Chapter Five

Celeste’s POV

My stomach was in knots as I walked into the children’s ward at the hospital. I desperately needed to see my daughter and know that she was okay.

I reached the room the nurse pointed me to and threw open the door.

My daughter laid in the bed, almost as white as its sheets. I ran straight to her side. There was an IV drip in her arm, and she moaned with pain.

“Bonnie? It’s Mommy. Can you hear me, baby?” 

I tried to keep the panic out of my voice.

“Mrs Kent?”

I turned to see a doctor speaking with Damien and his mother, Pauline.

“Yes, I’m Mrs Kent. Are you Bonnie’s doctor? Can you tell me what’s wrong with her?” I asked her, ignoring the others.

“Oh, your husband didn’t tell you?” 

I said nothing, and the doctor cleared her throat before responding.

“Your daughter has acute gastroenteritis, most likely caused by the unhygienic takeout food she ate yesterday. She was severely dehydrated when your husband brought her in.”

I blinked back tears. My sweet girl went through so much. I asked the question that had been running through my mind since I read Damien’s text.

“Is she going to be okay?”

“We’ve given her an IV drip to replenish her fluids and some medication for stomach pain and nausea. She should make a full recovery.” 

I nodded, relief coursing through me.

“We’ll keep her overnight for observation.” The doctor continued. “She should be discharged tomorrow.”

“How did she get this sick? She was perfectly healthy when I saw her late yesterday morning.” I couldn’t help but glare at Damien as I asked my question.

“It’s unusual for cases to develop this quickly.” The doctor glanced uncomfortably between us. “My professional opinion is that she was given no fluids since falling ill.”

My blood boiled.

“Thank you, doctor.” I said in a clipped tone. “Could you give us a few minutes alone?”

“Sure. Call a nurse if you need anything.”

She practically ran out of the room. The moment the door shut, I turned to my ex husband.

“How could you let this happen? Is cooking so far beneath you that you’d rather give our daughter food poisoning? For god’s sake, Damien, I left her with you for one day. One. Day.”

Damien clenched his jaw and Pauline looked horrified at my outburst. I couldn’t find it in me to care.

I went to sit by Bonnie’s side. Locks of hair were stuck to her forehead with sweat. I brushed them aside and held her hand.

“Everything is going to be alright, honey.” I told her softly.

She stirred in a fitful sleep. Seeing her suffer without being able to do anything was torture.

Pauline cleared her throat behind me.

I turned to see her eyes full of blame boring into me.

“Celeste, your behaviour is abhorrent.” Her voice was as sharp as a blade. “How can you call yourself a mother when you refuse to take care of your own daughter?.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Pauline. I take excellent care of my daughter.”

She scoffed. “If that were the case, she wouldn’t be in the hospital now.” 

I was tired of being blamed and put down by Damien and his mother. I put up with it for five years. But that ended today.

I left Bonnie’s side and walked right up to Pauline. She took a slight step back.

My voice dropped dangerously low. 

“Maybe if you taught your son how to cook, my daughter wouldn’t be in the hospital right now.” 

Pauline’s mouth hung open.

“Celeste,” Damien stepped between us, “You’re missing the big picture.”

I put some space between us.

“Which is?” I asked.

“This happened because you left home. I hope you’ll see that my mother is right and change your mind about the divorce.”

Did he expect me to turn a blind eye while he had an affair?

He was unbelievable.

“Why would I ever do that?”

“Think about our reputations, Celeste. What will people say when they find out we’re divorced?” His gaze landed on Bonnie. “Will you force our daughter to grow up in a broken home?”

He made it sound like I was pushing for a divorce for no reason.

“Did you forget about your affair?” I asked, seething.

Pauline’s pencil drawn eyebrows shot into her hairline.

“Damien, how could you?” She admonished her son.

Before he could respond, I continued. 

“You were the one who broke our home. So I’ll be going forward with the divorce and taking custody of our daughter.”

Damien chuckled.

“Let’s see if my daughter even wants to live with you.”

He walked over to Bonnie and gently shook her awake. I stood on the other side of the bed with my heart in my throat.

“Bon-Bon, who do you want to be with? Mommy or Daddy?” 

She peered at me first, then Damien through half-open eyes.

“Daddy.”

Damien turned to me, smug. “See, Celeste? Bon–”

He stopped gloating. Bonnie was saying something else.

“I want Daddy to marry Auntie Vanessa.”