A Father's Betrayal: The Marrow

After years of marriage, Adrian Foster still only spoke to me in bed.

The moment he got out of it, the warmth vanished, replaced by cold indifference.

I, Nora Bennett, had endured it all in silence, hoping that if I stayed obedient, he might show our daughter, Nina Foster, a little more care.

Yet in his eyes, Sophia Graham was his one and only—the woman he put on a pedestal, shielding and indulging her at every turn.

For her child, he had even taken my daughter's bone marrow.

In that moment, I finally understood. I was nothing more than a pawn in his battle with the woman he truly loved.

So I stopped holding on. I took my daughter and left without hesitation.

......

The rain outside didn't stop until dawn. Only then did Adrian finally pull away from me, satisfied.

I forced my weak body to move, cleaned him up first, then took care of myself.

"Adrian, Nina has a follow-up at the hospital tomorrow morning. The doctor will also discuss the bone marrow transplant."

"Tomorrow? I have an important client to meet." He got up and headed for the bathroom, then paused. "Next time, tell me in advance. Don't wait until the last minute."

"But I reminded you a week ago…" Seeing the frown on his face, I lowered my voice, almost pleading. "Adrian, you promised Nina you'd come this time. She needs you."

"There's so much going on at the company. How am I supposed to remember everything you say?" His tone turned sharp. "You only have one job every day, taking care of Nina. And you can't even manage that? Then what are you even doing as Mrs. Foster?"

I froze where I stood. Just as I was about to press further, his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, grabbed the phone, and walked into the bathroom with a smile.

The next day, at the hospital.

"She's been relatively stable lately," the doctor said.

"Then when can we schedule the bone marrow transplant—"

Before I could finish in excitement, the doctor cut me off, his expression uneasy.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Foster. The hospital has admitted another patient. Based on urgency, the bone marrow originally assigned to Nina has to be given up."

Disappointment washed over me, and tears slipped down before I could stop them.

"Mom, don't cry. I can wait a little longer. I'll stay with you the whole time."

She stood on tiptoe, reaching up to wipe my tears.

I quickly hid my grief, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force a smile for her.

That single transplant meant another two years of waiting. I was terrified she might not have that long.

After paying the bill in the lobby, I called Adrian, desperate for him to find another solution.

Call after call went unanswered. The last one was cut off.

Suddenly, Nina slipped out of my hand and ran toward the distance.

"Dad?"

The lobby was crowded. I