When my daughter, Renee Litton, disappeared and couldn't be contacted, I was in the hospital.
I anxiously called my wife, Yasmin Litton, but unexpectedly heard the voice of her male best friend, Lawson Litton. "Yasmin! Use your 'lucky finger' to help me bet! Whether I can get rich or not depends on you!"
I restrained my anger and inquired politely about Renee's whereabouts to Yasmin, but she snapped back impatiently, "What's the big deal? My parents went to fetch her! Don't jinx my good fortune. It's considered unlucky!"
Yasmin abruptly ended the call without mercy, and to my frustration, I couldn't reach my parents-in-law either!
I rushed to the school in a panic, only to learn that the three of them were sent to the hospital due to a major car accident.
***
When I arrived at the hospital, the three of them had already been issued a critical illness notice.
I was overwhelmed by immense panic, and my hand trembled so much that I could hardly hold the pen to sign.
After I forced myself to calm down, I immediately called my wife Yasmin Litton.
On the 24th attempt, the call finally connected, and she reprimanded me fiercely, "Keep dialing like that! Are you trying to conjure up evil spirits? You've jinxed all my good fortune!"
While being scolded by Yasmin had become somewhat routine, given the gravity of the situation, I had no choice but to inform her.
"Your parents and Renee had a car accident and are being treated at The Third People's Hospital! Hurry up and come over..." Yasmin's anger intensified before I could finish speaking, "Lawson Litton, have you lost your mind? What have my parents done to deserve this from you? Are you putting a curse on them? And even on our daughter? I was wondering why my day was filled with misfortune, but now I realize it's because you've jinxed everything! I finally took a day off for some peace and quiet and even arranged for my parents to look after Renee. And here you are, lounging in the hospital, playing with your phone. What else could you possibly want?"
At that very moment, a doctor emerged from a room, visibly agitated, and shouted at me, "Where is Renee's mother? Notify her immediately!"
I frantically grasped the doctor's arm, demanding to know the situation, but the doctor shook her head sorrowfully and said, "Notify Renee's mother as soon as possible, or she might miss her last chance to see Renee..."
I turned and shouted at Yasmin, "Did you hear that? Hurry up to the hospital! The doctor said... said..."
The words choked in my throat, and I couldn't say them.
Yasmin scornfully cursed in a high-pitched voice, "Lawson, you're really playing around! You even found a little girl to act with?"
Her piercing tone shocked the doctor as well.
The doctor regarded me with a complex expression and motioned for me to pass her my phone, saying, "There's no one else involved. When your daughter slipped into a coma, she kept calling out for you. Please, come as soon as you can. A miracle might unfold if we can ignite a survival spark within her!"
Yasmin obviously didn't believe it and sneered instead, "How much money did Lawson give you to act? You acted so realistically! But let me warn you if you dare to curse my family with him again, don't blame me for suing you for defamation!"
Her male best friend, Brennen Wellend, was fake crying beside her, "Yasmin, I lost so much money today. How can I go on living!"
Yasmin immediately comforted him in a gentle voice, "It's okay, I'm here!"
After saying that, she interrupted my finally spoken plea, "Lawson, you ruined our good thing today. Quickly transfer 100,000 dollars over to help Brennen recover his losses. Otherwise, I won't forgive you!"
She hung up again, and the doctor who came out of the emergency room bowed to me, "Sorry, we did our best!"
My father-in-law was the most seriously injured. Combined with his underlying illness, the rescue was ineffective, and he died.
With tears in my eyes, I tried to contact Brennen, but he hung up on me.
Immediately, Brennen sent me a voice message and an intimate photo of Yasmin sitting on his lap playing cards, "Lawson, be sensible! If I were you, I would obediently transfer the money instead of bringing disgrace upon yourself!"
His arrogant and mocking words echoed in the quiet corridor, attracting the attention of many people.
Even though the doctor had seen many life situations, she still stared in disbelief. She hid her pity for me and shook her head, saying, "Then come in with me!"
On the operating table, my daughter's face was pale, and her body was filled with tubes, causing my eyes to ache with sadness.
The doctor gently pulled me and said, "Seize the opportunity while she is sober!"
Renee struggled to raise her eyelids, and her eyes sparkled with recognition upon seeing me. Yet, as her gaze shifted to the vacant area behind me, the glow in her eyes slowly dimmed.
I understood her disappointment.
She yearned for maternal love time and time again, only to be disappointed time and time again. In the end, she still couldn't see Yasmin.
"Dad..." she called me.
"Don't be afraid, Renee! Your mom is on her way! The doctor will cure you!"
