A mother would never gamble with her child's life and a father should not take his child's illness lightly. Stefan had truly let me down.
I rushed home and their car was already parked outside when I arrived. However, they didn't have the keys and no one was home.
When I finally found the key and opened the door, I saw my daughter lying on the floor, frothing at the mouth. Her entire body was red as if she had been unconscious for a long time. The doctor quickly administered emergency care.
Once we reached the hospital, she was rushed into the emergency room. I paced back and forth outside, praying fervently while tears streaming down my face.
I turned on my phone and called Stefan again. As the father of our child, he shouldn't be absent at a time like this, especially since it was his negligence that had led to our daughter's severe condition.
Unfortunately, the phone rang endlessly without an answer. I swallowed my rising anger and called again. This time, the call got connected.
"What now? Didn't I tell you? Don't bother me unless it's important. Today is Yolanda's birthday and it is also New Year's Eve—a time for family reunion. Why do you always have to ruin it?"
I took a deep breath to calm the fury bubbling inside me. He knew it was New Year's Eve, a day meant for family, yet he spent it with Yolanda and her son here. Who exactly did he consider his family?
"Stefan, our daughter is burning up with fever. How can you say such things? Today is a day for family, but you need to figure out who you should be spending it with."
Stefan's response was laced with anger. "She's just pretending. She got into a fight with Charlie and I slapped her. Now she's faking her sickness. "
"Ysabell is spoiled because of you, Zelda. You've indulged her too much and if this continues, she'll turn out just like you. Besides, I'm just having a meal with Yolanda. You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."
"Shut up!" I couldn't help but interrupt Stefan's utterly baffling remarks. I knew my daughter better than anyone. Stefan knew the truth in his heart—whether it was me who was overreacting or him feeling guilty.
Since Yolanda and her son returned, Stefan had changed.
He used to be a great father to our daughter and a model husband. He was patient with both his child and his wife. I remember a time when Stefan was so furious because our daughter was bullied by a boy at school that he wanted to confront the school, only relenting after I stopped him.
Since Yolanda returned with his son, all his attention has been on them, ignoring me and our daughter. Now, he's even resorted to hitting my child over Yolanda's son. He couldn't tell right from wrong and went too far.
My voice trembled with anger. "Stefan, our daughter is not pretending. She's in the emergency room and her life is hanging by a thread."
Stefan didn't care at all. His response was icy. "Zelda, stop playing games. Or better yet, stop using our daughter's life as a game piece. "
"You're just trying to ruin Yolanda's birthday because you don't like her. Frankly, it would be better if Ysabell was dead. She's already been led astray by your upbringing."
"Stefan!" I couldn't help but roar, unable to hold back my rebuke. How could he say such vicious words?
On the other end of the line, I heard Yolanda's sweet voice calling, "Stefan, come quickly."
Then, a child's voice chimed in, "Dad, hurry. We're waiting for you."
