On the fifth of every month, the housing complex management collected our water bills.
The amount had been the same for three years, but today, it was three dollars more.
I checked the bill and found a three-dollar charge for a washing machine at the Southside Fire Station, exactly the difference.
But at the station, payments were automatically deducted from his account; there was no way it could have been a mistake.
I followed the address. There, I saw my husband, Chris, with his arm around a young woman.
“Chris, I owe you so much. If you hadn’t arranged for Leo to attend school as your son, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
“But what if Evelyn finds out? She’ll be furious.”
“And it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have used your promotion as an excuse to trick Evelyn into keeping your marriage a secret.”
Behind them, a little boy held up a new backpack and yelled,
“Daddy, can I go to kindergarten on Monday?”
I clenched the kindergarten rejection letter in my pocket. Lily couldn’t enroll because she didn’t have a father listed.
Recalling Chris’s secret marriage pact with me three years ago, my last shred of hope shattered.
I pulled out my phone and called my father, General Reed:
“Dad, I’ve decided to transfer to the Headquarters Medical Center. Also, please revoke Chris Miller’s promotion.”
My father had long wanted me to transfer back to the Headquarters Medical Center, but I, wanting to be closer to Chris, insisted on staying here for three years.
My colleagues often asked,
“Dr. Reed, you’re a medical doctor, what are you doing in this backwater town?”
I’d just laugh it off, saying,
“It’s close to home, very convenient.”
Yes, close to Chris, convenient for doing his laundry and cooking his meals, convenient for being at his beck and call.
But what I got in return was him building a new family, supporting another woman and her child.
I scoffed at my own foolishness, not only harming myself but also my daughter.
Three years ago, when Chris proposed, he said,
“The unit doesn’t allow relationships. This is a critical time for my promotion. Once I transfer to Headquarters, I’ll give you the grand wedding you deserve.”
I believed him, and in return, I spent three years living without any official recognition.
My daughter was left in our hometown, being gossiped about and judged, unable to even attend kindergarten.
I had once brought up going public because of Lily.
But Chris would always wave his hand impatiently,
“Not yet, wait a little longer. We’ll talk about it once the transfer orders come through.”
I’d heard that sentence for three years, and I’d waited for three years.
Now I finally understood. His “wait a little longer” meant waiting for his son to start school.
But now, I wouldn’t wait anymore.
The next morning, I received my transfer orders from my father.
But as I went to get the signature from my superior, I ran right into Sarah.
She was holding her child, her face showing no panic when she saw me, only a triumphant smirk as she approached me step by step.
“Hello, Dr. Reed. Chris sent us. He said you should take a good look at his son.”
I clenched my fists, staring at her,
“What do you mean?”
Sarah immediately forced a saccharine smile,
“Oh, I misspoke. My son has a fever, and Chris said Dr. Reed here is the best doctor, so we absolutely had to come find you.”
I suppressed my anger. Colleagues were all around.
I didn’t want to make a public spectacle of myself.
“I’m sorry, this is the fire station’s medical clinic, only open to internal staff and their families.”
She deliberately raised her voice,
“That’s right, we *are* family.”
“Dr. Reed, you wouldn’t believe it, but the father of my child was so anxious he didn’t sleep all night. That’s just how parents are, you must understand, right?”
I forced a smile,
“I understand. I have a daughter too.”
She immediately exclaimed dramatically,
“Really? Dr. Reed, you have a daughter? How old is she?”
My colleagues immediately looked my way.
I never discussed personal matters during work, so this was the first time they’d heard I had a child.
I replied coldly,
“Three years old. She’s supposed to start kindergarten.”
“Oh! What a coincidence, the same age as my son! What’s your child’s birthday? Maybe they’re even close!”
At that moment, I glimpsed her son’s birthday on his medical record: August 9th.
My hand froze.
My daughter’s birthday was also August 9th.
Three years ago, I had a difficult birth with severe hemorrhage. Chris claimed he had an urgent mission and couldn’t leave.
