She Called Me a Thief

It was Christmas Eve. I had flown home in a hurry, hoping to surprise my wife. But the moment I stepped inside, I heard Nancy Summerson say gently, "Dad, Mom, this is Ronald Riverton. We've been secretly married for years." She heard the door open and turned around. The second she saw me, she walked over and slapped me across the face. "You thieves are getting bolder by the day. Breaking and entering during Christmas Eve? Get out now!" I stared at her, my eyes red. I grabbed her hand tightly, hoping she would give me an explanation. She flung my hand away and took a phone out. "I've called the cops, and they'll be here very soon! They'll arrest you, thief!" Then Nancy turned back to her family and took Ronald's hand, intertwining their fingers as though I were nothing more than an unwanted stranger. "It's just a thief. The cops will handle him. Ignore him." I stood petrified. The four of them looked so happy together. As for me, all I felt was exhaustion. Without another word, I turned and left. Then I tossed the share transfer agreement I had brought for her into the bin. Chapter 1 No Arrest The cops moved fast. Right after I came downstairs, I ran into the officers who had hurried over after Nancy Summerson's call. They stopped me and were about to take me in. I smiled bitterly and took out the marriage license, then I explained the story. Once the truth was clear, the officers looked at me with pity. One of them patted my shoulder and asked kindly, "It's the holidays. Do you want us to explain it to them?" My lips tugged, and I shook my head. Explanations were useless. She knew the whole story, after all. The cops left. I sat on the long bench under the building, and I looked at the warm light coming from my house. It radiated a soothing yellow. I sat on the bench for a long, long while. Snow was starting to fall, and I let it settle on my shoulders and hair. Eventually, the snow was thick enough to make my hair white. Only then did Nancy come downstairs with Ronald Riverton and her parents to set off fireworks. She was stunned when she saw me. Then impatience quickly flared in her eyes. Nancy's parents saw me too. Her mother stepped forward and held her hand tightly. Worried, she said, "I thought you called the cops. Why is he still here? Is he watching us? That's terrifying." Nancy shot me a displeased look, then comforted her mother in a soothing voice. "It's alright. The police probably haven't arrived. I'll call them." She then walked away to make another call. Whatever the police said on the other end made her face turn red. A moment later, she hung up quietly. Her parents looked at her in concern. She said softly, "It's the holidays, and they're busy. Put ourselves in their shoes for a moment. It's alright. We'll just go ahead. There are four of us here. He won't do anything." She glared at me. I knew she was telling me to leave. The old me would have done whatever she wanted the moment she gave me a look. But now, I only felt exhausted. I did not want to move. My refusal to move earned me another angry glare. Nancy grabbed her parents and Ronald and snapped, "Ignore him! We'll set off the fireworks!" I watched as she handed Ronald a firework, smiling brightly. This scene was grating. I moved my legs, already stiff, and tried to leave, but then a lit firecracker flew in my direction. When I realized what was coming, I blocked it with my hand. The firecracker popped. I fell to the ground, sharp pain spreading through my hand. Through the blur, I saw panic flash across Nancy's face. She wanted to come over, but Ronald held her back. He leaned close and said something to her in a low voice. Nancy stopped. Then, she looked at me with a conflicted expression. Chapter 2 Abandoned A while later, Nancy turned to her parents and said softly, "Let's go home. We just got rid of a pest for the community. That thief must've stolen a lot of stuff. He deserves to be hurt." She urged her parents to leave. Soon, only Nancy, Ronald, and I were left. Once her parents were gone, Nancy frowned and came up to me. She seemed about to check my injured hand, but before she could touch me, she started scolding me instead. "I thought you weren't coming back, so why did you? You should've told me! You messed up all my plans!" Fury clouded her face. "You mess everything up, honestly!" I held down the agony and tried to speak up, but she interrupted, "Enough. I don't want to listen to you. Come on, let's go to the hospital." She wanted to help me up, but Ronald broke his silence. "I'm a medical student, Nancy. I've been watching for a bit, and his wounds are superficial. He can put a bandaid on it himself." I looked at my bleeding hand and froze. He called that a superficial wound? I thought medical students were better than this. Nancy stopped and looked at me with hesitation. A while later, she said, "You're right. You're the medical one here." She put my hand down and looked at me impatiently. "Don't push your luck. We have better things to do than play along with you. Get a bandaid and slap it on your wound. Find some