Renee shook her head weakly, tears slowly streaming down her face.
Chapter 2I held her hand firmly as if trying to cling onto her swiftly slipping away life, yet my words failed to ignite any glimmer of hope within her.
Her bright eyes were dull and lifeless.
After the police rescued her from the human traffickers, Renee was like a different person.
At just eight years old, Renee could decipher people's expressions and was acutely attuned to their thoughts.
At this moment, Renee, with a pale face, tried to comfort me like an adult, "Daddy... Mommy won't come...If it hadn't been for picking me up, Grandpa and Grandma wouldn't have had an accident. I am... a jinx..."
I turned my head, quickly wiped away my tears, and smiled to comfort Renee, "Nonsense! My Renee is a lucky star. You will live to be a hundred years old!"
But Renee's expression told me that she didn't believe it.
The image of the car accident was etched in my memory, and even the pungent scent of disinfectant in the operating room could not mask the overpowering odor of blood that lingered on Renee.
"How much pain she must be in!" I thought.
"Daddy... you should divorce Mommy, I'm leaving... you don't have to sacrifice yourself for me... gamblers won't... change! Grandpa and grandma came to pick me up... back to the hometown..." Renee told me the last truth she had never revealed, then closed her eyes.
I scarcely had the moment to process the shock and fury coursing through me before the sorrow in my chest swiftly permeated every inch of my being.
The emergency physician who attended to my mother-in-law sadly informed me at that moment that there was nothing more they could do to save her.
The relentless, piercing tones and the unwavering straight line on the monitor made me crumple.
The sky seemed to cave in on me, yet this was reality!
I honored my daughter's wishes by consenting to organ donation.
Her heart was gifted to a young boy in the hospital, who suffered from congenital heart disease, and now beats within his chest!
Perhaps, this was my daughter's way of assuring me from beyond that she lived on in another form.
The car accident was terrible, and I found the best mortician in the city to restore the bodies of my parents-in-law and daughter.
There they lay, three souls resting peacefully on the bier
At this moment, I still yearned for Yasmin to bid them farewell one last time.
"Lawson! Didn't I ask you to transfer the money to me? Are you shameless to contact me without giving me money?"
I calmly conveyed to her, "Your parents and Renee are now at the funeral home. Please come and pay your final respects."
"Get lost! More ominous words? Did you even discuss this with Renee? As long as I'm with Brennen, you'll make me annoying. Marrying you is the unluckiest thing in my life! If you have had enough good days, then let's get divorced!" said Yasmin.
In the past, if she mentioned divorce, I would definitely panic and coax her.
I promised Renee that I would give her a complete home and the most love in the world.
I may have promised my parents-in-law, who treated me kindly, that I would care for them in their twilight years.
Unfortunately, I broke my promise.
I simply went to the hospital for treatment., and Yasmin couldn't control herself and went to find Brennen.
Brennen changed Yasmin, who had once deeply loved me, into someone who was now distant and unfeeling to me.
Alternatively, maybe the love we shared was temporary and had now vanished from our lives.
"OK!" I agreed decisively.
Because it was the shared wish of my daughter and my mother-in-law.
When the doctor helped convey the last words of my mother-in-law, who also wanted me to divorce, I felt bitterness.
The persons I wanted to protect were all gone.
The love I had for Yasmin was also gone.
"An instant is all it takes for the heart to become numb and lifeless." I thought.
"Lawson, if you dare, go ahead and divorce me! Even if you were to kneel at my feet and plead for forgiveness, I would not relent!" Yasmin declared firmly.
This time, I was the one who ended the call of my own accord.
She called back immediately after I hung up on her for the first time.
Seeing that I didn't answer, Yasmin switched to WhatsApp and sent me several 60-second voice messages. In search of tranquility, I promptly blocked her.
Chapter 3Yasmin didn't come back until three days later.
She looked at the divorce agreement at the entrance, and her pretty face immediately darkened.
She violently thrust the agreement towards my face, and the sharp edge of the A4 paper grazed my cheek. As I touched it, blood appeared on my fingertip.
"Lawson! Take advantage of my good mood now and admit your mistake; I will forget this matter!" said Yasmin.
It could be seen that she got along very well with Brennen.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be so generous and willing to let me apologize and let it go.
"There's no need, and I'm not interested in continuing this. Just sign the divorce agreement," I answered.
Yasmin glared down at me, seated on the sofa, her expression filled with dread and gloom. "Even if our marriage ends in divorce, I will take the initiative! What justification do you have to confront me? If I truly had an affair with Brennen, I would've left you and married him the moment I discovered that he, not you, was the one who saved me initially! He risked crippling his leg to save my life, yet you show no compassion or empathy!" she exclaimed.
