He Erased Me from Our Family Photo

Chapter 4

Conrad flipped the medical report facedown on the table.

But his first instinct was to grab the blanket from the couch and drape it over my shoulders.

"It's too cold in here. Don't give yourself another headache."

I didn't stop him.

Lillian kept staring at the paper.

This man remembered that I got cold easily, yet in the very next breath, he was ready to bury the truth about the child I'd lost.

"Vera's home. Don't bring this up in front of her."

Lillian looked at him. "So it's true?"

I answered for him. "It is."

7 years ago, Vera was 5.

After Vera found out I was pregnant, she wet the bed for an entire week. Then one day, she stuffed 2 outfits and her favorite stuffed rabbit into her backpack.

I found her in the stairwell, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

"Once you have your own baby, you won't want me anymore."

That night, Conrad held me for a long time.

He didn't force me. He just kept saying the same thing over and over.

"We can have another baby later. Vera only has you right now. Sabrina, can we wait a little longer? Please?"

In the end, I was the one who signed the consent form.

When I came out of surgery, Conrad's eyes were even redder than mine.

He told me, "From now on, Vera is our daughter. She's ours."

I believed him. For 7 whole years.

Lillian's face had gone completely pale. "You never told me."

Conrad frowned. "That's between me and my wife."

Lillian said, "But now you're pushing her aside just to make things up to me."

"I'm not pushing her aside."

I let out a quiet laugh. "Then why am I Aunt Sabrina?"

He finally looked at me. "Sabrina, don't drag up the past."

"I'm asking one question. 7 years ago, you told me I was Vera's only mother. Do you still mean that?"

"Of course it does."

Conrad answered immediately and even reached out to take my hand.

"You raised her. No one is saying you're not her mother."

His palm was warm.

After my surgery 7 years ago, he'd held my hand exactly like this.

For a second, I almost let that familiarity fool me again.

"Then what is Lillian?"

He fell silent.

"Why does Vera only get one mom?"

Conrad was visibly losing patience. "It's just a title. Do you really have to fight over this right now?"

"Weren't you the one who changed it first?"

Lillian suddenly stood up. "I don't want to do anything else on my bucket list."

Conrad's expression changed. "Don't start."

She said, "I only wanted a few months with my daughter. I didn't come back to push her other mother out."

Conrad said, "You're her biological mother."

"Then what has Sabrina been for the last 7 years?"

"Enough!" Conrad shot to his feet.

The room went dead silent.

He looked at me, clearly forcing himself to keep his temper under control.

"Sabrina, I'll admit I haven't handled everything well these past few days. Once Lillian's condition is stable, we'll talk."

Wait again. Always wait.

I asked, "Then what about the baby?"

His eyes shifted instantly. "That was a decision we made together."

I said, "Because you told me I already had a daughter."

"And you still do!"

"Then why did she have to call me Aunt Sabrina?"

Conrad finally snapped. "But I didn't force you to make that choice!"

The words fell into the silence. Even Conrad froze.

Lillian's face went white.

Conrad immediately reached for me and pulled me into his arms.

"Sabrina, that's not what I meant. You kept pressing me, and I said something I didn't mean."

His voice softened at once. "You were in such bad shape afterward. No one hurt more than I did."

I didn't pull away.

The familiar scent. The familiar embrace.

For 8 years, this was how he'd always gotten me to forgive him.

But this time, there was only one sentence left in my head.

"I didn't force you."

So in the end, everything I'd lost was somehow mine to bear alone.

I asked quietly, "Do you think I'll never leave because you know I can't bear to leave Vera?"

Conrad's arms around me stiffened.

A long time passed before he answered. "You love her that much."

So that was it.

I stepped out of his arms, took out my phone, and opened the school portal.

I had always been listed as Vera's primary emergency contact.

I changed the primary contact to Conrad. Then I hit save.

His face finally changed. "Why did you change that?"

I didn't answer.

I walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out the new journal I'd bought.

The 8th one.

The plastic wrap was still intact. I'd planned to start writing in it from Vera's 12th birthday.

I held it out to Conrad.

He didn't take it. "What is that?"

"Vera's 12th year. I've always been the one who writes these."

I placed the journal against his chest. "This year, you do it."

Conrad looked down at the blank journal in his hands. Little by little, the color drained from his face.

"Sabrina."

I took one step back. "Starting today, when she cries, you learn how to be the one she runs to."