Love Left Behind

I woke up early in the morning when I heard the sound of a crying child.

As I stepped into the living room, something hard hit my forehead, sending a sharp jolt of pain through it.

“I don’t want this! It’s such an ugly brand! My classmates will laugh at me if I bring it-”

Looking at Regina throwing a tantrum, I suddenly remembered that it was her seventh birthday.

Gloria looked embarrassed, but her eyes flicked around.

“Regina, your Auntie Hazel loves you very much. She didn’t mean to give you something so plain.”

After my parents passed away, they left me a large inheritance and this estate in the city center.

After my heart transplant, I poured all my love into Regina, the one who carried my daughter’s heart. Gloria said she wanted to show her kids the world, so I spent hundreds of thousands arranging a world tour for them.

Regina’s health was fragile, so I helped them buy an estate near the hospital.

And now, Regina had smashed the gift I had prepared long ago, which was a metal jar for my dead baby that I had gotten after I worked very hard.

“I want that little doll with a gold necklace!”

Following her finger, I saw the box I had hidden deep in the cabinet being pulled out.

The solid gold pendant was a birth gift for my first child.

In the past, I would have given it without a second thought.

But today, I didn’t want to keep pleasing a greedy child who wasn’t mine.

“No. That’s for my daughter, not you.”

Regina froze, her gaze drifting suspiciously to my belly.

“Auntie Hazel is pregnant again?”

Then, she said something that made my blood run cold.

“Once Auntie Hazel’s baby is born, I’ll have a new heart. Daddy is so good to me!”

Even Regina knew. I was the only one left in the dark. My hands moved before I could think and I pushed her away. My hair stood on end.

Regina sat on the floor, stunned for two seconds and then she cried out loud. But not a single tear fell. Clayton appeared from nowhere and scooped her into his arms, full of concern.

“Daddy, Auntie Hazel hurt me. She wouldn’t give me the little doll and she pushed me … huhu … ”

Gloria stepped forward with watery eyes and a wounded look.

“I’m sorry. We upset you. Regina and I will leave now … ”

Watching the perfect family of three, I instinctively clenched my fists and swallowed the bitterness.

When Regina first called Clayton ‘Dad’, I had had a huge fight with him.

But all he said was, “You’re being unreasonable.”

He claimed Regina was pitiful, but that was just an excuse.

In the end, I gave in as usual.

After learning the reason behind today’s outburst, Clayton frowned at me.

“Hazel, don’t be so stingy. You don’t need the child anymore, so why not let Regina have it?”

“You weren’t like this before.”

I stared at him, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

“That’s because before, I was blind … kept in the dark like an idiot.”

Clayton’s face stiffened and his voice softened.

“Regina’s just talking nonsense. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll give her the little doll and that’s the end of it.”

When I said nothing, he added tentatively, “Our sixth anniversary is coming up. How about an island vacation?”

He knew that the old me would’ve cried and thrown a tantrum over something like this. But now, after losing two children, my spirit was worn thin. I had no energy left to scream.

I pressed my lips together.

“Okay. I have a gift for you, too.”

A few minutes later, I came downstairs carrying a heavy gift box.

As I passed Gloria, I caught the greedy flicker in her eyes before handing it to Clayton.

Inside were the remains of my unborn child, soaked in murky formalin. Along with the medical records of my first baby and a document severing all ties.

I was ready. I had to leave cleanly, without regrets.

My money, my child … he couldn’t have either.

Clayton smiled, relieved, as he reached for the box.

“Hazel, you’re so thoughtful. It’s heavy, though. Is it perhaps cash or gold bars?”

I looked at him coldly.

“It’s what you’ve always wanted most. But promise me one thing. You won’t open it until seven days from now.”