The Years You Promised, The Betrayal You Delivered

When Mom was seven months pregnant, a speeding car hit hers. Not only did she suffer multiple fractures, but she lost her child as well. Dad was heartbroken. As a top lawyer in his field, he promised Mom that he would seek justice for her. Yet on the day of the court hearing, when Dad saw that the defendant was his childhood sweetheart, he denied being the lawyer for Mom. He turned around and abandoned Mom, who was still in her wheelchair. Subsequently, Mom found her own lawyer. However, during the appeal of the second instance, Dad stood at the place of the defendant, taking on the role of the defense lawyer. Mom’s lawyer lost the case completely. She was charged for falsely accusing the innocent for selfish gain and had to pay a compensation for mental damage of $100,000. Mom’s entire body shook when she received the sentence. Ignoring the pain on her body, she went looking for Dad to question him, only to see him standing with his childhood sweetheart. “Gerald, your wife will surely get mad at you for doing this. What if she asks for a divorce?” Dad draped his jacket over her shoulders and assured her. “Megan, I would never accept this case had I known you were the defendant. You weren’t in a clear mental state during your pregnancy. We just aren’t fated to see our baby alive. Tina was just acting in a moment of spite. She loves me so much, she won’t make things difficult for me.” Mom felt all her energy drain from her body. She released her clenched fists, and the written court judgment fluttered to the ground. Using the remaining dollar in her account, she printed two copies of a divorce agreement. Chapter 1 When Mom and I arrived home, Dad was already there. He bought a box of Mom’s favorite pastries that went viral online. Dad used to be very disapproving of Mom eating this, complaining that it was troublesome having to queue and wait for a long time to buy it. Yet, he took the initiative to buy it today. He pushed the box eagerly toward Mom. “Tina, what happened today was my fault. I’m sorry for putting you through this, but I saw the latest evidence released. You were at fault for the car accident, too. I can’t file a lawsuit against my conscience.” Mom smirked and said with a sneer, “Gerald Gadbury, there’s no need to find excuses. You’re doing it for Megan Lindt.” The look on Dad’s face stiffened. He sighed when he saw Mom’s eyes reddening. “Tina, Megan has health issues and she’s pregnant. She’s been feeling horrible about the car accident and even got hospitalized a few times. I owe her parents a debt of gratitude. I can’t repay them with evil by suing Megan. I’ll give you compensation to make it up to you.” Mom shoved Dad away. “Gerald Gadbury, that’s our child we’re talking about! How could your compensation make up for that? “You knew how tough this pregnancy had been, and how many injections I’ve had to bear with to keep our baby. My body is covered in pinpricks! “You felt terrible when we lost our child too, claiming that you’d seek justice for me. What happened in the end? You’re now accusing me of causing the accident just to extort money from her!” Mom’s chest heaved with anger as she spoke. Dad glanced at me, a tinge of displeasure in his cold, calm eyes. “Tina, don’t be emotional. Ann is here, she’ll get scared.” Mom sneered. “Why didn’t you consider that when you let her witness her own mom being accused of staging an accident scam?” Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Megan was standing outside the door. “Gerald, I couldn’t help but worry that you’ll fight with Tina because of me.” She walked in and approached Mom. “Tina, I really didn’t mean for the car accident to happen. I was feeling extremely unwell because of the fetus that day… Gerald's just being considerate toward me. Please don’t be mad at him.” She put on a look of apology as she caressed her belly, but a smug look flashed past her eyes. When she saw the pastries on the table, she held Mom’s hand and said gleefully, “Look, Gerald still cares very much for you! These pastries made me feel nauseous and he immediately brought them back for you instead, knowing you love them.” Mom’s body trembled. She bit her lip and tried to pull her arm free, but Megan suddenly yelped and fell backward. “Megan!” Dad immediately held Megan steady and turned around to glare at Mom, his eyes full of reproach. “Tina, are