Facing his sudden blame, I spoke with anger rising inside me.
“I am not lying, she is being rescued!”
The person on the other end stayed silent for a few seconds, then the call ended without a word.
Right after that, Heidi sent me a message with a very revealing video.
In the video, the man was shirtless, speaking to her in a drawn-out tone.
“I love you… Shall we stay together forever?”
The video had the man’s heavy breathing and the woman’s sweet, teasing voice.
“Evie, did you see it? Take your daughter and go die together. Even if you die, he won’t look at you!”
I felt a strong, sick feeling in my chest. That filthy pair of man and woman were so disgusting!
The emergency room light turned off, and I got up in panic.
When the doctor saw me, he shook his head helplessly.
I became afraid and grabbed his sleeve. “What happened to my child?!”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Russo, we did all we could.”
“The kid’s life is kept, but right now there’s no way to wake up; she may be in a coma for the rest of her life.”
At that time, my tears flowed out, my whole body lost strength, and I fell to the ground.
“What are you saying, in a coma… she’s just three years old!”
“I’m begging you to save her, okay!”
The doctor helped me stand, but my whole body had no energy.
A faint feeling came, and I lost consciousness.
After that, in my ears, the doctor’s urgent voice kept repeating.
“Evie, don’t sleep. Think of your child, think of your family!”
“The patient’s pulse is too slow, hurry and bring the defibrillator!”
Tears ran down from the corners of my eyes.
In my thoughts, like a turning light, these past twenty years kept showing again and again.
There was my parents’ soft support. “Our Evie is amazing, she will surely become the strongest cello player!”
There were Ezra’s sweet whispers by my side. “Evie, if I ever hurt you, you mustn’t forgive me easily!”
And my child’s first line when learning to talk. “Mom, I love you!”
..…
Yet at last, everything that stayed was Ezra’s harsh blame, his sickened look, slowly eating me away, little by little.
Too loud, this place.
Why didn’t people who broke true love suffer like being stabbed by countless needles? Why did those who got hurt have to walk in fear?
Ezra, I hated you, I hated you so deeply…
I wanted to stay alive, to see you get punished myself.
When I opened my eyes again, a known voice gently reached my left ear.
He said, “Evie, I’m here to bring you back home.”