Chapter 2

I woke up in bed, my fever still not gone, and my whole body hurt.

Dad was anxiously wiping my face with a wet towel, his eyes red.

"Maria, I'm here, don't be scared."

Yesterday, Mom left me home alone, and I burned with fever until I was barely conscious.

Dad was the one who came home and found me collapsed on the floor.

The door sounded, and Mom came back, carrying several shopping bags in her hands.

When she saw me, she frowned. "Why are you still in bed?"

Dad stood up, and the chair rocked from the motion.

"Catherine, Maria has a high fever. Where did you go yesterday?"

Mom casually threw the shopping bags onto the sofa. "Shopping. I bought a few pieces of clothing."

Her tone was light and careless.

Dad was shaking with anger, his fists clenching and loosening.

"Maria was burning up like this yesterday, and you were actually in the mood to go shopping?"

Mom glanced at me, her tone impatient.

"She won't die. It's normal for kids to get fevers."

"I'm taking her to the hospital."

Mom blocked the doorway. "What hospital? What a waste of money."

For the first time, Dad got physical with her and shoved her away hard.

"Catherine, are you crazy?"

Dad picked me up and rushed to the hospital.

I looked back and saw Mom standing where she was, with no expression on her face.

At the hospital, the doctor gave me a fever-reducing shot.

Dad held me and sat in the hallway, tears falling down his face.

"I'm sorry, Maria. I didn't protect you."

I wanted to tell Dad it was not his fault, but my throat was too hoarse for me to speak.

When we got home late at night, I saw a familiar pink color in the trash can by the door.

It was my favorite stuffed doll, the little bunny I had slept with for three years.

It had been cut to shreds by scissors, cotton bursting out of its body, and one of its eyes had been dug out.

Mom stood in the living room, still holding those scissors in her hand.

"You're this old and still playing with childish things like this. How embarrassing."

But Mom, I was only eight this year.

I cried and tried to pick the doll back up.

Mom stepped on the doll's face and ground her foot down hard.

"Why are you crying? Only useless things cry."

I cried even harder.

I missed my bunny, and I missed the mom I used to have.

Dad shoved Mom away.

He crouched down, wiped away my tears, and said softly.

"Don't cry, Maria. Tomorrow I'll take you to buy a new one, one even prettier than this."

Mom crossed her arms and looked at Dad and me crouched on the floor.

"Go buy it, then. Go ahead and buy it. See if I won't throw the new one away too."

After saying that, she turned and walked into the room.

I grabbed Dad's shirt hem in fear, shook my head, and said.

"Dad, let's not buy one. I don't want a new doll anymore."

Dad picked me up with heartache and sighed.

"Okay, we won't buy one. Mom has been in a bad mood lately."

Soon, the first day of school arrived.

Dad took me to the school gate, crouched down, and said to me:

"Make more friends at school and try to be happy."

I nodded hard and held my backpack tightly.