At some point, heavy rain began to fall from the sky, and my tears slowly fell. My mind was filled with the overlapping images of Thomas, the man I had loved for years, being with Joan.
Suddenly, without warning, a car from the right lane sped up toward me.
Panicked, I jerked the steering wheel, but it was too late.
Bang!
With a deafening loud noise and a huge impact, the world was spinning around me. A severe pain exploded from my abdomen, and warm liquid gushed down my inner thighs, instantly soaking my skirt.
My child!
The instinct to survive made me push the door open with all my strength and struggle to crawl away.
At that moment, the person in the black sedan that had hit me stepped out of the car and walked slowly and deliberately toward me.
With great difficulty, I lifted my head. Through blood and rain, I saw my stepmother, Joan’s mother.
With an umbrella in her hand, she stood above me, looking down at me. I tried to speak, but darkness washed over me like a tide.
The last thing I saw was her cold, merciless gaze and the faint curve of her lips.
When I opened my eyes again, the smell of antiseptic filled the air.
“Victoria, you're finally awake! Thank goodness!”
I slowly turned my head toward Thomas. His eyes were bloodshot, stubble sprouted on his chin, and he looked utterly exhausted. The look in his eyes held pain, guilt, and a complex mix of emotions I couldn't quite name.
Joan was also standing behind him, with just the right amount of worry on her face.
“Victoria, you had a car accident, and your child couldn't be saved. Don't be too sad. Your health is important.”
As I looked at Thomas, and waves of pain throbbed in my stomach, I felt the man before me extremely unfamiliar.
At that moment, the ward door was flung open, and my father, Elliot Lawrence, stormed in with an ashen face and slapped me across the face.
Smack!
The force jerked my head to the side, and a faint metallic taste spread in my mouth.
Thomas exclaimed, "Dad!”
My father pointed at my nose, his voice cold and harsh as his gaze swept over my flat stomach with disgust.
“Victoria, you are absolutely a failure! You couldn’t even protect your own child. Were you that careless? What is Thomas supposed to do now? How about the Lawrence family's reputation?”
“Dad...” I tried to speak, but my throat was too hoarse to make a sound.
“Don't call me Dad!” he cut me off harshly.
"Since you're so useless and can't even bear children, do something useful. Joan needs a bone marrow donor. You’re her sister, aren’t you? So, get your health back quickly and prepare to donate bone marrow to her. That’s probably your only value now."
Every word my father spoke pierced my heart.
Sure enough, everyone was counting on me to sacrifice myself to save my sister.
My father used to cherish me most, but everything changed after my stepmother and Joan entered the family. I had become the unwanted presence in this family.
Slowly, I lowered my hands from my face and looked at the people in front of me.
At Thomas, his eyes filled with guilt, though hopeful, toward Joan, who desperately tried to hide her delight, and at my father, who was scrutinizing me with anger.
What a “harmonious” and bitterly ironic bedside scene.
Just then, the ward door swung open.
"Victoria, I’m here to take you away!”
