The Lost Melody of Love 4

Callie had lost her consciousness when they arrived at the hospital. The doctor chastised Faith for putting her daughter in such a state. Faith did not even protest because she blamed herself as much. How could she allow Ethan to bring Callie with him in the first place, especially knowing that Ethan did not love his daughter? For that, she blamed herself. “Dad… I want Dad…” Cheeks flushed, Callie muttered feverishly while calling for Ethan. “Mom, I want Dad to hug me. I’ll be good.” Callie wept endlessly, her tears seeping into her hair. The pain sliced through Faith, sharp and unrelenting. Was Callie still thinking about Ethan? Faith clutched her phone tightly. After some deliberation, she finally dialed Ethan’s number, but he never picked up. So, she texted him, “Your daughter is running a high fever. I hope you can visit her at the hospital.” She still hadn’t received a reply from him when dawn broke. Meanwhile, Nicole had posted a photo on Instagram of their family of three enjoying the night view. After leaving Callie behind, Ethan neither regretted his actions nor showed any care for Callie. It wasn’t until that moment that Faith lost all hope and expectations for Ethan. To him, she and Callie were insignificant. After staying by Callie’s side for a night, Faith was relieved to see Callie stirring awake. “Mom, I’m sorry. I made you worry.” Faith felt even worse when faced with Callie’s thoughtfulness. “Oh, you silly girl. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Faith tried her best to hold back her tears. If anything, she should be sorry for letting Callie down and losing Ethan’s love. “Mom, don’t cry. I’m fine now.” “Alright, darling. I won’t cry.” Faith held Callie and fed her medicine and food. Callie spent three long days in the hospital. On the day of Callie’s discharge, Ethan finally replied to Faith’s text. “Are you guys still at the hospital? I’ll pick you up.” Callie beamed brightly when she saw the popup notification on Faith’s phone. “Mom! Uncle Ethan said he’ll pick us up.” She couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope when she knew that Ethan would pick them up. Faith nodded quietly at Callie, praying that Ethan would not stand them up. She hoped he could at least fulfill one promise, even if it were driven by the guilt of leaving Callie behind. As time ticked past, the smile on Callie’s face waned. She had been staring at the door of her room from morning until noon. Faith glanced at the clock on the wall before turning to Callie. Sensing Faith’s gaze, Callie whispered, “Uncle Ethan’s not coming, is he? He must have been swamped and had forgotten about me. Mom, let’s go.” Callie tried to convince herself with a forced smile. She jumped out of bed and held Faith’s hand. Faith nodded with a heavy heart. “Okay. I’ll bring you home.” They left the room hand-in-hand. At the elevator lobby, they ran into Ethan. “It’s Dad!” Callie perked up but quickly caught herself. “It’s Uncle Ethan. He’s here to pick us up.” The next moment, Nicole emerged from the elevator. Seeing this, Faith tightened her grip on Callie’s hand. Ethan finally noticed Faith and Callie when he turned around. He furrowed his brows with an uneasy expression. Nicole stared at him. “Is Daniel alright?” Ethan shook his head. “Daniel is fine. He scraped his skin, that’s all.” He looked away from Faith and Callie. It dawned on Faith that Ethan wasn’t at the hospital for them. All he cared about was Nicole and her son Daniel. Even if something had happened to Faith and Callie, he wouldn’t feel a thing for them. Faith grappled to make sense of her feelings. She looked down at Callie, her eyes oozing with tenderness. “Callie…” Callie smiled at her. “Mom, let’s go home.” They sat in silence on their way home. Callie stared out of the window as she silently cried. Once they were back home, Callie locked herself up in her bedroom, but Faith did not interfere. She kept Callie company by the door.