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Chapter 4

Author: Three Two
My heart skipped a beat, and I wanted to say a few words to cover it up. Instead, Julian’s sarcastic voice cut in first.

“Fine. You can stop teaching Annie how to put on an act with you. I’ve paid this month’s rent, and I’ve saved enough for two months of her medical bills. You don’t have to keep pushing me.”

A bitter feeling washed over me, and I said, “That’s great. That’s what you ought to be doing anyway, so drop the aggrieved look.”

The call suddenly disconnected. I clutched my phone and forced a grim smile on my face.

Since Julian had paid the hospital bills, I still had the money I saved from the clinical trials in the bank. So, I picked a small southern town and bought two bus tickets. It would be a good place for Annie to recover.

After taking care of all this, I rushed over to the hospital, only to hear Annie sobbing and gasping for breath.

Julian’s old high school sweetheart, Quinn Ford, was pinching Annie’s arm, shouting, “Why couldn’t a dead weight like you just die? Do you and your shameless mother insist on dragging Julian down until he’s completely ruined?

“Do you have any idea how brilliant he used to be? He used to have the whole city at his feet! But look at him now!”

Seeing that Annie’s arm was already badly bruised, I charged forward and yanked Quinn away.

Just as Quinn lost her balance and fell to the floor, Julian walked in. Tears immediately trickled down Quinn’s face.

“I only came for a visit… but they accused me of trying to steal you away and told me to get out… Is this really the person you gave up everything for back then?”

Panicked, Annie tried to explain. “No, Daddy, it was her…”

As if he hadn’t heard a thing, Julian fixed his eyes on me and asked, “Is that true?”

I looked at him, my heart crushed, and then smiled.

“Yeah, that’s right. So what? You paid the rent and saved up for the medical bills, but what is that little bit of money supposed to cover?

“Like I said, I gave birth to your child, and since the kid is mine too, you have to stay bound to us. Don’t even dream of going anywhere else.”

Suddenly, he lost his composure. He raised his hand toward me, but it froze mid-air. In the end, he grabbed my shoulders with a deadly grip.

“I’ve sacrificed my entire life for you. Can’t I even catch up with an old friend now?”

Julian’s grip was so strong that it felt like he was going to crush my bones.

I bit my lip, refusing to make a sound. Only when he heard a quiet crack from my bones did he finally let go.

He turned around and apologized to Quinn, “I’m sorry. I’ll apologize on their behalf. She didn’t mean it.”

Quinn looked at him in total disbelief.

“They’ve ruined your life, and you’re apologizing on their behalf? Do you have any idea how terribly thin and frail you look right now?”

She grabbed Julian’s sleeve, her voice choking up. “And what about me? Julian, you said you missed me…”

Julian remained silent for a very long time before he replied, “You misheard.”

Quinn covered her face and ran away in tears.

Julian looked at Annie, his eyes hollow, and asked, “Why did you have to be my daughter?”

Then, he looked over at me and continued, “Why did I have to fall in love with you back then?”

With that, he turned and ran after Quinn.

I watched as he left, recalling the year Annie turned one. We had just moved from a basement room to a run-down suburban house, where the window frame couldn’t keep the wind out.

He could only afford to buy down jackets for Annie and me, while he wore a thin, frayed coat himself. Even his lips turned purple from the cold.

With red eyes, I had asked him, “Do you think you’re unlucky to have met me?”

He held my hand and Annie’s hand tightly in his palms, saying, “Having you and the baby is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The first time I saw you, I thought I was the luckiest man on earth.”

Annie’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“Mommy, are you and Daddy fighting because of me? The other kids were right… I really am just a troublemaker…”

I squeezed her hand, which was covered in scars from the needles.

“Remember when you were learning to write, you used to take your frustrations out on me whenever you got tired? It’s the same for Daddy. He’s just feeling overwhelmed.”

Annie nodded, though her tears kept falling.

That night, triggered by the emotional stress, Annie coughed up a lot of blood, and her hemoglobin levels dropped to a critical low.

The doctor rushed in, his face grim. “She needs a blood transfusion, but the blood bank is out! Do any family members of hers share the same blood type?”

Julian was the only one who did, so I dialed his number like crazy. It rang for a long time before the call finally went through on the third attempt.

The moment he picked up, he sounded exhausted.

“I’m just spending one night with Quinn so I can catch my breath. Can’t I go back to being your good husband tomorrow?”

Then, he hung up and blocked my number.

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