He didn’t show up until the third day after Lily was born.
But looking at the medical record, a child born on the same day as my daughter…
There was nothing left for me to misunderstand. He wasn’t stuck on an urgent mission; he was obviously with another woman, having *her* child.
I squeezed my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms.
Just then, a voice called out from behind me.
“Evelyn!”
I turned around to see Chris staring at me, his eyes bloodshot:
“Dr. Reed, could you step outside for a moment?”
I followed Chris to a deserted spot.
Once he confirmed no one was around, he didn’t say a word, just raised his hand and slapped me across the face:
“Evelyn Reed, are you really that petty? Every time a woman appears near me, you’ll go to any lengths to hurt them.”
“Now you’re even going after a child! Let me tell you, if anything happens to Leo, I’m not done with you!”
The slap made me laugh out loud.
I’d waited three years, and all I got was not an explanation or an apology, but a warning and a slap.
I pulled the medical record from my pocket and threw it at his face:
“Open your damn eyes and look! What did I do to him? This is the fever medicine I prescribed!”
Chris looked at the medical record, confirmed it, and only then believed me.
Watching him, my heart felt utterly cold.
Chris’s demeanor softened:
“Evelyn, I was just too worried.”
“Shouldn’t you explain yourself to me?”
He sighed,
“Evelyn, Sarah is my old friend’s sister. The child isn’t mine. My friend died protecting me, I can’t just abandon them.”
“I’m doing all this to repay a debt of gratitude. You’re the most understanding person I know, you can understand, right?”
I sneered,
“Understand? Fine, as long as you come with me now to officially register our marriage, and give Lily a father so she can go to school, then I’ll understand you!”
Chris frowned, his voice full of impatience:
“Are you serious? For my sake, what’s the big deal if Lily delays kindergarten for a year?”
“This is a crucial time for my promotion. Everything else can wait until after I’m promoted.”
“Promotion, promotion, always promotion! Haven’t I waited three years long enough?”
I looked at him sarcastically,
“Or perhaps you’ve already officially married someone else, and that’s why you keep using the promotion as an excuse, deliberately lying to me.”
Hearing this, Chris’s expression froze for a moment.
The next second, a storm of fury erupted. His eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at me.
“Evelyn Reed, is that how you see me? You’ve truly disappointed me. Have you considered my feelings when you say such things?”
Before, whenever he made that face, I’d always back down and apologize.
But now, hearing those words, I only let out a cold laugh:
“Fine, if I’m supposed to consider your feelings, then let’s break up. That way, you can openly take care of them!”
Chris stared at me in disbelief,
“Evelyn Reed, are you crazy!”
But looking at my emotionless face, a hint of unease crept into his heart.
“I don’t talk to crazy people. You need to calm down.”
He turned to leave but stopped abruptly.
Lily was standing in the corner, I didn’t know when she’d gotten there.
“Mommy, Daddy, I won’t go to kindergarten. Please don’t fight, Lily will be good.”
Her words were like a needle, sharply piercing my heart.
I couldn’t hold back anymore, hitting and kicking Chris:
“Chris Miller! Are you even human! Do you deserve to be a father!”
Seeing Lily, Chris made a hasty retreat.
In his rush, he accidentally bumped into Lily.
She fell to the ground, scraping a large patch of skin on her elbow, crying out in pain.
He looked back at her worriedly, about to say something.
But from a distance, Sarah’s voice called out:
“Chris, hurry! Leo’s fever is back!”
He rushed off, not looking back at Lily or me, just leaving a message:
“Evelyn, you’re a doctor, you’re more professional than me. Lily is in your hands.”
“Sarah is a single mom, she needs my support.”
Hearing those words, I looked at Lily in my arms, feeling only ridicule.
The last foolish flicker of hope in my heart completely died out.
“Dad, I’m not just revoking Chris Miller’s promotion; I’m going to sue him!”
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