I picked up the divorce agreement from the ground and looked at her quietly, "He said so, so you believe in his words?"
"If I don't believe him, do I believe in you?" After Yasmin sneered, she realized that the house was quiet and asked, "Where is Renee? Did she go to my parents' place again?"
I thought about it and nodded, "Went back to the hometown."
Yasmin sneered, "You professed your desire to raise her personally, yet as soon as summer vacation commenced, you abandoned all responsibility. In the end, you're still relying on my parents? I was genuinely deceived by your empty promises then, and this is how you repay me! You've crossed a line this time. You almost cost Brennen all his fortune! You must repay Brennen with $200,000 for stealing his credit for saving me! Otherwise, I won't have the courage to face him again!"
"Brennen's scheme to drain my finances under the guise of repayment is quite cunning!" I thought.
I didn't respond, and Yasmin thought I agreed out of guilt, and immediately had a smile.
She sat next to me and affectionately linked her arm with mine, "I mentioned divorce to you out of anger. Who asked you to provoke me when I was losing money? You caused a big scene with the excuse of rescuing or at the funeral home. Who wouldn't be furious after hearing that? Later, when you stopped causing trouble, I helped Brennen win 80,000 dollars, enough for his two-month living expenses. My guilt also decreased..."
When her body pressed against mine, I suddenly pushed her away.
The scent coming from her body was the perfume that Brennen liked.
Unexpectedly, I accidentally pushed Yasmin, causing her to fall off the sofa and hit the coffee table with a muffled thud.
She immediately winced in sharp pain, her eyebrows furrowed, exclaiming, "Lawson! Did you just push me?"
She got up, clutching her lower back, took off her high heels, and smashed them towards my abdomen.
The freshly healed wound was struck, sending me into a daze of pain, and then I felt my strength drain away as I collapsed to the ground.
Without hesitation, she whipped out her phone, snapped a selfie of herself sprawled on the floor, and promptly uploaded it to Instagram. This was her standard modus operandi. Whenever I upset her, she'd resort to social media, painting herself as the victim and soliciting her friends' condemnation, with Brennen always leading the charge.
As a grown man, I should refrain from jealousy, creating a scene, or causing my wife any unhappiness.
However, my shortcomings were abundantly documented on her Instagram.
Though she eventually adjusted the privacy settings, she never deleted those posts.
It appeared that they stand as tangible proof of the harm I've inflicted upon her.
But once Brennen returned to the country, all the sweet moments she had posted on her Instagram were gone, deleted without a trace.
Her excuse was that we were young and ignorant in the past, and now as an old married couple, it was too embarrassing to keep those things.
"Is it embarrassment, or does she fear that Brennen, being single, might feel upset? She knows the answer deep down in her heart." I thought.
"Yasmin, if you don't sign the divorce papers, I will contact a lawyer to file for divorce," I said.
After regaining strength, I got up to pick up the luggage I had already packed.
I couldn't stay in this home for another moment.
Yasmin rubbed her lower back and, with a sneer, abruptly signed the divorce agreement. 'It's barely been a few days, and you've grown quite bold. Fine, I'll indulge you if you're so eager for a divorce! But remember, you were nothing more than my obedient follower. I hope you don't make a scene at the City Hall in a month's time. And as for our daughter, she's mine. I'll be waiting to see what grounds you have to contest me!
On the way to the City Hall, Yasmin also posted the divorce agreement on Instagram.
This caused my phone to be constantly bombarded.
Upon a quick scan, it was apparent that her friends were all trying to PUA me.
The once familiar vulgar language didn't bother me for the first time, nor did it make me feel guilty.
I realized that this was Yasmin's way of coercing me into acknowledging my mistake and giving money to Brennen in an attempt to salvage our family.
It was ridiculous. I used to be like a fool, thinking that our family would not fall apart as long as I love her and compromise.
Looking back at my actions with a deadened heart, I realized I was not so different from Yasmin.
I, too, was once a gambler, but my losses were devastating!
Just as I reached for my phone to switch it off, a notification flashed: [If you ever feel the need to drink, I'm here, ready to accompany you.]
Looking at this profile picture that I hadn't contacted for seven years, I remained silent for an extended moment before simply responding with an 'okay.'
Chapter 4The divorce procedure went smoothly.
Brennen came quickly, limping.
At the City Hall entrance, the first thing he did when he saw me was to punch me in the face.
Because Yasmin hit my abdomen and still ached, I couldn't avoid this punch.
