My husband, Jeremy Miller, was a renowned pediatrician. Yet, during a raging typhoon, he insisted that our eight-year-old daughter, Mia, deliver fever medication to the daughter of his beloved Fiona Fox. Now, Mia was missing. When I begged him to help find her, he slapped me hard and shouted, “You raised a real piece of work! Just like you—cold-hearted and ruthless! “She didn’t want to take the medicine and just went missing! Do you even realize Megan is suffering from pneumonia because she didn’t get her medication? It’s like you two are conspiring to kill them both! “Mia’s only eight! To think she could come up with such a vicious scheme to win a favor? I’d rather not have a daughter like that!” A mother’s intuition told me that something terrible had happened to my little girl. But Jeremy ignored my desperate pleas, too busy tending to the daughter of his lover. He had no idea that while he was cradling that little girl, administering her medication, and setting up nebulizers, our flesh and blood were trapped in a small suitcase, struggling for breath. *** The city lay in ruins after the typhoon passed through. Exhausted from my shift in the emergency room, I felt my legs were like jelly. I hadn’t even sipped water, but finally, I managed to check my phone for a moment. There it was—a missed call from my daughter. Glancing at the darkened sky, I could only imagine Mia was home alone, scared out of her mind. I tried to call her back, but the line wouldn’t connect. Just then, a WhatsApp message from her popped up: [Mom, Ms. Fox and Megan are both running fevers. They don’t have any anti-inflammatory or fever-reducing medicine at home, and Dad wants me to bring them some.] Fiona. The mere mention of her name made my stomach churn. She was the love of my husband Jeremy’s life. A year ago, she divorced, leaving her without support. In a moment of misplaced compassion, Jeremy helped her rent an apartment in the neighborhood right next to ours. Ever since then, it felt like Jeremy had two homes. As a pediatrician, he was already pressed for time, leaving little for me and Mia. With Fiona and her daughter around, we barely saw him at all. I checked the timestamp on Mia’s message—it was sent two hours ago, right when the typhoon was making landfall. I thought, “In this kind of weather, Jeremy expected Mia to go out on her own? To deliver fever medicine to Fiona?” I was shaking with rage. Just as I was about to call Mia again, a loud crash echoed outside. A massive tree was uprooted by the wind, and the torrential rain shattered the hospital’s windows. The muddy downpour swept inside, soaking everything in its path. People around me screamed and scattered, and I stumbled, getting knocked into a corner by the force of the rain. My chest felt tight and painful, but I couldn’t afford to dwell on it. I scrambled to my feet. I couldn’t even bear to think about how Mia would cope if she were caught in such chaos. With trembling hands, I dialed her number twice more. Each time, the cold, mechanical voice reminded me that the user was unavailable. Seeing the apocalyptic scene outside, I quickly called Jeremy. But the phone rang and rang—over ten times—without an answer. Frustrated, I took a brief leave from the emergency department and sprinted toward the pediatrics ward. The rain was relentless, and the hospital corridors were slick with water. I slipped and fell three or four times before finally spotting Jeremy’s busy figure in his office. Ignoring my disheveled appearance, I grabbed his arm. Worry for Mia turned my voice into a shaky plea. “Jeremy, in this weather, you sent our daughter to deliver medicine to Fiona?” He turned around, giving me a cold stare. “When I let Mia go, the rain wasn’t this heavy.” “But she’s only eight! Even if the rain wasn’t bad then, the wind was fierce! She only weighs forty pounds! How could you let her go out like that? “I can’t reach Mia now; what do you suggest we do?” Given our unpredictable work hours, Mia often went without meals, which was why, at nearly nine years old, she barely weighed forty pounds. Jeremy shook off my hand in irritation. “Ada, what are you doing? Mia agreed to deliver the medicine, but she didn’t even leave the house! You’ve taught her to lie better than anything else! “Mia has always been closest to you. She probably told you about my call asking her to deliver the medicine, and you encouraged her to pretend to go while she hid, right?” I was at a loss. “What are you talking about? I’ve been busy and have only just seen her WhatsApp message. By the time I tried to call, it was already disconnected. “Jeremy, we need to find our daughter! Something must have happened to Mia!” Thinking about our daughter, lost somewhere, her little body soaking in the cold rain, I froze from head to toe. My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the ground, begging Jeremy to help me find our daughter. But Jeremy slapped me hard across the face, his voice a bitter tirade. “Ada, what are you trying to prove by making a spectacle of yourself? Trying to guilt-trip me, are you? “You raised a real piece of work! Just like you—cold-hearted and ruthless! She didn’t want to take the medicine and just went missing! Do you even realize Megan is suffering from pneumonia because she didn’t get her medication? It’s like you two are conspiring to kill them both! “Mia’s only eight! To think she could come up with such a vicious scheme to win a favor? I’d rather not have a daughter like that!” He went on, passionately accusing our daughter of immorality. That was when I noticed Fiona sitting behind him, gently cradling Megan in her arms.