you mad? Megan is pregnant and you pushed her? How could you be so wicked?” Mom was stunned by his piercing accusation, in utter disbelief that he refused to trust her. I tried to explain things. “Mom didn’t push Ms. Lindt. She fell backward herself. Dad, you’re wrong.” Tears welled up in Megan’s eyes. “Gerald, Ann is right. I deserve this…” Dad gave Mom a dressing-down instead. “Tina, are you happy now? Ann has learned to lie at such a young age because of you!” Mom pulled me behind her and said resolutely, “I know my daughter. She won’t lie. As for the lawsuit, I’ll be going ahead with it anyway.” Dad was annoyed, but he said as calmly as he could, “You’re being emotional right now, so I won’t argue with you. I’m bringing Megan to the doctor. Stay here to cool off.” He then left with Megan. When the door shut behind them, the tears in Mom’s eyes finally fell. She crouched down and folded me in a tight embrace, as though she had made her mind up on something. “Ann, I’ll take you away, far away from Dad, okay?” Chapter 2 After returning from the hospital, Dad brought Megan home. He said that her fetus was unstable and was worried about leaving her alone at home. He reassured Mom and told her not to overthink things. But when Mom was pregnant and felt so horrible she lost all her appetite, Dad said it was normal and simply told Mom to bear with it. Megan merely made a passing remark that she had no appetite, and Dad immediately hired a professional nutritionist to plan meals for her. He even gave Megan everything Mom had prepared for her own baby. When Megan complained about feeling stuffy in her room, Dad immediately asked Mom to let Megan have the master bedroom. “The master bedroom is airy and well-ventilated. Megan will sleep well in there,” he said. “Tina, you’ve gone through this before. Don’t make things difficult on account of the baby.” I thought Mom would get mad. She had painstakingly decorated and furnished the master bedroom by herself. She once told me the bedroom symbolised the happy marriage she and Dad shared. To my surprise, Mom simply nodded. “I’ll sleep with Ann.” She took my hand and led me back to my bedroom. Dad rushed over. He looked uneasily at Mom, somehow in disbelief that she would give in so easily. “Tina, I grew up with Megan. She’s like my younger sister. Don’t worry, I’ll come to you two once I’ve settled her down.” But Dad never appeared even after lights out. I asked Mom if she was still waiting for Dad. She patted my back gently. “No, never again.” The next day, Mom told me to stay at home as she was going to meet someone who was going to help her and Dad separate. After I was done with my homework, I left my bedroom, only to see Megan burning something on the balcony. It was the lucky charm Mom sewed for the baby. It took her very long and she even got it blessed at a church. I rushed over and snatched it back. The flames licked the back of my hand, and it hurt so badly tears sprung up in my eyes. At the next moment, Megan rushed behind me and said as she choked back tears, “Gerald, perhaps it’s better that I leave.” Dad was back. “I just wanted to see what it was, but Ann called me a murderer and even said she wanted to burn me alive,” Megan said through sobs. “I did not!” I tried to speak up for myself, suppressing the pain on my hand. “She was trying to burn Mom’s stuff, that’s why…” Dad slapped me before I was done explaining things. “Ann Gadbury, you’re lying again! You’re learning to be so wicked at such a young age. You need to be taught a hard lesson today.” He grabbed me by the arm and locked me on the balcony. Both my hand and cheek hurt. I insisted that I didn’t do anything wrong, but Dad was busy comforting Megan instead. The residual sparks flew in the wind and landed on the curtain. Fire started burning and thick smoke started filling the balcony, making me choke. I banged hard at the door, yelling, “Dad, I’m scared…!” But the first thing Dad did when he saw the fire was to haul Megan in his arms and run to the door. I was having difficulties breathing and on the verge of losing consciousness. In my daze, I saw Mom rushing into the fire and getting her back burned. Her entire body shook with pain, but it didn’t stop her from holding me tightly in her arms. Very soon, the fire was put out. A look of guilt flashed past Dad’s face when he saw the burn marks on Mom’s back. “Everything happened so quickly, and