Chapter 4

In the days that followed, Phineas never came to see me again.

Godfrey took my daughter's body away.

She was cremated, and a revered monk was brought in to perform the rites.

The Delgados had money to burn, and they spent it lavishly and with dignity.

This counted as the last thing I could do for my daughter.

When she had become nothing but a small box of ashes,

Godfrey let me know I could come see her one last time.

Holding back my tears, wearing a black armband,

I was about to head out when someone stopped me.

"Mr. Delgado gave orders. You aren't allowed to leave."

I flared up.

"I'm going to see my daughter. Who says I can't?"

Just then, a cold voice sounded.

"I say so, because you want a divorce from me."

Phineas came walking over with Myra, fingers laced together, not hiding it in the slightest.

He looked down at me from above.

"I'll give you one last chance. Apologize, make up, kiss me. Otherwise…"

He raised his other hand.

What he was holding made my pupils shrink all at once.

It was my daughter's urn!

When I said nothing, Phineas

assumed I had chosen to forgive him in silence.

He handed the urn to Myra

and, magnanimous as ever, leaned in to let me kiss him.

I never imagined Phineas could be so shameless.

That he could sink so low as to threaten me with our daughter's ashes.

The instant he pressed close,

my mouth went sour.

The nausea made me shove him away on reflex.

He clearly hadn't touched Myra at all,

and yet he deliberately let go.

"No!"

The ashes scattered through the air.

A piercing scream tore out of my throat before I could stop it.

Smack.

I slapped Myra to the ground.

I dropped to my knees in despair, trying to gather the ashes back together.

Myra was crying, but I couldn't spare a thought for her.

"Apologize to Myra."

Phineas grabbed my collar with one hand

and hauled me bodily to my feet.

"Phineas, are you even human? These are your own child's ashes!"

I roared, but he only shrugged, indifferent.

"Myra did it by accident. Why won't you let it go?"

"You love kids so much, I'll just give you another one."

"I'll say it one more time. Don't wear down my love for you. I don't like it when you cry over other people."

Phineas's cold-bloodedness drove me almost to despair.

When would he ever understand that our daughter was dead?

Even if I could have countless more children,

she was never coming back.

I struggled with everything I had to break free of his grip.

He slapped me back, hard enough to draw blood from the corner of my mouth.

"Apologize."

Phineas repeated.

"Ugh, so filthy."

Myra looked at me, taunting.

She lifted her foot and ground it down again and again.

And Phineas watched, without the slightest intention of stopping her.

The last shred of feeling I had for him scattered completely.

Once I pulled free, I got up, numb.

I carefully tucked a small handful of the ashes into my pocket.

I left in a daze.

"Walk out that door and I'm done with you for good!"

Phineas shouted.

The corner of my mouth twitched, then twitched again.

It didn't matter. Soon Phineas's wealth and his family wouldn't want him either.

I sent all the evidence to Godfrey.

And I filed for divorce.

Then I boarded a plane out of the country.

Before the plane took off, I saw the Delgado news shoot to the top of the headlines.

Wealthy heir suspected of killing his own daughter; family chapel convenes hearing to strip Phineas Delgado of inheritance rights.