Chapter 4
The smell of disinfectant filled my nose.
I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I was in the hospital.
The doctor looked sad when he told me, “Ms. Solis, we missed the best
time to save the baby. I’m sorry, but you lost it.”
I reached up and touched my flat stomach.
Was there really a baby here?
Sadly, it was gone before I even knew it was there.
Tears started flowing down my cheeks.
I thought, “Charles, is this what I get for loving you?
“It hurts too much.
“I don’t want to love you anymore.”
Right after the doctor left, Charles walked in with a few cops, his face stern. “Victoria, you need to pay for what you did!”
I felt completely hopeless. I struggled to get up even though I was still sick. “It wasn’t me…”
But Charles didn’t let me explain at all. He nodded at the cops, and they came over to put handcuffs on me.
I was so anxious and angry that the pain from my injuries almost made me pass out again.
“You can’t arrest me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
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I screamed at the top of my lungs, feeling so wronged and furious but not knowing what to do. “There must be cameras on the road. You should check them!”
When Rhoda, who was watching from the back of the crowd, heard this, her face changed.
She walked up and leaned weakly against Charles‘ chest. “Charlie, don’t be so tough on Vicki. If she apologizes to me, I’ll let it go.”
After hearing Rhoda’s words, Charles seemed to relax a bit.
He looked at me and said, “You hear that? If you say sorry, we can put this behind us.”
My heart suddenly hurt.
No matter what, whether it was the thing that happened three years ago or today. Charles wouldn’t believe me.
My phone buzzed with a message from my mom.
“Vicki, I’m coming to Washington to get you. I won’t let you get hurt anymore!”
My eyes welled up with tears right away. Once my mom got here, I could finally leave this place that made me so sad.
Charles scowled, sounding a bit annoyed. “Why are you crying like that? It’s just an apology. You did something wrong. Is it that hard to say sorry?”
I looked up at him. We grew up together, but right now, he felt like a total stranger.
The close friendship we had as kids was gone, just like the baby.
I met Charles‘ eyes and smiled.
I said, “Fine.”
I got out of bed, stood in front of Rhoda, and bowed deeply. “I’m sorry.”
With a smug smile in her eyes, Rhoda stepped closer like she was going to help me up, but then she got right next to my car and whispered, “Losing a baby really hurts, doesn’t it?”
I had decided to let this go.
But her words stung like salt on a fresh wound, and my eyes welled up with tears again.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I raised my hand and swung at her.
Smack!
But the slap didn’t hit Rhoda. Charles grabbed her and pulled her behind him, taking the hit instead.
He pushed me to the ground and yelled, “Victoria, what are you doing?!”
“Do you know what she just said?”
Charles scolded, “No matter what Rhoda said, it’s no reason for you to slap her! You’re so mean, always hurting her. Say you’re sorry!”
When I still wouldn’t bow my head, he kicked me in the back of the knee.
I fell to the ground, my knee hitting the floor hard, and the pain shot through me.
Charles forced me to kneel and apologize to Rhoda, over and over, until my forehead was bleeding.
“A spoiled attitude like yours will get you into trouble in the real world. I’m doing this for your own good.”
Just as he finished speaking, an angry female voice came from outside the
room. “Who gave you the right to lecture my daughter?”
I lifted my face, covered in tears and sweat, and saw my mom standing at the door of the room.
Behind her was a strikingly handsome man.
My mom’s eyes were full of worry and anger. She walked over to me in a few quick steps and helped me up.
“Dear, I’m so sorry I’m late. My poor girl had to go through all this,” she said.
Sobbing, I threw myself into my mom’s arms. All the sadness I felt burst out, and I begged, “Mom, please take me away. I don’t want to be here.”
My mom gently patted my back and said softly, “Okay, we’re leaving right now. We’re never staying in this damn place again.”
The handsome guy behind her quickly came over and picked me up in his
arms.
But as we were walking out, Charles stopped us.
He couldn’t look my mom in the eye, but he still tried to act calm and asked. “Who is that man, and where is he taking Vicki?”
My mom gave him a fierce, cold stare.
“You’ve got a fiancee. Why are you still messing with my daughter? Get out of the way!
“Try to stop us again, and we won’t let you off easy!”
Charles had never seen my mom so tough and resolute. She scared him so
much that he instinctively took a step back.
But he quickly tried to steady himself and block us again.
I turned my face from the guy’s arms and looked right at Charles. I said, slowly and clearly, “Great barkers are no biters. From today on, I’m done with you!”
Hearing my words, the guy seemed to stumble a bit, his face full of disbelief.
While he was still stunned, he carried me out of the room and strode toward the elevator.
Charles watched me walking away and felt kind of uneasy.
Just as he was about to go after me, Rhoda grabbed his arm.
“Charlie, my head is spinning. Can you carry me back to the room?”
Charles looked at the face that usually captivated him, but now it only filled him with irritation.
He impatiently shook off Rhoda’s hand and said coldly, “Go back by yourself. Leave me alone!
“I need to find out who that guy is!”
Rhoda almost fell when Charles shook her off.
She stared at Charles like she couldn’t believe what was happening, and her eyes got red. “How can you treat me like this? I’m your fiancee!”
Charles looked at her. Thinking about all the time they had spent together, he felt a little sorry for her and was about to scoop her up in his
arms.
Just then, the door opened again.
The doctor walked in. Seeing the empty bed, he got worried right away.
“Where’s the patient? She just had a miscarriage and can’t get out of bed like that. If she doesn’t rest, she might never be able to have a baby again!”
Then he turned to Rhoda, his voice tinged with reproach. “Didn’t I just tell you that your friend needs to rest after her miscarriage? Why didn’t. you keep an eye on her?”
Hearing this, Charles was totally shocked and stood there like a statue.
“What did you say? Vicki was pregnant? And she had a miscarriage?”
His voice trembled, and he could barely get the words out.
The doctor, seeing how upset he was, didn’t want any trouble and quickly nodded and left.
Now it was just Charles and Rhoda in the room.
He slowly turned his head and stared at Rhoda hard, like he was trying to see right through her.
