When my husband Patrick Hastings was having dinner with several colleagues, his childhood friend Hazel Walker, who had just returned to town, fell into his arms in a drunken state. “Patrick, you’ve done so well for yourself. If I hadn’t joined that rural volunteer program back then, I would be your wife now!” Seeing my face darken, she suddenly let out a flirtatious laugh. “What? Don’t tell me Olivia doesn’t know about the Christmases we spent together?” “Patrick, you’re so frustrating. Do you think I’m not good enough, or have you been in love with me all these Christmases?” I smiled and asked, “You just got divorced and you’re already looking for a man. Why don’t we get divorced, and then you two can discuss this in bed?” ***** Everyone in the living room laughed teasingly, “Wow, Mr. Hastings, you’ve got quite a past, haven’t you?” I walked out of the kitchen and slammed the porcelain plate down hard on the wooden table. Patrick immediately pushed Hazel away, looking nervous. “Hazel’s upset about her divorce. Try to understand her. Don’t be angry.” She wasn’t bothered at all and gently punched his chest. “It’s the truth. If we hadn’t broken up, our children would be in elementary school by now.” “Divorce isn’t a big deal. I’m not like those women who revolve around men.” Patrick completely missed her hint. “Make a couple more dishes. Fry an egg for Hazel too.” Looking at all the dishes we couldn’t even afford to eat at Christmas, I remained silent with a cold expression. Suddenly the landline rang. I wiped my hands and answered. An anxious voice came from the other end. “Mrs. Hastings, your daughter has a high fever. Come quickly!” I untied my apron and went to pull Patrick. “Come with me to pick up Ellie from kindergarten. She has a fever and needs an IV!” Hazel was displeased and grabbed his sleeve. “A fever isn’t a serious illness. Once Ellie sweats it out, she’ll be fine. That’s how country kids get through it. Olivia’s raising her to be too delicate, which isn’t good.” “Patrick, we rarely get together like this. If you leave, we won’t feel comfortable staying here.” Seeing Patrick not moving at all, I became angry. “Patrick, is your lover more important than your daughter? She—” He frowned and interrupted me, “Can you not speak so harshly? She’s not my lover.” “Hazel suffered a lot when she joined the rural volunteer program. Now she’s divorced too. What’s wrong with me taking care of her?” Hazel came to grab my arm. “Olivia, don’t be angry. We spent many Christmases together before, but our relationship isn’t inappropriate now.” In my anger, I shook her off and asked Patrick, “Are you coming or not?” Hazel stumbled and fell to the ground, knocking over the wine on the table. The wine flowed down her fashionable dress, revealing her red bra. She looked quite disheveled. But my faded, patched work clothes looked even more ridiculous. Patrick helped Hazel up, very angry. “Olivia, apologize to her!” Soaking wet, she blushed shyly and grabbed his hand, pressing it against her body. “Help me wipe it off. This is the dress you just bought for me!” He actually bent down to help her clean up. I laughed bitterly. “Patrick, your friend just got divorced and is throwing herself at you, and you’re willing to take care of her.” “Why don’t we get divorced, so you two can get in bed and talk about love?” I didn’t look at them again and walked out. Realizing his behavior was inappropriate, Patrick dropped the towel and followed me out. Hazel suddenly called from inside our house, “Patrick, my stomach hurts badly. Do you still have those pills you gave me last time?” Standing at the doorway, I watched Patrick go back, frantically searching through the cabinets. Those pills were ones he had stood in line all night to buy. I had always treasured them, never wanting to use them. Under the bicycle shed, I gritted my teeth as I unlocked my bike. At some point, it started raining, and the raindrops flowed down my face, making me feel cold and bitter. Patrick ran out, grabbing the handlebar with one hand and reaching for the key with the other. “Olivia, give me the bicycle. I need to take Hazel back to her dormitory.” The wind swept across my cheeks, making them sting, numbing the dull pain in my heart. I firmly held onto the bicycle seat. “Ellie has a fever of 102 degrees. Is she less precious to you than Hazel?” Patrick roared, “Stop being unreasonable! How serious can a fever be? Hazel is all alone. What if something happens to her?” He yanked the bicycle away and straddled the seat. I was pulled forward and fell into the mud. Hazel ran out, skillfully sitting sideways on the back of the bicycle, her arms wrapped around his waist. He pedaled hard, quickly disappearing into the rain.