Fiona sat there in a beige, lightweight jacket and white wide-leg pants. Her hair was loosely tied up and a bit messy, and her face bore the unmistakable worry of a mother. Yet, she didn’t look the least bit frazzled. Then I glanced at myself. My lab coat was caked with mud and stained with the blood of patients I had treated. A branch had scratched my neck, and my hands were swollen from the falls. I looked down and realized I was even missing a shoe. Fiona pressed her lips, her gaze flickering with a hint of mockery. She spoke slowly, “Ada, don’t worry. Mia didn’t come to deliver the medicine. By the timeline, she should have arrived within fifteen minutes, but we waited half an hour without seeing her. “When we tried to call her again, the line was dead. “We had no choice but to take the risk and come to the hospital. “Luckily, we ran into a kind stranger who was on his way to the hospital with his mom, and he offered us a ride. “Otherwise, with Megan’s fever hitting 103 degrees, I can’t even imagine what would have happened if Jeremy hadn’t saved her.” As she spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks. Her five-year-old daughter, Megan Fox, reached out her tiny hand to wipe her mother’s tears, only to start crying herself. To anyone watching, it was a heartbreaking scene. And for Jeremy, who only had eyes for Fiona, it was even harder to bear. He quickly grabbed some tissues and leaned in to wipe the tears from both mother and daughter’s faces. Then he turned to me, urgency in his voice. “Ada, the emergency room needs all hands on deck right now. What are you doing just standing there? Get back to work!” I stood frozen, unable to move, taking in the warmth of the moment before me. I couldn’t remember the last time Jeremy interacted with Mia and me like that. Just this morning, when we received the call about mandatory overtime due to the typhoon, Jeremy hadn’t shown an ounce of concern for Mia. I could see the fear in Mia’s eyes, but being the sweet girl she was, she leaned in and kissed me. “Mom, you and Dad go save the patients. I’ll be good.” My heart ached, and tears began to fall. I asked, “How about you come with me to the hospital?” Jeremy shot me down immediately. “The hospital is a mess right now with the storm. Why would you bring her there? She’s been fine at home before; stop worrying!” Both of us were medical professionals, and Mia had often stayed home alone since she was six. Mia, sensing the tension, waved her hands at me. “Mom, it’s okay! I can stay home by myself. I have my teddy bear to keep me company. I’m not scared!” Her bravery made my heart twist with guilt, and I hugged her tightly. “Sweetheart, once the storm passes, your dad and I will take you to the amusement park, okay?” “Yay!” Mia clapped her hands, her voice brightening up the room. Summer was almost over, and she hadn’t gotten a single outing with either of us. She looked up at her dad, her eyes sparkling with hope. But Jeremy scoffed, saying, “What amusement park? What’s so fun about that?” He then urged me to hurry downstairs. I fought to suppress my anger, reminding Mia to secure the doors and windows and unplug everything, telling her not to go outside. Jeremy’s dismissive comment had left disappointment and hurt etched on her face. Yet, just two seconds later, Mia was all smiles, playfully pushing me toward the door and calling me naggy. Such a considerate child only made my heart ache more. Once we got downstairs, I couldn’t help but confront Jeremy. “Since the amusement park isn’t all that fun, why did you still choose to take Fiona and Megan?” Last weekend, after finally managing to schedule a day off, he had promised to take Mia fishing. But one phone call from Fiona had swept him away instead. That day, I scrolled through Fiona’s social media and saw the pictures. Jeremy had taken the two of them to the amusement park and even bought Fiona a birthday cake. Fiona’s caption read: [As a kid, my dream was to celebrate my birthday at an amusement park, and today it finally came true! Being surrounded by my favorite people is the best birthday gift!] I felt my fingers go cold as I exited WhatsApp, not wanting Mia to see those pictures. But Jeremy turned the tables on me. “Why do you always feel the need to compete with Fiona? She went through a divorce, and celebrating her birthday alone must be tough. What’s wrong with showing her some kindness? “You’re both mothers, so how can you show her no compassion?” My heart sank like the weather after a storm. The argument ended on a sour note between us. Now, Fiona, the catalyst of our fight, was watching me as I sat there, frozen in despair. She tilted her head and smiled sweetly at me, “Ada, Jeremy needs to focus on helping Megan with her nebulizer. Please try not to disturb him. “Maybe Mia’s phone just died. Can you stop making a big deal out of this?”
