Don’t Beg For My Mercy

I woke up in the hospital after the car accident and heard my wife's cries. My heart clenched, fearing something had happened to our daughter. Ignoring the doctor's protests, I rushed out of the room, only to find my wife kneeling before the police, wailing. My heart sank. But what she said next left me stunned. "Officer, we don't blame him. Kyler can't have this on his record." Kyler, her first love, was the perpetrator of the accident. What I saw before I passed out wasn't a hallucination. How ridiculous. The moment my wife was rescued, she didn't care about our daughter or me. She ran to him. Even now, her tears were for him. "Ma'am, your understanding alone isn't enough." Adelyn was about to plead again when she saw me. It was like she'd grasped at a lifeline. She rushed over, grabbing my arm, her sharp nails digging into my wounds. "Abel, look, you're fine! Tell the officer you forgive Kyler!" She had always been arrogant before me, never once looking at me with such pleading eyes. But I didn't care. All I cared about was our daughter. "How is Alaina? Is she badly hurt?" Adelyn's expression turned sheepish. It was then I realized she hadn't even bothered to see our daughter or ask about her. Anger burned within me. I flung her to the ground, ignoring the pain as her nails ripped through my skin. I grabbed a nearby nurse. "Doctor, how is my daughter?" "She's still in surgery. It's not looking good." Adelyn seemed not to hear. She scrambled back to me, tugging at me. "Let's go sign the letter of understanding first!" I couldn't hold back anymore. I roared at her, "Didn't you hear him? Alaina's condition is critical! Do you even care about your daughter?" The police left, and Adelyn's patience wore thin. "She loves to fake it, doesn't she? Weren't you protecting her just fine earlier? What's there to worry about?" "Adelyn! I told you, Alaina wasn't faking it! She was just afraid of worrying you!" Adelyn cut me off impatiently. "Enough. It's just a small injury. She'll be fine. Kyler is a celebrity. If this goes on his record, his career is over!" I stared at her, disbelief freezing my blood. In her eyes, our daughter's life wasn't even worth as much as her precious first love's reputation. "Kyler should be awake by now. I'm going to see him. Hurry up and sign that letter." With that, she turned and left. I wanted to stop her, but the pain was overwhelming. I collapsed, my body hitting the ground hard. Adelyn looked back with disgust. "Like daughter, like father." Her husband and daughter were nothing compared to her so-called first love. Pain gnawed at my heart. I dragged myself towards the operating room, only to be met with two bright red characters: In Surgery. I buried my head in my hands, my defenses crumbling. 'Alaina, you have to pull through. You're all I have left.' But fate was merciless. What awaited me was my daughter’s critical condition notice. Seeing Alaina lying there, eyes closed, lifeless—it was suffocating. Grief clawed at my chest, threatening to swallow me whole. Then, Alaina's eyes fluttered open. She looked at me, her voice barely a whisper. "Daddy, it hurts..." Tears streamed down my face. "Don't be afraid, Alaina. Go to sleep. It won't hurt when you're asleep. I will always be here with you." My heart ached as I watched her look around, searching. "Is Mommy hurt badly? Why isn't she here?" My fists clenched. If Alaina hadn't pushed Adelyn's head away at the last second, taking the brunt of the impact herself, would she be so hurt? Adelyn didn't deserve to be called Alaina's mother! But I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't bear to disappoint her. "Mommy's not badly hurt. She just has some work to do. She'll come see you as soon as she's done." Adelyn was always away on business trips. This was the excuse I always gave Alaina. That was why the only time Alaina looked forward to was when she was sick. It was the only time she had an excuse to ask for her mother. Yet, Adelyn thought she was faking it. If she had just paid a little more attention, she would have noticed our daughter's burning skin. But she didn't. She wouldn't even listen to an explanation. "But Daddy, I miss Mommy..." Alaina's voice trembled with tears. I wiped her tears away, my heart breaking. "Okay, I will go get Mommy." But I knew Adelyn was busy taking care of Kyler. She wouldn't care about Alaina. Creak! I froze as the door opened. "Mommy!" My daughter's delighted cry jolted me back to reality. It was Adelyn! She smiled gently. "Alaina, Mommy's here." Seeing Adelyn like this, the suffocating weight that had been pressing on me finally lifted, if only slightly. Maybe I should give her more credit. After all, we had been together for five years. Surely, our daughter had a place in her heart. How could she really not care about Alaina for the sake of another man? Looking at Adelyn patiently coaxing our daughter, a smile blooming on Alaina's face, I finally felt a sliver of peace. I walked over and took the towel from her hand. "Let me." But she dodged me. "Didn't you say I don't care about my daughter? What? Now that I want to take care of her, you want to stop me?" Guilt pricked at me. Her previous coldness still lingered, but I didn't argue and let her continue. The doctor arrived and called me out for a check-up. Adelyn smiled at me. "Go ahead. I'm here. Don't worry." Alaina looked at me worriedly, on the verge of tears. "Go, Daddy. I don't want anything to happen to you." Reassured, I followed the doctor out. That's right, I couldn't let anything happen to me. Alaina only had me. When I returned, Alaina looked happy, her face flushed with color. "Daddy!" She was the first to notice me, her eyes filled with concern. "Daddy, are you alright?" Remembering the test results I had just received, I froze for a moment before forcing a smile. "I'm fine. I still need to protect my little princess. How could anything happen to me?" Alaina giggled, and Adelyn couldn't help but chuckle. I thought if only our family of three could stay like this forever. But then, Alaina's next words pierced my heart like needles. They didn't hurt, but they left me with a deep, unsettling ache.