When we arrived at the hospital, the on-duty doctor immediately took Alf into the observation room. After half an hour of emergency treatment, Alf’s condition finally stabilized. My heart, which had been in my throat, eased a little. I turned around and saw Lara, looking utterly exhausted as she sat in a chair. Just as I was about to suggest she go home and rest, my phone suddenly rang.

I thought it was Ethan calling, but the screen showed it was the property management office. For some reason, seeing that number made my heart sink.

“Hello?”

A flurry of chaotic voices immediately erupted on the other end.

“Mrs. Badman, we finally reached you! Please, come home quickly—there’s been an accident!”

Home… Mia was still at home!

When I had rushed out with Alf, Mia was still asleep in her room! Mia was usually looked after by the nanny Mavis, but I had forgotten that Ethan had given Mavis the day off today. He promised to take care of Mia, but he had gone out.

My heart jolted, and my legs went weak. I begged Lara to stay and watch over Alf, then hurriedly drove her car back to the apartment.

As I pulled into the complex, the first thing I heard was the sound of ambulance sirens. Then, I saw a group of residents gathered downstairs, all talking at once. Through the gaps in the crowd, I spotted a small figure lying on the ground. She was wearing a white lace nightgown, now stained with blood. In her tiny hand, she still clutched a teddy bear I had bought her a year ago.

My Mia was only two years old. She loved Winnie the Pooh. Just yesterday morning, after I had stayed up all night taking care of Alf, Mia carefully placed her Winnie the Pooh in Alf’s crib.

“Brother, sleep. Mommy, sleep too,” she had said. She wasn’t able to form long sentences yet, but I understood her meaning. She was trying to soothe Alf to sleep because she knew that only when Alf slept could I finally get some rest.

But now, she was lying on the ground with Winnie…

As I got closer, I began to hear what the residents were saying.

“How tragic… How could anyone leave such a young child home alone? What kind of parents do that?”

“How did this poor kid fall from such a high floor?”

“Just the other day, I saw her—so lively and sweet. How could this happen so suddenly…?”

I tried to block out their words, but they swirled around me like a strong wind, forcing their way into my ears.

Just then, the property manager saw me and hurried over, his expression conflicted.

“Mrs. Badman, we’re deeply sorry for what happened. Please, accept our condolences.”

“What are you talking about?” I tilted my head, staring at him in confusion.

“Condolences? I don’t understand what you’re saying…”

He sighed heavily.

“Mrs. Badman, half an hour ago, security received a complaint from a downstairs resident about a child crying non-stop. When the guard went to check your apartment, he found your daughter’s body here. It seems she woke up and couldn’t find anyone, so she wandered out to the balcony and fell… You…”

“Stop it!”

I couldn’t listen any longer. I dashed to Mia’s side, feeling as if I had lost my mind. She was covered in blood, one side of her face almost unrecognizable. My hands trembled—I couldn’t bring myself to touch her. I was terrified that if I did, she would shatter.

But all I wanted was to hold her. How helpless she must have felt in those final moments, falling from the balcony!

“Mia, open your eyes, sweetheart. Mommy’s here… Mommy’s home…”

I knelt there, calling her name over and over, desperately hoping for a miracle. I would have given anything for this to be some cruel joke she was playing on me. But no matter how hard I screamed, no miracle came.

My Mia was gone.

She would never again bounce around, calling me “Mommy.”

I couldn’t understand why this was happening. Why was fate punishing me like this? If I had sinned, it could take its wrath out on me—anything but this.

But why did my child have to suffer? Why?

Staring at Mia’s lifeless body, the agony was so overwhelming that I finally succumbed to the shock, and everything went dark as I lost consciousness.