Chapter 2
1128 Words
Roselle knew that her husband, Christopher Hayde would never run out of excuses.
But it just wouldn't help but break her heart whenever he lets their daughter down.
“Can you explain to Ava that I have an important meeting today? I'm really sorry I can't attend her event”
Roselle stood behind Chris, watching as he fixed his tie into place.
He grabbed his briefcase and dashed towards the door immediately. Roselle's eyes followed him everywhere without a word.
Chris stopped when he got to the door, turning back to look at Roselle. “I promise. I really promise. I'll make it up to the both of you”
That was the same thing he told Ava on the night of her birthday. And today that he was supposed to make it up to her, he didn't.
When Chris exited the room and slammed the door after him, Roselle slumped down to the floor and face palmed herself, sobbing silently.
Maybe he doesn't know? But it hurts like hell.
If not her, she really wanted him to show Ava some love, create time, and be there for her.
“Mommy?” Ava's voice made Roselle sprang up to her feet. She cleaned her tears and opened the door, her eyes trailing down to look at her daughter.
Ava was just waking, and her eyes were still sleepy because she had slept late watching the dinosaur show the other night, while waiting for her Daddy.
“Mommy, get me dressed, I don't want to be late to the school event” Ava said eagerly.
Roselle tilted her head with her arms crossed. “Greetings first, sweetie”
“Good morning, Mommy,” Ava corrected quickly.
Roselle scooped Ava off the ground, taking her back to her room. While she bathed and scrubbed her body, Ava talked about things she'd like to do at the event with her Daddy.
“Sweetie, how about Mommy going with you instead? I promise it will be very fun” Roselle smiled.
“Sounds good!” Ava said, bubbling with so much energy.
But the little girl knew.
She knew her Mommy would be going with her because her Daddy had broken his promise again.
After thirty minutes, they left the house for the school event. Roselle made sure Ava had all the fun she wanted, she participated in games because Ava wanted her to, and bought snacks for her friends because she requested it.
By evening, they were on their way back home. Roselle's grip tightened around the wheel, her eyes fixed on the road as she drove towards the intersection. Ava was seated beside her, reciting rhymes she had learned since her nursery school.
Roselle's phone buzzed with a message, and she checked. Her childhood friend, Nelly had sent two messages almost immediately.
“Hey, Roselle”
“Guess who I just ran into?”
A photo followed the texts and Roselle recognized the figures even when she didn't click.
Her husband was seated in a café with a man seated opposite him. Beside him, Clara was seated with a wide smile on her face.
Roselle's heart froze.
Was the meeting he talked about a lie? Or was the café meeting just for business?
But Roselle didn't care anymore. She tossed her phone into the glove compartment and focused on the road.
The moment they reached the intersection, a bright light blinded her sight, and without warning, a trailer slammed into them from the sides.
It was too sudden, too late to stop what was happening.
The sound of metal filled the air as the car spun, glass shattering and flying across everywhere.
Roselle wrapped her arms around her daughter as the car turned upside down. Ava's cry mixed with the wrecking sound before everything became silent.
For a moment, Roselle couldn't breathe. Warm liquid trickled down her head into her eyes.
“Ava?” She whispered, her voice broken.
Ava's head hung across the seat, her body limp. Blood trickled down from a wound on her forehead down to her cheeks and Roselle's breath quickened.
Roselle's fingers trembled as she tried to reach Ava, but her arm felt too heavy, and her hand dropped back to her side.
*
Roselle woke up to the scent of medicine and blood. A machine beeped beside her as she slowly opened her eyes, trying to figure out where she was.
A hospital.
What had happened to her?
It didn't take long before everything came rushing back.
The bright light. The trailer. The accident. And……Ava.
Roselle forced herself up from the bed, taking the IV drip off her arm. A cast was on her neck, her face pale and her whole body filled with pain, but still, she rushed out of the ward in a hurry to find her daughter. She fell hard to the floor in the hallway and a nurse rushed to her, holding her together.
“Ma'am, are you okay?” The nurse asked shakily.
“My daughter……” Roselle tugged at the nurse's arm. “Where's my daughter?”
The nurse lifted her off the ground. “Please calm down. Come with me”
Roselle was taken to the ward where Ava was. Her daughter was bleeding profusely, and the doctor did nothing but watch.
“Doctor, please save my daughter…..please” Roselle held Ava's hand, crying terribly.
“Ma'am, your daughter needs surgery. But before that, she needs a blood donor” The doctor informed her.
“What about my blood? Draw as many as you want, please! Just save my daughter” Roselle begged.
She was too caught up in the moment that she had forgotten her blood didn't match with Ava's.
“We already checked,” the doctor said calmly. “But your blood is not a match”
“I'm sorry, ma'am. But there's no donor available”
Roselle staggered backwards, shaken to the core.
That means her daughter will die. That means they wouldn't be able to save her.
Roselle recalled that Chris is O-Negative, just like Ava.
“My phone” she muttered shakily and the nurse handed it over to her.
Her husband could save their daughter. Why hadn't she thought of that in the first place?
Roselle called Chris without hesitation. The line kept ringing, but no answer came.
“Please pick up” Her hand tightened around the phone. “Please…..”
She had waited for him for six years, waiting for him to choose her. Now for the first time, she wasn't asking him to choose her, she was asking him to save their child.
Roselle prayed underneath her breath, hoping that Chris wouldn't be late this time.
Because if he was, Ava might be gone when he finally arrives.
- Writer
