When the Truth Came Out, I was Heartbroken

Norman was taken aback by my question. His face revealed a trace of panic and guilt.

"Yesterday was Cindy's birthday, I..."

"So you abandoned your daughter to spend the day with her, didn't you? Did you completely forget your daughter's birthday?" I cut him off sharply.

Cindy stepped forward, trying to calm me. "Please, don't be angry. Norman didn't do it on purpose."

"Shut up!" I snapped, glaring at Cindy.

Immediately, Norman pulled Cindy behind him, pointing a finger at me. "That's enough! If anyone's to blame, it's me. Don't take it out on Cindy!"

"I'm going to apologize to our daughter." Norman made a move towards our daughter's room but quickly realized it was empty. He looked confused and asked, "Where's Nina?"

"Do you want to see Nina?" I looked up at him.

"Of course I do. Every time I come home, I see her. This time, I wanted her to meet Cindy, but you made it so complicated!" His face twisted with impatience.

"Norman, don't be like this..." Cindy stepped forward and grabbed Norman's arm, but then seemed to have thought of something and let go of him. This action was very deliberate and obvious.

"And why didn't you pick up our daughter from school?" I asked, stunned.

Norman froze, stammering, "I... I forgot. Is she still at school?"

"Forgot? Or didn't want to?" I pressed. "Even if you didn't want to, you could've at least told me to pick her up. If not, you could have had your assistant tell me." As I spoke, tears welled up and spilled over uncontrollably, no matter how hard I tried to hold them back.

"I... I'll be more careful next time." Norman's voice was full of shame, as though he had been slapped. He couldn't meet my eyes.

"Next time?" I couldn't help but laugh bitterly through my tears. I wasn't even sure if I was laughing or crying anymore.

Realizing something was wrong, Norman grew more anxious. "What do you mean by all this? What's going on with Nina? Where is she?" He grabbed me by the collar, his usual arrogance returning, as if I were the one at fault, never reflecting on his own mistakes.

"Do you want to see her?" I ignored the anger on his face. "Fine. I'll take you to see her."

We drove to the hospital, and as we reached the entrance, Norman seemed shocked.

"Is Nina sick?" His face showed disbelief, and then he looked as if he couldn't accept the truth. "Did she get hurt?"

Watching him, my heart finally broke. He hadn't even looked at the messages on his phone. Throughout the car ride, all he did was fuss over Cindy's feelings.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know Nina was sick, but I believe she'll get better," Cindy said apologetically.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Perhaps my laugh was unsettling, as they both looked at me with concern.

Ignoring their ridiculous reaction, I walked into the hospital and approached the staff. As a family member, I asked to be taken to the morgue.

"Where are you going? Why are we here? Have you lost your mind?" Norman's voice grew more uneasy, trembling as he spoke.