I limped to the kindergarten to find my daughter, Ellie Hastings, standing under the eaves. Her little face was flushed red with fever. I couldn’t help but cry. I wrapped her in my arms and ran outside, shielding her from the rain with my clothes. The hospital was a mile away from the factory. Even cycling would take twenty minutes. Now my knee was in excruciating pain, and my water-soaked canvas shoes felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. I persisted halfway there, but suddenly Ellie began to convulse. Terrified, I ignored the danger and rushed into the middle of the road to flag down a pickup truck. The kind driver then went out of his way to take us to the hospital. The doctor on duty quickly gave Ellie an injection to reduce her fever and started an IV. He looked reproachfully at my soaked clothes. “If you’d brought her in any later, she would have developed pneumonia. Where’s her father? Why isn’t he here?” I shook my head, not wanting to say more. He sighed and took out a clean set of hospital clothes from the cabinet for me. “Change into these, or you’ll get sick too.” Ellie’s fever subsided a bit. She struggled to open her eyes and, holding my hand, asked, “Mom, does Dad not want me anymore?” My hand trembled. Then, noticing the sympathetic glance from the woman in the next bed, I quickly said, “Of course not. Your dad is busy at the factory. I’m here with you.” She was clearly disappointed, but she nodded and forced a smile. “Ellie, you need to finish your IV quickly. Your dad promised to take you to buy a new pencil case after school.” These past two Christmases, our lives had improved somewhat, but when Ellie was born, we were going through our most difficult time. That’s why she’s been so heartbreakingly mature from a young age. I’ve never deliberately deceived her because of her young age. But about everything that happened today, I could only keep her in the dark. I looked at the bag sewn from old clothes nearby and felt sad. “I can buy it for you too, Ellie.” Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly tilted her head up. “Mom, but it’s always just you picking me up. The other kids say I’m a child without a father.” I was stunned. Ellie had never told me this before. “Ellie, I’ll do whatever you want. Your dad and I will pick you up together from now on.” I felt even more bitter, but I could only agree for now. After Ellie happily fell into a deep sleep, a nurse handed me a bill. “Please go pay this.” I searched all my pockets, but I usually spent all my money on necessities. Now I had less than ten dollars. This was money I’d saved for two months to buy Ellie a new backpack. The nurse noticed my predicament and sighed, “You can owe it for now. Just remember to pay tomorrow.” The rain was easing up. I leaned against the bed, my heart as heavy as a stone. When Ellie woke up, I was gently patting her back when I suddenly noticed a bruise on her lower back. “How did you get hurt?” Unexpectedly, she burst into tears. “Angela pushed me into the toy cabinet and called me a bastard. But the teacher didn’t see it, so I was afraid to say anything.” I was furious. Ellie’s school was specifically for factory workers’ children. Everyone knew each other well. I couldn’t understand how she could still be bullied. After further questioning, I learned that a new child named Angela Walker had joined her class and was always bullying Ellie under the guise of playing. I borrowed the hospital’s phone to call the kindergarten principal. The principal’s surprised voice came through. “Mrs. Hastings, children roughhousing is normal. Besides, isn’t Angela your relative?” “What relative?” “Angela was admitted with a recommendation letter from Mr. Hastings! He said she was his cousin’s child.” My hand holding the phone trembled, and my ears started ringing. When I returned to the hospital room, Ellie timidly tugged at my clothes. “Mom? Did I say something wrong?” Suppressing my anger, I knelt down. “No. Tell me, what else did she say?” “She said she would soon move into our house and told me to treat her like my sister.” The next second, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open. I whipped around to see Hazel leading a little girl in red shoes into the room. “Angela, why are you running off?” she pretended to scold Angela. When she looked up and saw me, she smiled slightly, “Hey, Olivia, you’re still here.” Angela broke free from her hand and rushed over to yank on Ellie’s IV tube. “You’re a faker pretending to be sick!” I pushed her away and held Ellie protectively in my arms. Then I saw Patrick hurriedly entering with a lunch box. “Daddy!” Two childish voices rang out simultaneously.
