Before I could finish my desperate plea, Kevin's first love, Darlene Lopez, spoke up on the phone with a hint of tears in her voice.

“Kevin, maybe you should listen to Grace and go to the hospital. What if Blanche is just acting up to get your attention? I can stay here with Eileen to look for Buddy. After all, Buddy is like family to us, and we’ll keep searching for him, even if it means not resting today.”

As the call continued, Kevin eagerly comforted his first love with a gentle and warm tone.

“Darlene, what are you talking about? This has nothing to do with you or Eileen. Don’t worry, I promised Eileen I’d help her find Buddy. Let’s check the People’s Park again. Buddy might have gone there to play.”

Hearing the mention of People’s Park in his words, a glimmer of hope flared up in my desperate eyes.

“Are you at the park next to the hospital? Are you? Answer me quickly!”

Hearing my desperate scream, Kevin sneered.

“What, Grace? Planning to come to the park and put on a show? Fine, come on over! Come see for yourself if we’re looking for a dog!”

With that, Kevin hung up the call without a trace of regret.

I, usually so proud, stumbled and ran to the park near the hospital, desperately searching for the familiar figure I had known for decades.

In my dazed state, I saw Kevin gently holding Eileen in his arms, his left hand linked with Darlene Lopez’s. The three of them appeared as if they were a loving family.

Darlene Lopez, who had spotted me long before, struck a victorious pose, flashing a mocking smile filled with provocation.

The fire of rage surged violently within me.

I stormed forward, tearing Eileen from Kevin’s arms and shoving Darlene Lopez to the ground.

Darlene Lopez and Eileen truly lived up to being mother and daughter. They tumbled together and stared at each other, both crying with a look of pitiful innocence.

Kevin, like a lion defending its territory, shoved me aside with such force that I stumbled and fell onto the nearby gravel, my arms instantly covered in blood.

He then carefully helped Darlene Lopez and Eileen up from the ground, brushing off the dust from their clothes and softly comforting them, like a gentle father and husband.

“Eileen, don’t cry. Your aunt is a bad person. If you cry, I will be heartbroken.”

Watching this scene of fatherly tenderness that my daughter Blanche had never received, my heart ached with a pain that was both raw and bitter.

Kevin’s gaze was full of disdain and disgust as he looked at me.

I no longer cared about what was going on between him and Darlene Lopez. I could only beg him softly.

“Do you think I was lying when I said my daughter’s life was hanging by a thread?”

“Isn’t that what it looks like?”

Kevin’s look was full of utter contempt as if he believed that everything I’d said had been a lie. In his opinion, what I said was nothing but trivial tactics for catching his attention.

I realized that this man, with whom I had spent decades, didn’t believe anything I said. He trusted only his own judgment.

I reached out and grabbed Kevin’s arm, using up my strength to try to drag him into the hospital. But the physical difference between man and woman was too great; I couldn’t move him an inch.

I fell to my knees, desperately pleading with the three of them.

“Please, come to the hospital with me. If you just see for yourselves, you’ll know I’m not lying.”

Kevin’s eyes flickered with doubt and concern.

“Grace, is our daughter really in the emergency room due to a traffic accident? You’re not lying to me?”

Seeing that he was starting to believe me, I eagerly nodded and reached out to grab Kevin’s arm, trying to lead him to the hospital.

But before we could take more than a few steps, Darlene Lopez’s voice, tinged with confusion, interrupted.

“Even though Blanche has mobility issues, she shouldn’t be unable to cross the street. I heard she often goes to the cinema across the road to watch movies alone”

Eileen chimed in cheerfully, “I’m seven years old now. I know how to cross the street, red light means stop, green light means go.”

Hearing their conversation, Kevin’s expression changed immediately. He sneered coldly.

“I almost got deceived by you.”

“Don’t keep using these lowly tricks to deceive me and get my attention.”

As I stood there, stunned by his cruel words, my phone rang. Seeing it was the doctor calling, I hesitated, trembling, unable to answer. My face was drenched in sweat, making it hard to tell if it was sweat or tears.

Kevin saw the call from the hospital and, with a smirk, snatched the phone from me.

“Perfect timing. I’ll find out from the doctor whether my daughter is dead!”

On the other end of the line, the doctor’s apologetic voice came through.

“I’m sorry, but the patient was declared dead at 4:32 PM. I'm sorry for your loss.”