Chapter 3

When I woke up, I ignored the nurse's screams, ripped the IV out of my arm, and ran toward the morgue, stumbling over my own feet.

When I pulled back the white sheet, I saw Lily’s peaceful face. She looked like she was just sleeping. But I knew my sweet little girl was never coming back.

I held her cold body and sobbed until I choked.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, baby. Mommy was weak. I couldn't protect your money..."

That $250,000 wasn't Ethan's. I had worked eighty-hour weeks, writing proposals during the day and driving Uber at night, just to save up for her surgery. Ethan hadn't contributed a single dollar. Yet, he stole it to impress his first love.

I hated myself for trusting him. But more than that, I loathed those two monsters who had left my daughter to die.

Over the next few days, I buried my grief deep inside. I forced myself to organize Lily's funeral.

On the day of her cremation, I went back to our house to grab her favorite princess dress. I wanted her to look beautiful when she left this world.

But the moment I pushed the door open, my heart stopped.

Men's and women's clothes were scattered all over the living room floor. The air smelled of sex.

Moaning sounds were coming from our bedroom.

Ethan had brought Clara into our home, into our bed. And he was doing this on the very day of our daughter's cremation!

Rage boiled in my veins. I marched into the kitchen, grabbed a heavy chef's knife, and charged into the bedroom. With a savage scream, I slammed the knife deep into the wooden headboard.

The two of them shrieked in terror. Clara scrambled back, grabbing the sheets.

Ethan quickly covered her naked body, glaring at me with pure fury.

"Chloe! Are you fucking insane?!"

I let out a cold, hollow laugh. "My husband is screwing another woman in my bed, and I'm the one who's insane?"

Ethan seemed to suddenly remember he was still a married man. His face flushed red, and he stammered an explanation.

"Clara and I... we just had a few drinks. We got carried away. We didn't even go all the way!"

I glanced at the trash can next to the bed. A used condom was sitting right on top. The silence was deafening.

Embarrassed and angry, Ethan snapped. "Look, a man has needs! You haven't been home in two days. What did you expect me to do?!"

I laughed. The sheer shamelessness of this man was almost comical.

"Let's get a divorce. I don't want a piece of trash."

The moment I mentioned divorce, Ethan's face hardened.

"No way! I'm not divorcing you!"

But suddenly, his face flushed. Under the covers, Clara’s hand must have moved, because Ethan let out a low gasp of pleasure.

Seeing that right in front of me felt like a slap in the face. It was sickening.

I silently pulled out my phone, switched it to camera mode, and took several clear photos of them under the sheets.

Then, I turned around and walked over to the closet to find Lily’s dress.

"Why are you taking Lily's dress?" Ethan called out.

"Because you stole that $250,000, Lily didn't get her surgery in time," I said, my voice cracking as I fought back tears. "She's dead."

Ethan froze. He stared at me in disbelief.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Lily was stable. How could she be dead?"

Clara felt Ethan's hesitation. She immediately reached out and grabbed his arm, looking at me with fake pity.

"Chloe, I know you're mad because Ethan bought stock in my company. But even if you're angry, you shouldn't joke about your own daughter's life."

"Once Ethan's stocks blow up, he'll pay you back double."

"If you don't believe me, go to the hospital yourself!" I snapped.

Before I could finish, Ethan yelled at me.

"Enough, Chloe! I am so sick of your cheap drama! I told you I'd pay you back. Why do you have to be so incredibly greedy?"

"You're taking that dress to go see her at the amusement park, aren't you? Tell her Daddy will take her out for a nice dinner in a few days. Tell her to be good, and don't let her go on any scary rides."

Even now, he was pretending to be a loving father. His hypocrisy made me want to throw up.

I didn't have the energy to argue with him. I grabbed the dress and walked out. Lily was waiting for me at the crematorium.