Ellie shrank in my arms, timidly looking at Patrick as he bent down to pick up Angela. He affectionately kissed her cheek and pulled out a handful of milk candies from his bag. “It’s okay, Angela. I’m here.” The expensive candies that Ellie only got one or two of at Christmas, Patrick generously gave to someone else’s child. Only then did he notice Ellie on the hospital bed, fishing out two hard candies from another pocket. “Here, Ellie, for you.” Just as she happily reached for them, Angela pouted and tried to snatch them, losing her balance in the process. Patrick quickly steadied Angela, letting the two candies fall to the floor, now covered in dust. I couldn’t help but shout, “Patrick, you don’t care about your own daughter, but you’re playing father to someone else’s child.” Hazel responded defensively, “Olivia, that’s a terrible thing to say. Angela lost her father, that’s why she sees Patrick as her dad.” Patrick looked uncomfortable. “That’s right, Olivia. Just let Angela call me dad. I’ll explain this to you later…” “Explain what? How you secretly deliver eggs and milk powder to her every month? Or how you gave her Ellie’s elementary school recommendation letter?” Patrick lost his temper too. “Olivia! Do you have to say all this in front of the children?!” Angela seized the opportunity to run over and yank the IV needle out of Ellie’s hand. “You’re nothing but trouble!” Blood flowed onto Ellie’s bed. She gasped in pain but bit her lip to keep from crying out. I grabbed Angela’s arm, but she immediately started fake crying. “Daddy! She hit me!” Patrick rushed over and shoved me hard. “Have you lost your mind? How dare you hit Angela?” I stumbled back against the wall, my back burning with pain. The nurse who rushed in hurried to stop Ellie’s bleeding, while Patrick held Angela, comforting her softly. Just then, a doctor’s voice called from outside. “Where are Hazel’s family members? Please come to the registration desk immediately!” “Coming!” Patrick quickly disappeared down the hallway. I closed my eyes, a self-mocking smile crossing my face. Ellie’s fever came and went. We stayed in the hospital for three days. During that time, Patrick only visited once. He dropped off some fruit and left without even touching her hand. When I asked about the expenses, I was told the hospital fees had already been paid in full. On the fourth morning, the doctor finally agreed to discharge Ellie. I had barely walked through the front door with her when we ran into Hazel. “Olivia, you’re back. Patrick said there’s a spare room, so we’re staying here for now. Please clean it up.” I looked toward that room and felt instantly furious. Ellie’s small wooden bed was broken apart. Her only doll was nothing but scattered cotton stuffing, and her treasured comic books were torn to shreds. The fabric I’d saved for by working overtime, which I’d made into a birthday dress for her, was now being worn by Angela. Ellie was sobbing uncontrollably. She broke free from my grip and rushed into the room. Hazel, leaning against the doorframe, suddenly stuck out her leg, deliberately tripping her. I dove forward to protect Ellie. My arm slammed into the cabinet, cutting a jagged wound. Patrick came over when he heard the commotion. By then, Angela was sitting on the floor wailing, and Ellie was also in tears. “Why do you start trouble as soon as you get back?” “Olivia, Patrick bought us lots of new clothes. She doesn’t need this one. She just wanted to try it on.” Patrick frowned, looking displeased. “Ellie, be good. Give the dress to Angela.” Hazel and Angela, dressed in their fine clothes, couldn’t hide their smugness. I pushed myself up from the floor, blood dripping from my fingertips. “I’ll get out of here!” I waited for Patrick to say something, but saw Angela glaring at us viciously. The next second, she vindictively pushed Ellie. Ellie’s forehead slammed hard against the corner of the coffee table. The glass panel cracked, and blood covered half her face. “Angela!” I shook with anger, raising my hand to slap her. Patrick grabbed my wrist tightly, shouting tiredly, “Olivia, haven’t you caused enough trouble?” I asked in disbelief, “Patrick, are you blind? She pushed Ellie!” “It’s all my fault for being so unlikable. You can hit or scold me. Angela is just a child. Don’t slander her!” Suddenly, Hazel collapsed in front of me, grabbing a fruit knife and cutting her own hand. “Olivia, I apologize to you!” As Patrick stopped her, he completely lost his patience and coldly said to me, “Will you only be satisfied when someone dies? Angela is only five years old. What bad intentions could she have? Your daughter lost her balance. You can’t blame others for that. “Olivia, this house