Early in the next morning, I dragged my body, which had just finished a miscarriage. I chose to leave the hospital despite the doctor's obstruction.
At the same time, I immediately contacted the lawyer to draw up divorce matters. This matter also alarmed my parents who were far away from our home. They were staying abroad at this time.
They defied all odds. After they received the news, they immediately rushed to our country, Des Moines. They would be there soon.
I got my cell phone dead, so I hurriedly charged it. Unfortunately, I did not see my husband, Jonathan, call me back.
I suddenly saw the photo of the wanted criminal in the news, among many portraits.
I immediately recognized the wanted criminal with a reward of one hundred thousand dollars. I asked in my heart, ‘Isn't this Jonathan's uncle and aunt, Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail?’
It was then that I realized that the release from prison in their mouths was a lie. They were actually wanted criminals.
Jonathan left me on the highway for the wanted criminal. He also did not care that I was still carrying his child in my belly.
I said in my heart, ‘Oh My Gosh. How blind I was in the past? I thought he was the one I'd trust with my life.’
I immediately took out my cell phone to call the police, “Hello, my car was stolen by a wanted murderer on the Pan American Highway.”
***
The cold wind of February was mixed with rain and snow. No one came to pick me up after I was discharged from the hospital.
The rain and snow drenched my whole body. My body was weak. The cold wind was piercing my bones. I froze until I was shivering and looked for the nearest hotel to check-in.
The police arrived at the hotel. They took a simple record to understand the situation first. They also asked me to wait patiently for their investigation.
After the police left, I received a phone call from Jonathan. His words were full of reproaches.
“Why haven't you come back yet? Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail are having lunch at our house now. Why don't you hurry back to make the menu? The house is also in a mess, Madeleine. Please, stop making trouble. Come back and clean it up.”
My whole body froze in place. His words were even more painful than after the miscarriage. He didn't ask me where I was, how I was doing and how I was doing as a pregnant woman. He just wanted to reprimand me.
I replied, “You took them home, Jonathan? But you still want me. I am a pregnant woman and have to cook for them?”
Jonathan said angrily, “Madeleine, when did you become so pretentious? Can't I just let you cook for them? Besides, they're not outsiders, Madeleine. They are Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail. Don't say it's just a meal. They still have to live here, okay?”
The voice on the other end of Jonathan's phone was noisy. It was like a lot of people were drinking and playing cards. There were also women's ambiguous voices.
I spent all my savings to buy that house. I spent a lot of effort choosing the location and decorating it.
Only because Jonathan was busy at work, he did not have much savings. I remembered he promised to use the remaining money for our lives.
Only then did I agree to rent the house and car? He knew that I had put a lot of effort into these things, but he still abused them.
“Jonathan, you let a bunch of messy people into the house again? Don't you know how much effort I have spent on the house?”
It seemed that there were not only his uncle and aunt in the house but also a lot of other people. Before I could ask him who those people in the house were, I was scolded by him again.
Jonathan obviously hadn't watched the news this morning. The news had already reported the latest wanted criminals.
I wanted to tell him the real identities of Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail. Unfortunately, I was interrupted by a cry of surprise.
“Oh My God, Madeleine. I accidentally broke the jade pendant in your room. Is it alright?”
Jonathan answered, “It's fine, Aunt Abigail. It's just Madeleine's jade pendant, isn't it? If it's broken, it's not a big problem for her. Their family is rich anyway and not short of money.”
My heart sank. I just thought for a while. ‘What jade pendant? The only thing in the room was my most precious jade pendant left by my grandmother.’
Jonathan shouted at me, “Do you hear me, Madeleine? Stop being childish, okay? Come back quickly. Don't expect me to pick you up.”
It turned out that what he said last night about coming back to pick me up was also a lie. He never thought about coming back to pick me up at all.
I then realized if I hadn't called an ambulance to take me to the hospital, I would have frozen to death by now.
Jonathan turned his head. He then talked in his dialect. He thought I didn't understand.
“Don't touch it, Aunt Abigail. It's her grandmother's relic. It's an unlucky thing.”
