When He Regretted It, His Daughter was Dead

My phone was full of alerts warning about a rainstorm, but Damon Wagner left our daughter and me stranded at the gas station.

He said he had to rush for emergency surgery.

But after he left, our daughter suddenly had a heart attack.

By the time I managed to hail a car and get her to the hospital, it was already too late.

I was devastated, calling Damon countless times, but he never picked up.

Then I saw him in a ward coaxing a woman to take her medicine.

It was none other than his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Williams.

*****

My tears had dried up as I sat alone in the office, numbly filling out the organ donation consent form.

It was Glenda Wagner's wish.

Once when we were at the hospital for a check-up, the doctor gave us grim news.

Glenda and I sat in the hospital garden, and suddenly she said, "Mom, when I'm gone, please donate my organs."

I was stunned, my heart filled with bitterness. "Don't talk like that. How could you be gone?"

"I heard from the doctor that this could help so many people. Mom, you said helping others brings blessings, so I'll have lots of blessings, and in my next life, I can still be your child."

I could still see Glenda's smile now, so pure and lovely.

The doctor took her cold body from my arms.

After I dealt with everything, half a month had passed. I struggled to calm down and return home.

As soon as I opened the door, Damon greeted me with mockery. "I just left you at the gas station. Do you have to make a fuss and disappear?"

I looked at the man I had known for 29 years. He felt unfamiliar and repulsive to me.

Our daughter and I were missing for half a month, but he wasn't worried at all. Far from it, he thought that I was making a fuss.

"Forget it!" Damon said indifferently, as if dismissing any confrontation with me. "You're back just in time. Make some oatmeal for me to take to the hospital."

I didn't move, just silently staring at him.

Damon frowned. "Is there a problem?"

I sneered, "You never eat oatmeal." It was obviously meant for Alicia.

A flicker of guilt crossed Damon's face, and he changed the subject. "Don't wrestle with me. I've found an expert who will give Glenda a comprehensive check-up to see if there's a better treatment for her heart condition."

He had the nerve to bring up our daughter.

If he hadn't abandoned us at the gas station, perhaps Glenda could have been rushed to the hospital and treated in time.

Our families had been close friends since our grandfathers' generation. Damon and I happened to be born on the same day of the same month, which prompted our families to consider a union.

We grew up together, attending the same elementary school, middle school, and university. My early life was completely intertwined with his.

I took a liking to him when I was 15, but at that time, he was with the radiant Alicia. So, I kept my feelings to myself.

Even when Alicia went abroad and we grew closer, I never let go of my caution.

I dreaded seeing him frown at me, always hoping he would see the best side of me. I was afraid of any hint of impatience or loss of his favor. For so many years, I trod carefully by his side.