I raised my hand and slapped her so hard that the blow cracked through the room.
But Mariam didn’t flinch. She didn’t move or blink.
Instead, her eyes glistened. Tears welled instantly, and her lips trembled.
“Dr. Crumpler, I only wanted to apologize to you. Why would you suddenly hit me?”
The door burst open. Charlton rushed in with the little boy.
“Arizona!” His furious shout struck my ears like a thunderclap.
He jabbed a finger at me, eyes blazing. “You’ve gone too far!”
My chest heaved, my throat raw as if slashed by knives. “She said—”
“Charlton, don’t blame Dr. Crumpler.” Mariam sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She’s just too upset…”
Charlton’s anger wavered, replaced by distress. He pulled her protectively into his arms and glared at me coldly.
“Five years, Arizona. It’s been five years! Mariam has long regretted what happened. Back then, it wasn’t just even intentional; she only made a mistake because she was nervous. You can’t put all the blame on her. Why must you keep pressing her like this? You come out of prison, and you’re still so impulsive, so violent!”
A ringing filled my ears. My eyes stung with unshed tears.
“Daddy!” the little boy cried, rushing toward me. His face was wet with tears as he shouted, “She’s bullying Mommy!”
Before I could react, he rammed into me, slamming me back against the wall. His small fists pounded viciously into my stomach.
Agony tore through me. A metallic sweetness filled my throat, and blood surged upward.
Mariam quickly gathered him into her arms, her voice tender through her tears.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. It’s my fault. If Dr. Crumpler has any resentment, let her take it out on me. I deserve it. If not for me, she wouldn’t have ended up like this today.”
I trembled all over, staring at the ruined children’s room, my chest tightening with grief and blood.
“Enough,” I rasped, my voice hoarse and breaking. “Charlton… let’s divorce.”
For a moment, the air froze.
“No!” The word burst from his mouth. His face darkened instantly, his mouth pressed into a hard line.
3
Arizona’s POV
“Right now is a crucial time for me,” Charlton said in a low voice. “If a divorce scandal breaks out, it will damage my chances of promotion. Wait one week. Once I’m promoted, we’ll talk about it.”
As soon as he finished, he scooped the sobbing Mariam into his arms and strode away, as though afraid I might say something else he didn’t want to hear.