Chapter 4
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Even if Antonio wasn’t around, life had to go on.
I fell into a deep sleep and woke up to realize I had missed the school bus.
Annoyed, I wanted to call to reschedule my classes, but then I saw Antonio’s car at the door.
He rolled down the window and said, “You’ve got an early class at eight. Hurry up, or you’ll be late.”
Today’s class was important for the semester, and I didn’t want to miss it, so I got in the car.
Antonio buckled my seatbelt like he always did. The car smelled nice, and the music was my favorite.
If it weren’t for Anna and her son in the backseat, everything would have been perfect.
“I’m taking Carlo to check out the school today. If you want, you can hang out with them.”
“No, thank you. I have classes.”
As soon as we got to the school, I got out of the car and left, afraid that if I stayed any longer, the tears in my eyes would start flowing.
But Anna wouldn’t let me be. She sat with Carlo in the back of the classroom, listening to my lecture.
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ater, she took him to my lab without telling me and disappeared.
Carlo messed up all the lab equipment and tore apart my hard–earned lab report.
I grabbed him and said, “Apologize.”
I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it with a kid, but I deserved at least a simple apology.
Carlo grinned. “Why should I? My mom said all your hard work will go to her in the end. Whenever she cries, Dad gives her everything you have.
“I broke my own stuff. Why should I apologize?”
I felt a sharp pain in my chest and could hardly breathe.
But it didn’t stop there. Carlo took out a pill from somewhere and tried to put it in his mouth.
I knew exactly what it was. In a panic, I slapped it out of his hand.
“How can you put anything in your mouth? Are you trying to kill yourself?”
Carlo fell to the ground, crying loudly, with a bright red handprint on his cheek.
But compared to losing his life, that was nothing.
Just as I was about to pick Carlo up and comfort m, Anna burst in from the doorway and pushed me to the ground.
“How could you slap Carlo while I was away? I told you I had
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something to deal with and asked you to keep an eye on him. But you can’t even stand a kid!”
I looked at Antonio behind her, my eyes wide with shock. “Carlo was trying to take the pill. It was an emergency. If I hadn’t slapped it away, he would have swallowed it!”
“No, it’s not true. Mom said not to eat anything I found. This mean old lady tried to force–feed me and slapped me when I refused.”
I stared at Carlo in disbelief, then at Antonio.
I shook my head at him.
He knew me best. I was a kind–hearted vegetarian. How could I possibly hurt a child?
Antonio picked up the pill from the ground. “You’re saying Carlo was trying to eat it on his own?”
I nodded, thinking he would believe me.
But the next second, a slap came down hard on my face.
All my hopes and pride shattered into pieces.
“This is an experimental drug from our joint lab research, and it’s always locked in the freezer. If you didn’t open it, how could Carlo have got it?”
I felt so bitter that I couldn’t say a word.
Anna used Carlo’s supposed mistreatment as an threatened to report me to the police.
xcuse and
“Mr. Kaufman, we were talking about letting her be Carlo’s
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Chapter 4
godmother, but look at what she did!
“How could Carlo possibly lie?
“I can’t let someone like her be Carlo’s godmother? I have to stand up for my son!”
Antonio shoved the signed divorce papers into my hand, but he still left me a way out.
“Apologize sincerely to them. Once they cool off, maybe I’ll think about remarrying you.”
I gave a bitter smile and carefully put the divorce papers in my pocket.
“Forget it. I never thought about getting back together with you.“”
