She remembered how, four years ago, Darius hadn’t slept for three days and three nights because his fingers were covered in pencil smudges from drawing every detail of the design for their daughter himself.
Darius had even ordered a carriage-shaped bed directly from an artisan in Italy so that Laina would feel like a princess.
Now, all that effort and those memories have been completely destroyed. Darius himself oversaw the workers as they tore down his biological daughter’s room to make room for Clara’s child, who hasn’t even been born yet.
Gwen closed her eyes tightly. Strangely, no more tears came.
The pain had apparently reached a point where her nerves had gone numb.
She opened her eyes and looked at Laina, whose leg was still encased in a thick cast. The little girl’s eyes gazed at her with the innocence typical of children, unaware that the father who once loved her so dearly had now cast her aside.
“Mommy, is Daddy here?”
Gwen nodded slowly, forcing a smile. Her daughter had just undergone surgery for a broken leg; she mustn’t be hurt again by learning that her father had let her down time and time again.
“Sweetie, how about we take a walk in the hospital garden? There’s some really delicious ice cream at the cafeteria. Mom will buy Laina some vanilla ice cream.”
The somber smile on the little girl’s face instantly brightened upon hearing the name of her favorite ice cream mentioned.
“I want ice cream! I want ice cream, Mom….”
“Okay, sweetie.”
Gwen exhaled in relief, then slowly transferred her daughter into the wheelchair.
She pushed the wheelchair out of the hospital room toward the cafeteria. Along the corridor, her daughter hummed softly and chattered cheerfully about the ice cream she loved so much.
Halfway to the cafeteria, Gwen stopped in her tracks when someone approached her.
“Miss Romano, I’m bringing your new identification documents and the plane ticket you requested.”
“Mr. Smith, I’m sorry for making you come all this way.”
“It’s no problem. We’re happy to work with you. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to contact us again.”
“Yes, thank you.” Gwen couldn’t help but smile; her eyes sparkled with relief
The issue with her new identity had been resolved much faster than expected.
She couldn’t wait to leave this place with her daughter. Now, she just had to wait for her divorce papers to be processed.
The young man nodded and said his goodbyes.
Gwen immediately opened the envelope to check its contents. However, a hand suddenly reached out and roughly gripped her wrist.
“Gwen, who is that man? What’s your relationship with him?” a cold, all-too-familiar voice asked accusingly.
Gwen turned and found Darius’s face right beside her. The man had finally appeared just when Gwen least expected him.
“Let go, it hurts…” Gwen tried to shake off the man’s hand, but Darius refused to let go. Instead, he whispered in a low, demanding voice, “Gwen, who were you talking to just now?”
“What’s it to you? We don’t have a relationship anymore—” Gwen abruptly stopped mid-sentence when she saw the gleam in Laina’s eyes as she watched them.
“Daddy! Daddy’s here…”
Darius paid no attention to his daughter’s call. His eyes remained fixed, darkly, on Gwen’s face. “You were smiling at that man. Who is he?”
“Why should you care? You’re free to kiss Clara, so why can’t I smile at another man?”
Something that looked like guilt flashed across Darius’s face. However, his expression quickly hardened again.
“Gwen, you know full well that it’s all to keep Clara’s mental state stable…”
“I know, you’ve reminded me over and over! I understand perfectly. So now, let go of my hand. Do you want to break this one too after shattering my other wrist?”
Darius startled. He immediately released his grip and looked at Gwen’s other wrist, which was wrapped in a bandage.
“When did I hurt your wrist?” Darius whispered to himself.
Gwen didn’t answer; she just shot him a cynical glance, then crouched down to pick up the scattered stack of her fake IDs from the floor before Darius could see them. However, before her fingers could reach the plane ticket, Darius’s hand had already snatched it up.
“What’s this, Gwen? A one-way plane ticket? Are you and Laina planning to go abroad?” Darius’s brow furrowed deeply, feeling an inexplicable anxiety suddenly creeping into his chest. “You’re taking my daughter away? Why didn’t you tell me about this?!”
Darius crumpled the plane ticket in his hand.
In a calm voice, Gwen said, “It’s just a vacation abroad. Didn’t you yourself ask me not to show up in front of Clara anymore? I just want to take Laina to stay and vacation there. I’m doing exactly what you asked.”
Darius fell silent for a moment. Doubt flashed across his face.
The unease in his chest wouldn’t subside, as if he sensed Gwen was leaving him forever.
“Living abroad is good for you. But you have to give me your address there. I’ll visit you both if I have free time. Once Clara’s condition stabilizes, I’ll come pick you and Laina up to bring you back home.” His voice sounded gentle as he said that.
Gwen merely responded with a fake smile. As if she would believe the man’s words.
“What are you doing here? Did you come because of Laina—” Gwen’s voice caught in her throat when she saw the pregnancy journal in Darius’s hand.
“Ah…” Darius didn’t hide the book from Gwen. “I took Clara to her prenatal checkup. Oh, while I was cleaning Laina’s room, I found this left behind.”
Darius unashamedly took a doll out of the paper bag he was carrying. He knelt down in front of his daughter and handed her the shabby rabbit doll.
“You can’t sleep without this. Uncle brought it for you. I hope Laina gets well soon.”
“Uncle….” Laina’s expression grew even more somber; her eyes welled up as she hugged the rabbit doll tightly to her chest and whispered softly. “Thank you, Uncle….”
Gwen pulled Laina’s wheelchair away from Darius.
“Come on, sweetie, we have to hurry and buy some vanilla ice cream before it runs out.”
“Yes, Mommy….” Laina’s little head remained bowed even as she walked away from Darius.
Unfortunately, the vanilla ice cream in the cafeteria was already sold out. Gwen took her daughter back to her hospital room.
“Sweetie, don’t be sad. Mommy will buy you some ice cream from the shop in front of the hospital, okay?”
Laina nodded, her tiny face not smiling. She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.
Gwen stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. After Laina fell asleep, she called a nurse, asking her to watch over her daughter for a moment while she went out to buy the ice cream her daughter liked.
Gwen’s steps suddenly halted when she saw Clara talking to a doctor in the quiet hallway while handing over a rather thick envelope. Clara’s face looked perfectly normal; her eyes were clear as she spoke to the doctor.
“Here’s your payment for covering up my fake pregnancy.”