Megan's pregnant… Tina, I didn’t expect the fire to be so bad…” He reached out to hold Mom, but her knees suddenly went weak as she collapsed on the floor. “Gerald, my stomach hurts…” Just then, the ambulance that was called for Mom came, but Dad immediately carried Megan in his arms and hopped on the vehicle instead. “Tina, Megan is in critical condition. Wait for the next ambulance, okay?” Mom’s back was a mess of blood and flesh, and she was in such terrible pain she was almost fainting. Dad completely turned a blind eye to her condition. When we finally arrived at the hospital, the moment Mom stepped out of the ambulance, Dad rushed over to ask her to save Megan. “Tina, Megan had a bad fall and needs a blood transfusion. Bear with the pain a while longer.” He forcefully took Mom away and made her transfuse her blood. Right after, he left Mom alone in the corridor as he rushed to Megan’s side. Mom finally couldn’t take it any longer and fainted. Chapter 3 When Mom woke up and saw my eyes that were swollen from all the crying, tears welled up in her own. “Don’t fear, Ann. I’m fine.” She caressed the burn marks on the back of my hand. “Ann, if I were to leave Dad, would you come with me?” I nodded without any hesitation. “Mom, I just want to be with you.” Dad used to treat me very well, taking me out for fun and even taking care of me when I fell sick. However, the moment he abandoned me for Megan’s sake, I knew I didn’t want to be with him anymore. “My teacher said that fathers don’t treat their children this way.” Tears welled up in Mom’s eyes. “Ann…” Just then, the door to Mom’s ward opened. Dad walked in with a thermos flask in hand. “Tina, here’s some chicken soup I made for you. Have some. Megan’s fetus has stabilized, and she’s very grateful for what you did.” His gaze landed on the burn marks on Mom’s back, feeling slightly bad about what happened. “Don’t you worry. I’ve found you the best doctor and I’m sure you’ll recover with barely any scars.” Mom didn’t say anything. As Dad put the thermos flask down, his phone rang. His face darkened as he listened to what the caller had to say. “Did you see a lawyer yesterday?” Mom sat stunned. “You know about it?” The fact that Mom didn’t deny his accusation made him so furious he flung the thermos flask on the ground. “Tina, I can’t believe you’re filing an appeal to the court of second instance against her in her current state!” The broken shards of the thermos flask went flying and scratched Mom’s face. She smiled self-derisively, as though not feeling the pain. “So that's what you think.” Dad froze for a second upon seeing the scratch on Mom’s face. Just as he stretched a hand out on instinct, Megan appeared, looking weak and frail. “Tina, I know you bear a grudge against me, but my baby is innocent. Please spare him.” She then made a move to kneel. Dad stopped her, looking like his heart was about to break into pieces. He swung around and pointed a finger at Mom. “Are you quite done? Megan is almost on her knees begging! Must you torment her like this?” Perhaps due to overwhelming disappointment, Mom didn’t bother explaining herself. She looked calmly at Dad and said, “Gerald Gadbury, I want a divorce.” Dad stood stunned, but his face soon twisted in anger. “I can’t believe you’re using divorce as a threat just to get even with Megan.” He was certain Mom was only doing it out of spite. “Since you insist on being this way, I’ll let you know the price of your decision.” He stopped all financial support for Mom. He even tapped on his network to stop subsequent treatment for her. When she was driven out of the hospital, blood was still seeping out of her wounds on her back. Even so, she didn’t once complain about the pain and insisted on filing the appeal. However, without Dad’s approval, none of the lawyers in Junicia City dared to assist Mom. On the day of the appeal, Mom was all alone without any support and lost the lawsuit. Her case was plastered all over social media. Everyone praised Dad for being an excellent lawyer that was hard to come by who was willing to stand up for justice even at the expense of his own family. Mom, on the other hand, was lambasted by netizens. Someone suspected that Mom knew she would lose her baby soon and used it to frame Megan. Someone even said that the baby was a result of an affair, so she had to play the part of a victim and find a chance to abort the baby. Even