The Shoeshine Girl and Her Godfather Father Chapter 04

The Shoeshine Girl and Her Godfather Father Chapter 04

My mother screamed into the phone.

“Sophia’s leg is broken!”

My father fell silent for a second. Then he exploded.

“It’s only been a few days, and now you’re lying about Sophia’s leg—just to claw your way back into my life?”

“Renata’s parents don’t have much time left.”

“Do you really have to be this selfish? This cruel?”

“You can’t even wait a little longer?”

His voice grew harsher.

“You want money, right?”

“Fine. I’ll give you five hundred thousand dollars.”

“But stop bothering Renata and me. You hear me?”

He hung up—furious.

The news was filled with footage of him and Renata enjoying an extravagant honeymoon.

I lay in the ambulance, looking helplessly at my mother.

“Why can he spend that much on her… but he’ll only give us five hundred thousand?”

For the first time in my life, I saw pure hatred in my mother’s tear-filled eyes.

She posted their marriage certificate online. She wanted everyone to know the truth.

But someone suppressed it before the story could spread.

My surgery hadn’t even started when Renata showed up at the hospital.

The moment she saw us, she dropped all pretense and smiled.

“I’ve always known you were married to Antonio. And that you had a daughter.”

“Since we’re being honest, I might as well tell you—I was the one who sent those debt collectors.”

“I even told them to take extra good care of your daughter.”

“This time was just a warning.”

“If you still don’t understand where you stand, and if you’re still chasing something that was never meant for you…”

“Next time, you’ll lose more than a leg.”

My mother finally snapped. She raised her hand and swung at Renata.

Renata was surrounded by family bodyguards. Yet not a single one moved.

But the slap never landed. My father arrived at that exact moment.

He drove a kick into my mother’s stomach and sent her crashing into the wall.

“I’ve spoiled you too much.”

His face was full of anger.

“How dare you touch Renata?”

“Five hundred thousand isn’t enough for you? You really are greedy.”

His eyes hardened.

“Then you can forget about getting any of it.”

My mother’s face went white. She struggled to her feet.

“Please… you can’t do this… Sophia needs that money for surgery.”

“Without it—” Her voice broke. “—she’ll be disabled for the rest of her life.”

I clutched my twisted right leg. Tears streamed down my face.

“Dad… It hurts…”

He looked at me, and all I saw in his eyes was disappointment.

“Sophia. How could you pick up this kind of behavior from your mother? How could you lie?”

His expression grew colder.

“Starting today, I’m cutting off all financial support.”

“This’s punishment for your mother laying hands on Renata. Nothing changes until she apologizes.”

“Nothing changes until she admits she’s wrong. And swears never to hurt Renata again.”

Then he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

He never looked back at either of us.

Because we couldn’t afford the surgery, the hospital discharged me.

My mother scraped together every penny she could borrow.

By the time I finally got medical treatment, it was already too late.

The doctors said the damage couldn’t be saved. The only option was amputation.

My mother held me, sobbing. Her tears landed on my neck. They burned against my skin.

I wrapped my arms around her and forced a smile.

“As long as I’m with you, Mom… it doesn’t matter if I’m a cripple.”

After that, we took whatever jobs we could find.

Life was hard. But we survived.

Eventually, I learned to walk with a crutch. I could even get to school by myself. Until…

The memory caught in my throat.

I forced back the sting in my eyes and looked straight at my father.

“What will it take for you to finally leave us alone?”

The moment the words left my mouth, a dead silence descended.

Something dark flickered in my father’s eyes.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, “I want Lena to apologize to Renata in person.”

One sentence. That was all it took. The last trace of warmth vanished from my face.

I looked at him. Smiled. And tears rolled down my cheeks.

“I’m sorry, sir, but my mother is dead.”

“If you want an apology from her… you’ll have to go to Heaven and ask for it yourself.”