An instant later, my mouth was filled with the metallic taste of rust.
I swallowed the blood along with my pain while Brennen, unhesitatingly, examined the wound on Yasmin's back in a secluded spot.
After witnessing the bruise on Yasmin's back, Brennen approached me angrily and demanded, "Lawson, how could you do this? Did you really hit a woman? You promised to do whatever it takes for her, but this is how you treat her?"
His roar made the onlookers despise me.
This time, I didn't hold back; I glanced behind me and squatted down.
Brennen couldn't control his lame leg and unexpectedly fell down the stairs.
"Brennen!" Yasmin anxiously pushed me down and went to help Brennen.
But I was helped up by a woman at this moment.
I looked up at the woman in front of me, and was a little stunned for a moment, "How did you come here?"
"I came to deal with some personal matters and ran into you..." The monitor, Susan Samuel, hesitated to speak.
When I got up with her help, Yasmin rushed to me and slapped me, "Lawson, you are so shameless! No wonder you insisted on getting a divorce. It turns out that you have secretly found a mistress outside!"
Susan felt humiliated, her face flushing immediately, yet she gazed steadily at Yasmin and said, "What justification do you have? You use his money to maintain a kept man, yet as the class monitor, I'm not permitted to show concern for an old classmate? Your actions are truly unsavory, aren't they?"
This was the first time I had heard Susan argue with someone.
When her beautiful eyes swept over me, they no longer had the warmth of looking up at me from the dark but were full of sharpness and mockery when facing Yasmin.
Many people took out their phones to secretly take pictures or videos, and Yasmin pointed at Susan angrily, unwilling to back down, "No wonder Lawson refused to give me money! He even deliberately picked a fight with me and wanted a divorce! It seems all because of you, you slut! Back then, you coveted Lawson and have been thinking about him for many years. I'm afraid you don't know that Lawson has just become a washed-up lover, whose charms I've long exhausted. Perfect for you, an old woman with insatiable desires!"
I thought that even if Yasmin was at fault, the divorce should be amicable.
I never expected it to be so disgraceful, with even vulgar insults.
But Yasmin had done more than just slander me.
Since confirming my relationship with Yasmin, I had cut off contact with all the opposite sex except for necessary work.
All her friends knew about it.
I shielded Susan behind me, "Yasmin, have you had enough? Don't you know why we are getting divorced? My parents-in-law and Renee are dead. You didn't even bother to see them for the last time because you were playing cards with your so-called male best friend. You didn't mention it at all! I hope you don't regret it!"
Yasmin's eyes turned red in an instant, "You're lying! These are all excuses you made up to betray me! Renee is unfortunate to have a father like you. You will never see her again!"
Yasmin knew that I treasured Renee, but she didn't know that having a mother like her was the misfortune of Renee's life; you're right; I will never see Renee again! Because she had died for your fault."
Yasmin became more and more angry, "Scum! Renee loved you so much! My parents treated you so well. If you want a divorce, just say it. There's no need to curse my whole family! Why don't you go die with your wickedness!"
Even though Yasmin kept gambling with Brennen, I had never regretted loving her.
But I couldn't imagine how I fell in love with her when she looked so crazy now.
"If you don't believe it, you can return to your hometown cemetery or the police station or hospital to verify. At worst, you can try to see if they will answer your call!" I spoke.
At this moment, I was looking forward to how Yasmin and Brennen would react when they found out the truth.
Suddenly, Susan grabbed my arm and whispered, "Let's go!"
After years of tacit understanding, I understood what she meant.
I followed Susan and left.
"Don't leave! I want to see how you can explain yourself in front of everyone!" Yasmin stopped us and immediately called her parents and Renee, but no one answered.
Seeing the atmosphere of the onlookers starting to change, Brennen suddenly held his lame leg and screamed in pain, and then fainted the next second.
Yasmin immediately panicked and ran over to call an ambulance for Brennen.
I shook my head and got into Susan's car.
I looked at Yasmin in the rearview mirror, who was busy caring for Brennen. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, causing my eyes to mist over with unshed tears.
"I'm sorry for getting you involved," I said.
After a moment of silence, Susan asked me, "Did you tell her about what happened back then?"
"I did, but she didn't believe me," I answered.
Susan pointed at the divorce acceptance letter crumpled in my hand, "Do you want me to help you explain?"
I shook my head.
I had told Yasmin countless times about the incident of saving her back then, but she didn't believe me.
She still couldn't believe that her parents and Renee had died.
Susan sighed deeply, "I came to find you today on purpose. Accompany me in meeting someone; maybe it will make you feel better."