my classmates dragged my table and chair to the dump site in school. They said that I was the daughter of a wicked scammer, and that even my father didn’t want me. All of them refused to be in the same class with me. Many parents complained to the school. “Who knows whether the child of such a shameless mother will end up harassing my child?!” “Get her out of the school compound!” I was eventually asked to withdraw from the school. It was around that time Megan came knocking on our door. She saw the terrible plight Mom and I were in and smirked. “Tina, Gerald knew a long time ago that I deliberately hit you on the road. In fact, he implicitly allowed it to happen. “That’s because the baby in my womb is his. “His heart ached for me that I remained single and he didn’t want me overthinking things, so he got rid of your baby.” Chapter 4 Mom was stunned. I had never seen her face that pale before. Her already frail body was on the verge of collapse. Megan looked even more pleased with herself. “Gerald made it clear that my baby will inherit all his assets once he’s out. However, he won’t break off his marriage with you. “You might have the status of Mrs. Gadbury, but nothing else. “So you'd better give up pursuing that car accident if you know what’s good for you. Otherwise, Gerald won’t spare you.” Mom shut her eyes. The tears that seemed to shimmer at the corner of her eyes vanished when she opened them. “I see.” She smiled. Yet, as the smile deepened on her face, tears started streaming down her face. Soon after Megan left, my maternal grandparents called. They had called to give Mom an earful. “Tina, have you gone mad? Gerald has been so good to you, what are you discontent with? So be it that you’ve lost your child. Why must you torment another innocent soul? Do you know that you’ve thoroughly embarrassed your father and me? Apologize to Gerald at once!” They weren’t the only ones. Even Mom’s old friends called her to persuade her. “Ever since you two got married after graduation, Gerald has been the one supporting the family so that you can stay at home and be a housewife. You really should be content. “I’m sure he feels terrible about losing the baby, but you shouldn’t throw such a huge tantrum just because he chose to stand up for justice. That’s just too selfish of you. “You have to consider Ann as well. She’s only seven years old.” Dad eventually came looking for Mom too. He stood in our shabby rental apartment and looked piercingly at Mom with nary a trace of guilt in his eyes. “Tina, do you recognize your mistake after all the fuss you’ve kicked up?” Mom remained silent. Dad glanced my way. “Ann is my daughter. If you’re still agitated and not thinking straight, I’ll have no choice but to send you for treatment.” Mom’s head snapped up. “You’re sending me into an asylum?” Dad stood silent for a moment before saying, “Tina, it’s for your own good.” Mom’s body started trembling. She only managed to calm herself down when she looked at me. “Fine. I’ll go back with you.” Dad looked satisfied with her response. “Tina, you should have been like this right from the beginning.” Mom really stopped kicking up a fuss. She brought me back to Dad’s new house and life went on as though nothing happened. Mom did everything Dad told her to. She ignored all of Megan’s provocations. Dad praised her for finally learning how to be a good wife, but I alone knew that the spark in Mom’s eyes was gone. She hadn’t become obedient. She was waiting. After Megan was discharged from the hospital, she complained that it was boring being stuck at home, so Dad brought her overseas for some fresh air. Before he left, he reminded Mom not to misunderstand things. “After Megan gives birth, we’ll try for another one. “Our seventh wedding anniversary is right around the corner. I’ll come back on that day and throw a huge celebration. “Tina, stay at home with Ann and wait for me.” Mom listened to him quietly and said nothing. After Dad left with Megan, she walked to the guest room and pulled out her luggage case she had packed long ago. I slung my bag over my shoulders. Before we left, Mom placed the divorce papers which she signed on the dining table. She took my hand and said, “Let’s go, Ann. I’ll take you away from this place.” At the airport, the plane that carried Dad and Megan had just taken off. Mom and I, on the other hand, were headed in a completely different direction.