Gaslit by Reality: Daughter or No Daughter?

The alarm blared at 7:00 am.

It was the 109th cycle.

Tears streamed down my face as I opened my eyes.

I couldn't let Marilyn get on that school bus anymore. I couldn't wait for her at the entrance of the kindergarten either.

"The bus is here, Mommy," Marilyn called out as always.

I rushed over to her and hugged her tightly, planting messy kisses all over her face.

"You don't have to go to school today, sweetheart. I'm going to take you to the amusement park."

Marilyn cheered ecstatically.

Gabriel walked out of the bedroom with a suspicious look on his face.

"Why are you acting so weirdly today?" he asked.

"I just thought that I should spend more time with her," I answered while lowering my head, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Do whatever you want," he said, shrugging.

He then left for work.

I helped Marilyn put on her prettiest princess dress and took her to the biggest amusement park in the city.

I bought the biggest cotton candy there for her and rode the carousel with her ten times. As I watched her laugh happily, I felt alive again.

I kept a death grip on her hand, but she frowned and complained that I was hurting her. So I loosened my hold, feeling as if a knife were stabbing my heart when I saw the red mark circling her wrist.

I knew that I shouldn't behave like this, but I just couldn't help myself. I was willing to do anything to keep her alive.

The seconds ticked by.

I glanced at my watch. It was almost 3:00 pm.

My heart felt like it was stuck in my throat.

The amusement park was packed with people as they chatted and laughed with each other. I convinced myself that it was safe here—that death couldn't touch us here.

"I want to ride that one, Mommy!" Marilyn exclaimed, pointing at the nearby roller coaster.

"No. It's too dangerous," I said immediately. "Besides, you're too young for that."

"But I want to ride it!" Marilyn whined, acting coy.

Gabriel called me as Marilyn began tugging on my clothes, trying to pull me toward the roller coaster.

"Where are you, Natasha?" he asked, sounding panicked.

"At the amusement park. What's wrong?"

"Taylor's also at the amusement park. She sprained her ankle. Can you look for her and take her to the first-aid station?"

Taylor Shore was one of Gabriel's colleagues. She always presented herself as a harmless and innocent woman in front of me.

"I can't. Marilyn's with me," I said coldly, rejecting his request.

"Just tell her to wait for you there. What could go wrong? Taylor's hurting all by herself," Gabriel said, suddenly raising his voice.

"I've already told you that I'm not going to look for her!"

"Can't you be a little more mature, Natasha? I'm busy working. Do you have to add more to my plate?" he roared furiously into the receiver.

My heart felt utterly hollow at that moment.

In Gabriel's eyes, his colleague was more important than his own daughter.

When I turned to look at Marilyn, I realized that she was nowhere in sight.

My blood froze in my veins.

"Mary? Mary!" I shouted as I frantically searched for her among the crowd.

I finally spotted her a few minutes later.

Marilyn was standing in front of the entrance to the roller coaster. She stood on her tiptoes as she curiously peered past the safety door that was securely locked.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I hurried over to her.

The roller coaster's wheels screeched along the rails as it approached the platform.

Everything that occurred next happened in the blink of an eye.

The safety door suddenly swung open.

Marilyn's tiny body tipped forward with the momentum of the door, and she fell onto the track.

The roller coaster sped past like a flash of lightning.

I didn't even hear Marilyn scream.

The other parkgoers shrieked in horror.

I fell to my knees, staring at the bright red splattered all over the platform.

I looked up and saw Taylor amid the chaotic sea of people. She was holding her phone as she stood nearby, looking utterly calm.

Hadn't she sprained her ankle? Yet she looked like she had no trouble standing at all.

Taylor smiled at me when she noticed me staring at her. Her smile was identical to James' smile.