place to stay for a couple of days and don't disturb me." I stayed quiet all the way through. Nancy was not so dull that she could not sense the tension, but instead of feeling guilty, she rubbed her forehead as though she were being far too patient with a sulking child. "I know I was harsh, but you messed up my plan first by showing up unannounced. Just find a hotel to stay in. I'll explain once I finish things here." She took out her phone and tapped the screen. "I transferred you some money. Reserve your room. My parents are still waiting for us. I need to go." She grabbed Ronald and left in a hurry. She did not even look at me. Ronald, however, turned back and gave me a triumphant look. The pain from my hand was starting to scream. I forced out, hoarsely, "Take me to the hospital, Nancy." Nancy, however, pretended not to hear me. She held Ronald's hand tightly and disappeared from my line of sight a moment later. I clenched my hand tightly in an attempt to hide the pain in my heart with physical pain. There was no one around, so I called an ambulance. But even then, luck refused to spare me. My phone was dead. I had no choice but to walk down the road, hoping to flag down a cab and get to the hospital myself. But it was Christmas Eve, and it was already late at night. There were no cabs around. Disappointment washed over me, and I was nearly out of strength when a car finally appeared in the distance. I ran forward with everything I had left and stood in front of it, stopping it with my body. The driver came out, and I was surprised to see who it was. It was Wendy Summerton, Nancy's sister. Her family never liked her, and Nancy had told me many times that her sister was cold and vicious. I had never really spoken to Wendy before, but after hearing Nancy speak badly of her for so long, my impression of her had never been good. "It's the holidays. What are you doing here?" Wendy looked at me, curious, but her voice was indifferent. Then, her gaze fell on my injured hand. Her expression turned serious. "And your hand…" Chapter 3 Loving Parents "Get in. I'll take you to the hospital." My hand was seriously injured, so I got into her car without hesitation. The ride to the hospital was quiet, but when we were almost there, something hit me. Confused, I asked, "It's the holidays. Why aren't you with your family?" A hint of dejection flickered in Wendy's eyes, then she smiled. "I have no family. And we're here. You can go now." The doctor told me my hand was severely injured, and if I had come any later, I would be facing a real chance of amputation. As the doctor dealt with my wound, he muttered, "You should be careful with the fireworks. From the look of this, anyone would think you threw a lit one at yourself. Be careful next time." Although the doctor was scolding me, a strange warmth bubbled up inside my chest. I turned on my phone. A notification immediately popped up, showing the amount Nancy had transferred to me. Ten dollars. I froze. Did she really think this was enough for a hotel room? That amount could barely cover anything. To her, I was not even worth a proper thought. Wendy noticed my soured mood. She asked, "What's going on with you and Nancy? I thought you were in love. You're injured. Why isn't she here?" I said nothing. I had no idea why either. I did not know when Nancy had changed so much. Since my wound was already treated, Wendy left. I came out of the hospital and walked down the road. A wave of emotions washed over me, and I thought, 'Everyone must be with their families now.' I called my parents, and the call went through quickly. My mother asked warmly, "Have you met up with Nancy? Did you make a feast? You must be so happy to see your wife again. I know you're working hard, but don't neglect yourself. If you don't want to spend money on good food, your father and I can send you some." My mother's soothing message hit something inside me, and I couldn't hold it back anymore. My eyes went red, and tears began to spill. There was nothing but pain in my gaze. I did not want my parents to realize I was hurting, so I made small talk and hung up. … A short while later, my father gave me ten thousand dollars. "I know you make a lot of money, but here's a little something from us. Get yourself some good food for the holidays. We miss you." I closed my eyes, and tears trickled down my cheeks. Every single drop carried sorrow and pain. Not long after Nancy and I got married, I handed management of the local company over to her. Then, I went overseas to expand our business, all so she could have a better life. Under my management, the overseas branch had grown rapidly. This time, I had planned to transfer the shares to Nancy and work remotely from home. I would not leave again. But to manage the company overseas, I had not seen my parents in seven years. They had spent holiday after holiday alone. And for Nancy's sake, I had abandoned them again and again. My thoughts were interrupted by a message. It was from Nancy. "You still took the money. I knew it. Gold diggers like you would never let money slip away."