily cried, feeling I wasn’t worth this. “Fine, then we’ll take your blood!” Chloe waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll stop when Marcus decides to show up.”
The hospital refused to draw that much blood, so Chloe took Lily to an underground clinic. When those people heard Lily had RH-negative blood, their eyes lit up. When Chloe wasn’t around, they drew Lily’s blood without restraint. Tiny, pale, she lay on the cold operating table, letting these people drain her body. She was already fragile from past injuries and couldn’t endure this kind of ordeal. I wanted to beg them to let Lily go, but no one could see me. Watching my daughter slowly lose her life, I regretted it. How I wished I could appear. Lily wouldn’t have to suffer this. Those people, wanting a continuous supply of blood, forced her to eat many supplements. If Lily couldn’t eat, they shoved it down her throat. My daughter had needles in both arms, treated like a human blood bank, constantly exploited. Finally, Chloe Miller returned. She glanced at Lily, eyes closed on the bed. A flicker of pain crossed her face, then vanished. “Your dad is truly heartless and selfish, still refusing to show up even now.” “He supposedly loved you so much? Looks like he couldn’t keep up the act anymore. He abandoned you over such a small thing.” “Indeed, he’s as despicable as he was five years ago.” Lily opened her eyes, tears rolling down her temples. “Daddy is a good daddy. You’re not allowed to say that about him.” Chloe frowned, disbelievingly. Then she heard Lily continue, “Daddy already died on the snowy mountain.” “Dead? Why haven’t I seen a body?” Chloe rubbed her temples. “Using even that excuse to avoid giving Julian blood.” Chloe would never believe me. Our marriage was an endless cycle of deception and struggle. No matter how well I did, in her heart, I would always be that animal who drugged her with such vile tactics just to get her. My daughter tried to reach out and tug at her sleeve. But she was too weak, unable to even lift her hand. Chloe bent down and took a picture of Lily’s face. To force me to appear. Chloe: *[See? She’s like this now. Are you still going to hide like a coward?]* Chloe: *[Or do you simply not care whether Lily lives or dies?]* Chloe: *[I’ll give you one day. If you still don’t come out, we’re getting a divorce.]* “Mommy, why are you doing this? Daddy won’t appear again.” Chloe gritted her teeth. She glared at Lily. “How is that possible? Bad pennies always turn up. How could someone like him possibly die?” “I even sent him your picture. If he still stands by and does nothing, he doesn’t deserve to be your father!” Lily gave a bitter smile. “He’ll always be the best dad!” I stood numbly by Lily’s bedside. Even a soul’s heart can ache. Even a soul can feel the suffocating inability to breathe. Lily, I’m so sorry. “Stop with the dramatics. Just get him to show up. Julian can’t wait much longer.” “Mommy, why won’t you believe me? Your eyes, Daddy gave them to you!”
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