is mine. If you keep making things difficult for them, you can get out!” Blood was flowing from Ellie’s head. I had no time to argue and rushed out the door carrying her. At the hospital, an elderly doctor shook his head. “Our county facilities are limited. The blood clot in your daughter’s brain can’t be completely removed here. You need to get her to the city hospital for surgery immediately.” I nodded repeatedly and anxiously asked, “How much will it cost?” The bill handed to me by the nurse clearly showed three hundred dollars. “Your daughter will stay here for observation. Go home and gather the money. The transfer vehicle leaves this afternoon.” I quickly agreed, wiped away my tears, and ran back home. Although three hundred dollars was a substantial amount this Christmas, I could afford it. Over these Christmases, Patrick and I had saved quite a bit for Ellie, precisely for emergencies like this. The house was empty. I rushed to our bedroom and pulled out the metal box where we kept our money from under the bed. However, all the bills inside were gone, along with the valuable items at the bottom. My body went cold as I frantically searched the entire house, my hands shaking with anxiety. But there was no trace of the money anywhere. I found Ellie’s bankbook and felt relieved when I saw the balance. This was the two hundred dollars I had saved through frugal living. If I could gather a bit more, it should be enough. I quickly ran to the bank, but the teller looked surprised after checking my account. “Ma’am, this account was reported lost last month. A new bankbook was issued, and this one is now invalid.” I stared at the remaining balance and had to lean against the wall to steady myself. “Who reported it?” “The account holder, Patrick Hastings. He came with his ID and marriage certificate.” My legs gave way as I collapsed to the floor, thinking, “This was Ellie’s life-saving money. What did he do with it?” I couldn’t reach Patrick, but his colleague answered the phone. “Patrick? Hazel was insisting on buying a house. He just went with her to look at one!” When I found them at the real estate office, Hazel was smiling with her arm linked through his. “Patrick, will Olivia find out?” “Don’t worry. She barely knows how to read and won’t understand bank statements.” “Olivia is just stubborn. Money sitting around only loses value. Buying this house now will secure Angela’s education in the future.” Patrick said tenderly, “Tomorrow I’ll withdraw more money to buy you an electric fan.” I was thunderstruck. It took me a moment to recover before I rushed over to them. Patrick pulled me aside, his smile radiant. “Olivia, what are you doing here?” I threw the bankbooks at him and asked with a trembling voice, “Patrick, where is our money?!” He was silent for a moment. Then, realizing what had happened, he calmly explained, “Hazel needed more money for the house. Of course I had to help her. When my Christmas bonus comes, I’ll replace it.” “I don’t agree. Make them return the money!” I laughed bitterly in my anger. I pushed my way to the counter and tried to grab the money, but several people held me back. “Olivia, weren’t you the one who forced them to move out? What are you making a scene about now?” “She’s struggling to raise Angela alone. As a woman, don’t you have any compassion?” Hazel cried, “Olivia doesn’t approve. Maybe I should cancel the house purchase…” Patrick frowned deeply, shoved a stack of money into the clerk’s hands, and gestured for him to take it. “I make the decisions in this family, and we don’t need her approval. Ignore her and continue with the process.” Soon, a purchase contract with Hazel’s name was handed over. Her crying immediately stopped as she smiled and winked at me. “Your own daughter is dying, yet you’re using all our savings to buy a house for another woman. We have nothing left!” “Patrick, do you realize this was her life-saving money?” Everyone in the room stared at me. Furious, I raised my hand to slap Hazel. Patrick stepped in front of her, angrily grabbing my wrist and twisting it. “Will you ever stop? Hazel already feels guilty enough and has been crying all day about this. Stop scaring them, will you?” He impatiently pulled out a few crumpled bills from his pocket and threw them at me. “She just scraped her skin a bit. Do you have to make such a scene? That’s enough! Stop embarrassing yourself here. If you continue, don’t blame me for being heartless.” I didn’t take the money, looking down at the five dollars while laughing through my tears. “Fine, Patrick. You’re such a good father.” After a moment, I wiped away my tears and said firmly, “I want a divorce!”
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