Fury ignited within me, and I felt like a lion ready to pounce on Fiona. “Fiona, are you seriously calling me an overreactor? What kind of nonsense is that? My daughter is missing because she went to deliver fever medicine to you, and you don’t feel an ounce of guilt? You have the nerve to say I’m overreacting? “Right now, you’re snuggled up with your daughter, feeding her milk, feeling all cozy. But have you even thought about where my Mia is? Is she wrapped in warmth? Does she have milk to drink?” Fiona gasped, her eyes wide with shock, but I couldn’t even lay a finger on her because Jeremy had a firm grip on my arm. My anger was spiraling out of control. I clutched Jeremy’s arm, wishing I could bite him. “Jeremy, let’s go find our daughter. Now!” He stepped back, grabbing my hand and shoving me away. “Ada, can you stop acting like a crazy person? I’ve told you. Mia is just hiding. Can’t you understand plain language?” At this point, Fiona’s tears began to flow. She trembled, hiding behind Jeremy, peeking out. “Ada, I was just trying to comfort you. I know you’re upset with Jeremy for taking care of us, but you can’t use Mia as an excuse to lash out at him!” As she spoke, she held her child close, trying to maintain her composure. “Jeremy, since Ada has misunderstood, we’ll just head to the IV room and won’t bother you any longer.” Jeremy, clearly irritated, turned around and pushed her back into her seat. The commotion made Megan start crying again. Jeremy roared, “Ada, are you made of stone? This little girl has pneumonia and a high fever, and you’re here screaming like a banshee. What do you want, to scare the poor kid into a fit?” My heart sank. This man, my husband, the father of my daughter, was more concerned about someone else’s child than his own. I realized begging him was futile. I was shaking, torn between worrying about Mia and the rage building inside me at this ridiculous couple. I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police. “Fine, Jeremy, if you don’t care, I’ll call the cops to handle this.” But just as I dialed the second number, Fiona rushed over, shoving Megan into Jeremy’s arms. She gripped my hand tightly. “Ada, just calm down for a second. “The storm outside is fierce, and the police are swamped. Let’s not waste public resources on something so minor.” Jeremy held Megan tightly and laughed mockingly. “Ada, who do you think you are? The whole city is dealing with missing persons, and Mia’s been gone for only two hours. You really think the police will jump to help you? “She’s probably just at home! What are you making a fuss about? Go ahead and call the cops! If they find Mia at home, I can’t wait to see how you’ll explain that!” I was furious. But their comments made me reconsider. Maybe contacting the property management would be faster than calling the police. I shoved past Fiona and dialed the property office, but no one picked up. Thinking quickly, I scrolled through my contacts and found the number for my upstairs neighbors. Usually, Jeremy and I were too busy to interact much with them, so the only ones I could reach out to were a middle-aged couple living above us. Once, the husband had an accident at home, and when his wife called for help in our building group, I happened to be home. I rushed up to help with some basic first aid and even called for an ambulance. Later, they brought us fruit twice to thank us. Our neighbor’s phone rang almost immediately. When she learned that we had left our daughter home alone, her anger bubbled over. “Your daughter is so young! You two really have a lot of nerve!” I didn’t dare to argue. Instead, I pleaded with her to come downstairs and knock on our door. She knocked for two minutes straight, but there was no response from inside. My heart raced, and feeling utterly helpless, I shared the door code with her, asking her to go inside and check if everything was okay. The neighbor lady quickly initiated a video call. On the screen, I watched as she and her husband scoured every corner of our home, even rifling through the closet and peeking behind the curtains. Still, there was no sign of Mia. Then, I caught a glimpse of the table. Next to an open homework notebook lay the medicine box, with scattered pills strewn about. It was clear. Mia had taken the medication and left. But she hadn’t come back.
