When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air.
Our maid noticed I was awake and quickly handed me a glass of water.
"I already called your husband. He said he’ll be here soon. Just rest, Madam."
I nodded weakly and watched the maid leave the ward. Slowly, I tried to sit up, thinking about handling my discharge papers.
However, before I could even move, Heinry appeared at the door.
"Haven’t you had enough of this act, Yoanne Wilson? Afraid I’d ignore you, so you told the maid to call me all the way here? You’re so childish. Do you think everyone has as much free time as you?"
"This is not an act. Don’t worry, Heinry. From now on, I won’t call or text you again."
He sneered and pulled out the diary my father had always treasured.
"I told you before, nothing connected to that murderer is allowed in my house. Are you deaf?"
"Don’t you dare touch my father’s diary!"
I rushed forward, trying to grab it, but he pulled it out of reach, leaving me with nothing in my hands.
"Give it back! That’s all I have left of him and he wasn’t a murderer!"
My eyes burned with tears as I begged, hoping he would show me even a shred of mercy.
"What’s so special about this diary? That gold watch was worth much more. I had it melted down into a bracelet. Look, don’t you think it’s pretty?"
The cup in my hand slipped and shattered on the floor with a sharp crash.
I turned to Heinry and stared at him in disbelief, my chest rising and falling quickly before a suppressed sob spilled out of my throat.
"You let Wanda touch my father's watch? You knew it was a love token between my parents it even engraved with their names. Why would you do that?"
"Why? Because Wanda wants it. It’s just a watch, worth nothing compared to Helena’s life. I can buy you another if you want, but don’t ever let your father’s trash get in my sight ever again."
"Oh, Wanda also wants a room with walk-in closets. Clear yours out when you get back. I’ll hold on to this diary for now, but if you ever upset me again, I’ll burn it."
I lowered my head and nodded quietly. After leaving the hospital, I moved all my things from the master bedroom into my daughter’s room.
That night, I sat alone in the dark room, unmoving, until the sound of Heinry and Wanda’s laughter echoed through the walls and broke the silence.
Tears streamed down my face in the darkness, but my heart felt numb.
Heinry never noticed I had almost nothing left in this house, only a few clothes, some jewelry and one special wedding dress. It was the dress he had sewn for me by hand, the dress I kept carefully in a dust bag for four years.
He once told me I was a treasure sent to him by God, someone he would cherish forever.
Back then, he planned every holiday with care. Even his proposal had been beautiful as he had always treated me with love.
I never thought it would all change.
Well, at least my daughter studied at a boarding school, I kept telling myself that. However, since Wanda came, I had grown more and more uneasy.
"Heinry, our daughter will be home this weekend. Can you let Wanda leave before then?"
He gave me a cold look from the side.
"I forgot to tell you. From now on, our daughter will stay with my parents. You don’t have the right to see her."
I froze as I stared at him, my lips trembling.
"Why? She’s innocent! She doesn’t know anything. Don't you care if she’ll get hurt when she finds out about this situation?"
My voice broke, pain twisting my face.
"I’ve already told her and she understands. You’ll only see her once a week."
My hands clenched into tight fists so that all my strength seemed to be drained out of me. I covered my face with both hands, my shoulders shaking.
Soft sobs broke through my fingers as my whole body trembled.
