Get Rid of the Father, Keep the Child

: The Strange Dream

4

Once the drowsiness faded, I stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

When I came out after washing my face, I happened to see my daughter standing outside the door with a slightly unnatural expression. "Mom, you... when did you get back?"

"Honey, are you off work this early today?" my husband, Quinn Shepherd, asked casually. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our daughter sigh in relief.

"My hypoglycemia acted up, so I thought I'd come home and rest for a bit."

"Hurry and eat, Mom! You'll feel better after you eat!" My words worried the father-daughter pair, and they both urged me to eat quickly to regain my energy.

Toward the end of the meal, my husband, who normally adhered to the principle of not speaking while eating, finally spoke up.

"Honey, the company is handling an acquisition project next week, so I'll probably be getting home very late. It just so happens the nanny's son is getting married, so I gave her the week off. That means you'll have to take care of Lina by yourself next week."

Hearing my husband, a look of realization dawned on me. "I was just about to ask you about that. It's perfect, since I'm not that busy right now anyway."

As I lay in bed that night, I suddenly remembered. 'We still haven't discussed the piano competition!'

I glanced at the empty space beside me. 'I'll just wait until his acquisition project wraps up to talk about it.'

Drowsiness washed over me, and as soon as I lay down, I fell into a deep sleep.

I had that dream again, but it was a little different this time. In the dream, Quinn Shepherd was kneeling before 'my' grave, his face etched with sorrow. A young woman with a cold, indifferent expression stood beside him. On closer inspection, her features strongly resembled Lina's. 'A grown-up Lina would probably look just like that,' I thought.

"Dad! You're too late! I call you Dad not because I have any affection left for you, but because I feel Mom was treated so unfairly! Where were you all those years...?"

My heart felt as if it had been viciously stung. I wanted to go and comfort the woman, who was stubbornly tilting her head back to keep her tears from falling, but my hand passed right through her body. I couldn't touch her.

The man kneeling on the ground said nothing, only wept in silence. He reached out, wanting to stroke the photo on the gravestone, but the young woman stopped him. "Don't you touch Mom! You're not worthy! Do you have any idea how hard it was for her to raise me all by herself? Do you know how many scornful looks she had to endure? You don't know any of it! She waited a full ten years for you..."

The man on the ground stared blankly at the smiling face on the tombstone, so heartbroken he couldn't utter a single word.

The scene shifted, and a wealthy woman appeared before 'me'—it was my mother-in-law, Mrs. Shepherd. Haughty and imperious, she said, "Don't think I don't know you seduced my son, hoping to use your child to marry into our family. We would never allow someone of your sort to enter our home."

After she finished speaking, she was led away by someone supporting her arm. I couldn't get a clear look at the person with her, but I could tell from their figure that it was a woman.

'I' was restrained by servants and shoved out the door, a tiny baby wailing in 'my' arms.

I jolted awake the moment 'I' collapsed on the ground. My back was drenched in sweat.

The scenes in the dream were too bizarre, yet everything felt so real.

I was lost in thought.