I hung up the video call and turned to Jeremy. “Jeremy, are you really not going to help me look for Mia?” He had watched the video, too, clearly taken aback by what he saw. His silence spoke volumes. At that moment, Fiona leaned down to check Megan’s forehead, and her face suddenly filled with panic. “Jeremy, what do we do? Megan’s fever seems to be getting worse!” Without a second thought, Jeremy rushed over, grabbing the ear thermometer and aiming it at Megan’s ear. He murmured, “One hundred and five degrees… If it gets any worse, we might have to admit her.” Fiona’s lips quivered, and she leaned against Jeremy, her voice trembling. “Jeremy, what if something happens to Megan? I’m scared.” He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, speaking gently, “Don’t worry, I’m here. Megan will be fine.” Fiona nodded, biting her lip. “Jeremy, don’t leave us…” I felt a wave of nausea wash over me at her words. Jeremy shot me a disdainful look. “Look, Ada, Mia took the medicine and left, but she didn’t go to deliver it. She knows she messed up, so she’s probably hiding. “Did you see that? Megan’s burning up! If Mia had delivered the medicine sooner, she wouldn’t be this sick. Thank goodness she ran into someone who brought them here; otherwise, if they were still out on the street, who knows what could’ve happened?” My lips felt numb, and my words began to slur. “Jeremy, have you even considered that Mia might be out there, trying to come home but can’t?” He scoffed, saying, “She’s eight years old, Ada. You think she’s that naive? She’s definitely hiding somewhere safe. “She’s probably just trying to avoid punishment, maybe playing games on her phone right now.” I was frantic. “But her phone is unreachable!” “Maybe she switched it to airplane mode. She can’t receive calls, but that doesn’t stop her from playing offline games.” I forced a wry smile. “So, all those times I tried calling you and couldn’t get through, you were just playing games with Fiona on airplane mode, huh?” His face fell at my accusation, but he put on a brave front, trying to sound authoritative. “Ada, I’m a doctor. My patients are unstable, and I can’t just abandon them to go look for a daughter who’s hiding on purpose!” Disappointment washed over me, nearly making me faint. Just then, Megan, who had been sleeping, suddenly convulsed and started calling out, “Mia! Mia! Don’t die!” I felt a jolt of realization. I rushed over, cupping Megan’s small face in my hands. “Megan, sweetie, tell me, you saw Mia today, didn’t you?” Her feverish face was flushed, her eyes glazed over. She nodded weakly. My heart raced with hope. “Megan, please tell me where you saw Mia!” But before I could finish my sentence, Fiona swept in, clutching her child and backing away in a panic. “Ada, what are you doing? Can’t you see Megan is delirious? Why would you scare her like that?” I pointed at her daughter. “Megan just said she saw Mia today! Fiona, tell me the truth—did Mia deliver the medicine? Where did she go afterward?” Fiona backed into a corner, her expression frantic. She didn’t even notice that Megan’s IV had come loose. “Ada, I told you. Megan is just talking nonsense because of her fever! Mia never came looking for us. Why won’t you believe me?” Megan’s blood began to drip from her small hand onto the floor, and Jeremy rushed forward, panic etched on his face, pressing down to stop the bleeding. He, usually so composed, shouted for a nurse to come and help. Then he turned to me, his voice sharp. “Can you please stop making this worse? Get back to your post! There are patients waiting for you!” I told Jeremy, word by word, under his disdainful gaze, “Jeremy, I’m a mother first, then a doctor. If I can’t protect my own daughter, who in their right mind would trust me with their loved ones?” His face flashed between red and pale. Around us, chaos erupted as the nurse tended to Megan, stopping the bleeding and redoing her IV. Then she gently tugged at my sleeve, handing me a pair of flat shoes. Her eyes spoke volumes of sympathy. “Dr. Johnson, you’ve only got one shoe left, and your foot is bleeding. Please take care of your wound and put on some proper shoes.” I thanked her softly, ignoring the little injuries on my foot, and slipped on the shoes. At that moment, I vowed that once I found Mia, I would shed Jeremy like those discarded shoes. Suppressing the simmering anger inside, I dialed David Federer, the head of the emergency department. As soon as he picked up, he shouted, “Ada, you need to hurry back! We’ve got too many patients here!” Overwhelmed, I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. David paused, clearly taken aback. “What’s wrong?” I glanced back at Jeremy, who was cradling Megan in his arms, soothing her through the nebulizer. I sobbed into the phone. “Dr. Federer, Mia’s gone.” I briefed him on the whole situation. Without hesitation, David decided I should go find Mia. After a moment, he added, “Ada, it’s too dangerous out there. Come back first and take my SUV!” Once I had the keys in hand, I made the call to the police. But the operator informed me that due to the typhoon, they were overwhelmed with calls, and there was no telling when they’d get to mine. All they could do was take down my information and advise me to report back immediately if I found Mia. Just then, my neighbor upstairs called.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397292”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #B×G #Wife #Hurt #LoveHate
Leave a Reply