But then Lucy, as always, stepped in. She latched onto his arm, her voice dripping with contempt. "Gilbert, you’ve done enough for them. She’s always using some trick to get your attention, making the child pretend to be sick every few days. It’s pathetic."
Her words made my mind go blank. In that moment, all the pain, the grief and the anger surged within me. I couldn’t control it. Before I even realized what I was doing, my hand flew up and I slapped her hard across the face.
The sound of the slap echoed through the room and for the first time, Gilbert was speechless.
The slap seemed to freeze time for a moment. Both Gilbert and Lucy stood there, too shocked to react immediately. Gilbert's eyes blazed with anger, his voice rising in disbelief. "Lily, are you crazy? Do you even realize what you’ve just done?"
I ignored him, my gaze fixed coldly on Lucy’s swollen cheek. "If you dare to talk like that again, don’t blame me for what happens next."
Lucy, clutching her face, played her part well—tears forming in her eyes, her voice soft and pitiful. "Am I wrong? How can a child be sick and hospitalized every other day? If it's not you making him pretend, then what is it?"