I thought she’d wish for health, to recover quickly, so she could go to school and play like other children.
"Mom, I wish you to be healthy and happy from now on," Adeline said without hesitation.
I was stunned. "Why do you wish for that?"
She looked at me, her little hand gently brushing my cheek. “Mommy, you've lost so much weight since I got sick,” she said softly, warm and fuzzy.
I kissed the palm of her hand, feeling a surge of love. "I want to get better soon so I can stay with Mommy all the time."
Adeline laughed. "Since I didn’t get a birthday last year, let’s make two wishes! I wish for Mommy to be healthy and happy and for Adeline to get well soon."
I pushed the cake in front of her. "Blow out the candles, and your wishes will definitely come true."
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room flew open. Paul stood there, his voice hard and cold as he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. The cake toppled over, but he couldn’t care less.
"Beatrix fainted on her way here after rushing to make a cake for Adeline. Go take care of Harith," he ordered.
I shook his hand off, unable to hold back anymore. "Did I force her to do that? Did I make her come here? She should be responsible for her own actions!"
"Today is Adeline's birthday! No one asked for her hypocritical cake. If she had died in a car accident on the way here, would you have blamed me and asked me to pay her back with my life?”
Paul’s expression turned icy. “Alice, how did you become so cold-blooded? Do you regret marrying me?”
I laughed bitterly, a cruel idea flashing through my mind. "Then let’s end this. We’ll get a divorce, you can marry Beatrix, and we can call it even for her so-called life-saving debt. Just beg her to let me go from now on, okay?"
He grabbed my chin roughly, his voice like ice. “Take it back. Don’t even think about divorce.”
His grip tightened, as if reminding me of something I could not escape. "Today is Adeline's birthday, but whether or not she lives to see another one depends on what you do."
I stared at him, my shoulders gradually sagging as I surrendered to the numbness. "Fine. I’ll go."