Chapter 3

Ten in the morning.

I walked home in a numb daze.

My hands shook so violently I could barely fit the key into the lock.

Yet the moment the door swung open, the sound of cheerful laughter stopped me dead in my tracks.

Chloe was leaning against the kitchen doorway wearing my silk pajamas, giggling softly.

A strange young boy sat on the living room sofa, absorbed in an iPad game.

And Julian was gently ruffling the boy's hair with an affectionate smile, looking every bit the doting father.

Standing in the doorway, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

Julian noticed me and scowled: "You're finally back? Where's Daisy?"

I said nothing.

My gaze drifted to the backyard patio, where a massive pile of clutter had been dumped into the dirt.

Daisy's pink floral bedsheets.

Her crayon drawings.

Her little study desk.

And her favorite teddy bear.

All thrown carelessly onto the ground.

Right next to it, a fire pit had been lit. The flames were already licking the edges of her things.

My mind went completely blank. I screamed and lunged forward like a feral animal.

"DON'T TOUCH HER THINGS!!!"

I threw myself toward the fire, ignoring the searing heat and burns, desperately clawing through the ashes.

Finally, I dragged out that soot-stained teddy bear.

I had bought it for Daisy's third birthday.

She slept with it tucked under her chin every single night.

I hugged the bear tightly against my chest, shaking from head to toe.

Julian clicked his tongue in disgust: "What is wrong with you? It's just a dirty old stuffed animal!"

Chloe frowned as well: "Sweetie, you're terrifying the child."

"Besides, those old things take up too much room. Leo and I are moving in, and he needs a bedroom."

I snapped my head up, eyes blazing with fury: "Who gave you permission to move in?!"

Chloe flinched back dramatically, tears immediately welling in her eyes: "Julian..."

Julian shielded her at once: "Nora, that's enough! Chloe is a single mother doing her best. What's wrong with me looking out for them?"

I looked at him.

He felt terrifyingly like a stranger.

Seven years of marriage. I was by his side from the days when he had nothing to when he was making seven figures.

During his rockiest startup days, I worked three jobs to keep us afloat.

Eight months pregnant, I stayed up all night helping him polish business proposals.

To take care of Daisy, I gave up my career and became a stay-at-home mom.

And after all of that, what did I get?

When our daughter was dying, he sent a pathetic hundred dollars.

Before her body was even cold, he brought his mistress through our front door.

And burned our child's belongings.

A broken laugh tore from my throat, tears streaming down my face.

Julian's brows furrowed: "Now what psycho episode are you having?"

Before I could scream out the truth of Daisy's death, Leo ran over and tugged at Julian's shirt.

"Uncle Julian, I want Häagen-Dazs ice cream!"

Julian's irritation vanished instantly. He beamed, pulled out his designer wallet, and slapped a stack of ten crisp hundred-dollar bills into the boy's hand.

"Go get whatever you want, buddy! Is a grand enough?"

The boy jumped for joy: "Thank you, Uncle Julian!"

I stared fixedly at those ten hundred-dollar bills.

Last night, I knelt outside the ER begging him to save his daughter's life, and he gave me a hundred dollars.

Now, another man's son asks for ice cream, and he casually hands over a thousand without blinking.

My tears stopped completely.

I slowly rose to my feet, my voice chillingly calm:

"Julian, I want a divorce."

The living room fell dead silent.

Chloe's eyes flashed with a surge of triumphant glee.

Julian, on the other hand, scoffed as if hearing the most ridiculous joke. "Divorce? With what leverage?"

"You're a stay-at-home mom, Nora. How will you survive without me?"

"Don't forget, you don't even have a resume."

He sneered.

"And Daisy costs money. You think you can afford to raise her alone?"

Daisy.

Hearing her name from his mouth made me let out a hollow laugh. "Daisy? Do you even remember you have a daughter? Do you care about Daisy at all?!"

"Of course I care!"

Julian finally realized something was wrong and demanded: "Where is Daisy? Why isn't she home? I called your parents, she's not there either. Where did you hide her?"

I looked at him with an empty expression: "You want to see your daughter?"

Julian faltered: "She's my only child. Of course I want to see her!"

I tightened my grip on the teddy bear, speaking each word with cold precision:

"In two days. Ten in the morning. Pinecrest Cemetery."

"Come say your final goodbye."