Even After Death by Lilting Champ

In the dark of night, Olivia stood alone in the bathroom. The hot water chased away her chills. She rubbed her swollen red eyes and walked to a room.

When she opened the door, a warmly furnished children’s room lay before her. She pressed a button lightly, and mellow music from a music box filled the room.

The room was lit with yellow lights. The atmosphere was undoubtedly homely, but Olivia wept unstoppably.

God must have decided to take her life because she had failed to save her baby’s.

She climbed onto the cot that was barely more than three feet long and curled up into a fetal position. Tears from her left eye flowed to her right eye, down to her cheek, then finally wet the children’s blanket she was lying on.

She hugged a plushy tightly while murmuring, “Sorry, my baby. It’s all my fault. I failed to protect you. Don’t be afraid. I’ll be with you soon.”

After losing her baby, her mental health had deteriorated. Olivia was like a pretty flower slowly wilting away. She gazed out into the night, thinking as long as she could leave her father that sum of money, then she could go and be with her baby.

Before dawn the next morning, Olivia was already fully dressed as she looked down at her own smiling face in the photo they’d taken outside the City Hall after they registered their marriage.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed since then.

She prepared a breakfast that was good for the stomach. Although she didn’t have much time left to live, she wanted to live longer to take care of her father.

As Olivia was about to leave the house, she received a call from the hospital. “Ms. Fordham, Mr. Fordham had a heart attack. We’ve already sent him into the emergency ward.”

“I’ll be there right away!”

Olivia rushed to the hospital, but the surgery was still ongoing. She waited outside the operating theater with her hands clasped.

She had already lost everything. Her only hope was for her father to live on in good health.

A nurse handed her a receipt. “Ms. Fordham, this is the total bill for your father’s emergency treatment and surgery.”

Olivia scanned through the details and found that the total bill amounted to more than 100 thousand. Jeff’s daily treatment expenses already cost 50 thousand dollars per month, and she only barely managed to make ends meet by working three jobs.

thousand dollars left in her card. How was she going

call Ethan. He answered in a cold voice, “Where are you?

up, and I

you?” Ethan sneered in response. “I was thinking why you would change your mind all of a sudden. Do you

actually thought

I was reluctant before this because I thought you must have had your reasons

willingly. I couldn’t make it because my

dead?”

to Olivia. Who even

him. Ethan, the surgery costs more than 100 thousand

your father dead. I can give you the money, but only after we make the

line went dead

that Ethan had treated Jeff with respect when they were still together.

want

the dots with the Fordham

there have

must have caused their bankruptcy, but how had

had no time to dwell on it. The most urgent matter at hand was to gather 100 thousand

theater opened, and Olivia quickly stepped forward. “Dr. Herbert, how is

he’s still mentally fragile. Be careful not to trigger him in the

understand,” Olivia replied. “Thank you, Dr.

father was

answered hastily, “Mr. Fordham has been in good spirits

mushroom soup. When I came back, he had

before you

that you like the carrot cake from Al Palphino and asked me to buy a slice. I never thought that this would happen

felt that things weren’t that simple. After asking the nurse to take good care of her father, she rushed to the admission desk to check

this morning,” the nurse working at

“Thank you.”

you cleared the bill for Mr.

to hide her embarrassment as she replied, “I’ll pay

to the City Hall, but Ethan