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When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

I walked out of the ward and soon saw Aiden in the ward across from mine.

“Mr. Stewart, thank you for performing the surgery on me,” said Molly, Maria’s daughter, lying in her hospital bed.

“Molly, from now on, you can call Mr. Stewart ‘Godfather,’” Maria said with a smile.

“Godfather,” Molly called sweetly.

“Be good!” Aiden gently touched Molly’s forehead. “Take good care of yourself.”

“Her daughter’s surgery is complete. Can you go back with me?” I said anxiously.

2

“Aiden, please stay for a few more days. If my daughter has any complications, I’ll feel at ease knowing you’re here,” Maria pleaded, holding Aiden’s hand tightly.

The nurse nearby said, “Don’t worry, there won’t be any complications.”

Then, in a low voice, she added, “Your daughter just had meningitis. It wasn’t a major surgery. Our doctors could have handled it. Why did you insist on bringing in a specialist?”

“Aiden, her daughter’s surgery is over. Why are you still here? Are you waiting until our daughter dies to regret it?” I shouted angrily.

“I’ve never seen a mother like you. You said your daughter was dying just because of jealousy,” Maria said, embarrassed.

“This is a hospital. Keep your voice down. Go back first; I’ll be back in a few days,” Aiden said coldly.

Just then, my daughter’s attending physician called.

“Ms. Johansson, please come to the hospital to see your daughter one last time.”

I quickly turned on the speakerphone and asked the physician to explain the situation to Aiden.

“It’s amazing she even hired actors,” Maria said sarcastically.

“Clare, I admire your acting skills. Get out of the ward. I don’t want to see you,” Aiden said with disgust.

“Aiden, remember, you are the one who killed our daughter!”

I rushed out of the hospital and drove to where my daughter was. When I arrived, she was already in the morgue.

I didn’t even get to see her one last time.

Holding her cold body, I cried out in agony,

I feel like my heart is broken

I took care of her funeral alone.

Holding her urn, I still couldn’t believe she was gone.

She had scored 1570 on the SAT and was excited to go to her dream university.

But now, she was gone forever.

My daughter was so well-behaved and smart. Her life had just begun.

I locked myself in her room, touching her things over and over, feeling overwhelmed with sadness and depression.

Three days later, Aiden called.

“Clare, my mother is holding a graduation banquet for Kathy in her hometown. You should arrive early tomorrow.”

I hugged my daughter’s urn tightly and said through gritted teeth, “Okay.”

Aiden and I met one hot summer.

I had heatstroke and collapsed on the road. He happened to pass by and, as a medical student, he rescued me.

Thus, we formed a bond.

Afterward, we found that our hobbies were very similar, and we had more topics to talk about.

After two years of dating, we got married.

As a doctor, he was very busy. I worked and managed the household so he wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

One day, I found an intimate photo of him and a girl in his wallet.

When I asked about it, he said it was his first love, Maria.

He watched my reaction nervously.

Trying to be understanding, I said everyone has someone special from their past.

He seemed touched by my reaction.

After our daughter Kathy was born, he tore up that photo in front of me.

Our family of three was happy until Maria divorced three years ago.

That’s when Aiden began to change.

He started supporting Maria financially and giving her his time.

“Time is life,” he often said.

He lied about business trips and emergency surgeries to spend time with her in Harborview.

He answered calls late at night and said it was an emergency surgery, but it was Maria who had a nightmare and wanted him to come over.

The limited time he had for our family was now shared with Maria.

I tolerated it, hoping he’d come back to us, but it only got worse.

Finally, I decided I wouldn’t tolerate it anymore.

It was our daughter’s birthday, and we were waiting for him to take us to Disneyland.

When he didn’t show up, I called him.

He said he was at the hospital for an emergency and told us to go without him.

Later, I checked his phone and found out he was with Maria on our daughter’s birthday.

[Aiden, when I was cutting vegetables, I thought about our time together and accidentally cut my finger.]

Maria had texted, along with a photo of a small cut.

I laughed bitterly. By the time Aiden arrived, it had already healed.

Yet, he still left me and our daughter to be with Maria.

I brought my daughter’s urn to her hometown.

During this party, I heard a lot of praise for my child from friends and relatives.

“Aiden, you’re so lucky to have such a promising daughter. She scored 1570 on the exam and can easily choose a top university.” said a relative.

“It’s all in the genes. Aiden was an excellent student, so his children are bound to be excellent too.”

“The Stewart family grows stronger with each generation.”

“Kathy is so smart!.”

Friends and relatives complimented him.

Aiden looked very happy and proud.

“Will Kathy go to Harvard and Cambridge.?” asked Aiden’s cousin Benjamin.

“It depends on Kathy’s choice. Both schools have extended offers to her, so she can pick whichever she prefers,” Aiden said proudly.

“Why are you only here now? Didn’t I tell you to come earlier?” Aiden muttered angrily when he saw me. “Where is our daughter?”

At that moment, I noticed Maria and her daughter were also there.

“Aiden, this is unbelievable. You even brought this woman to your mother’s house,” I said angrily.

“Clare, don’t be petty. They’re here to congratulate our daughter. You wouldn’t embarrass me by not bringing her, would you?” Aiden whispered, his face showing anger.

Lydia, my mother-in-law, asked anxiously, “Clare, why didn’t my precious granddaughter come with you?”

Everyone’s eyes were on me, wondering why I was alone.

“Clare, stop causing trouble or you’ll face the consequences. Bring Kathy here immediately,” Aiden demanded.

“I brought my daughter.”

“Where is she?” Aiden looked around.

I took the urn out of my bag and placed it on the table.

“Here she i…”

seeing I took out the cinerary casket, the originally noisy scene suddenly became quiet.

Everyone stared at the urn in shock and contempt.