We were on the way to drop Chloe off at school when the accident happened. A serious crash. She lost too much blood and passed out, rushed straight into the ER.

I was completely falling apart outside the emergency room, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe. But there was nothing I could do except beg whatever god might’ve been listening to please, please save my Chloe.

“Mrs. Carter, your daughter’s lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion immediately. But we’re out of RH-negative blood in our bank. Are you or your husband a match?” the lead doctor rushed out to ask, clearly panicked.

“Her dad is,” I choked out.

Like Chloe, Nathaniel’s RH-negative.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I called him again and again—over and over—but he didn't answer a single one.

Time was running out. My heart sank lower with every minute.

I held Chloe’s cold little hand, trying to smile through the tears, forcing my voice to be steady.

“Don’t worry, baby... Dad’s coming, he’ll save you. He will.”

She looked up at me with those same sweet, trusting eyes. She barely moved her fingers—she was trying to wipe away my tears.

“Don’t cry, Mommy. It doesn’t hurt anymore...”

And that was it. I broke down completely, holding her tight, but I could only watch helplessly as her tiny body went still in my arms.

“Mrs. Carter, I’m so sorry... We did everything we could,” the doctor said softly, pulling a white sheet over her lifeless body.

“She was just a kid... If we’d gotten the blood in time, she could’ve made it,” whispered a nurse nearby, unable to keep her voice down.

Every word was like a blade straight into my chest. I could barely breathe from the weight of it.

Chloe must’ve been in so much pain. She always cried when she got even the tiniest cut. She was terrified of pain. And now—this...

She didn’t have to die.

If Nathaniel had just answered his phone...

If he’d gotten there in time, she could’ve been saved.

The rage hit me all at once, sharp and choking. I unlocked my phone, fingers trembling, and right then a message popped up—a new post from Nathaniel.

I opened it.

A group selfie.

And it burned.

Nathaniel was smiling with Quinn Morrison leaning up against him, Zachary with both arms around their shoulders like some happy little family.

Quinn held a shiny gold trophy—National Design Award winner.

That moment, something inside me just shattered. The pain was so deep it felt like my entire body was splitting apart. And beneath it—this horrible, bitter fury that I couldn’t even stop.

How could he?!

While Chloe was fighting for her life, he was off cheering for another woman, not even bothering to pick up the damn phone.

I let out a broken laugh, my heart cold as ice.

I finally saw it clearly. I never should’ve married Nathaniel. Never should’ve brought Chloe into this world, just for her to suffer with me all these years—and die alone on an operating table.

I’m so sorry, Chloe. I couldn’t protect you...

I called the funeral home. Picked out everything myself.

Did her makeup nice and soft, like she liked. Dressed her in her favorite princess dress, the black leather shoes she always insisted on wearing.

I packed her favorite stuffed bunny. And the other toys she loved. Maybe with those, she wouldn’t feel scared anymore.

I stood there, watching as they rolled her tiny body into the cremation chamber. Bit my lip so hard it almost bled, because I couldn’t close my eyes—I needed to see her just a little longer. One last time.

...

The urn was still warm when they handed it to me.

Outside, the rain came pouring down.

Like the whole damn world was grieving for my Chloe.I held the urn close to my chest, like a soulless shell just going through the motions. The rain poured down on me, but I kept walking home.

As I pushed open the door, the first thing I saw was Nathaniel Bennett and Zachary Bennett sitting at the dining table, eating cake.

Nathaniel gently fed a piece to Zachary, like he was the most doting dad in the world—a side of him I'd never seen before.

Across from them, Quinn Morrison was wiping cream off Zachary’s mouth with a tissue, looking every bit the caring mother.

What a cozy little scene... anyone who walked in right now would probably think they were the picture-perfect family.

In my mind, Chloe had never gotten even a shred of this kind of love from Nathaniel.

Before Quinn came back from abroad, Nathaniel barely came home, let alone cared about the kids. I did everything for them—every meal, every bedtime.

But once Quinn reappeared, Nathaniel suddenly had laughter on his face and would drop by from time to time—but only ever to take Zachary out.

Chloe was little and never warmed up to Quinn, so he never once brought her along.

In his eyes, Chloe and I must’ve always just been... background noise.

The three of them finally noticed me standing there. Nathaniel's face darkened as he frowned and snapped, “Where the hell were you? Coming back this late, looking like a damn mess!”

Before I could respond, Zachary gave me a disgusted look. “Ew, Mom, you look like a drowned rat. So ugly.”

Then he turned to Quinn, all smiles. “Aunt Quinn's the prettiest. She's my favorite.”

Quinn gave him a soft smile and patted his head. “I like you too, sweetie.”

My fists clenched hard, nails digging into my palms so deep it hurt.

Once, a comment like that from my son would’ve crushed me. But now... now my mind was filled only with Chloe.

I stared straight at Nathaniel and forced out the words, “Why didn’t you pick up my call this morning?”

He frowned harder, clearly annoyed. “Are you seriously questioning me right now?”

“I asked you a question. Why didn’t you answer?” My voice was ice.

His expression turned downright stormy. “What urgent thing have you ever needed when you call? You’re just at home all day asking if I want takeout! I called you back later, but you had your phone off! And now you're starting drama at night—can’t you see we have guests?”

Quinn stood up, trying to smooth things over. Her voice was soft, almost apologetic. “Isabella, please don’t get the wrong idea. Nathaniel was with me at a competition this morning, and the venue had poor signal, so he didn’t hear the call...”

I hugged the urn tight. My whole body felt like it’d turned to ice.

So while my daughter was dying, Nathaniel was just... chilling at Quinn’s competition?

What a fucking joke.

All this time, I’d swallowed my pride, pretended not to see the way they looked at each other. All for Chloe.

But now she was gone—because of them.

I couldn't take it anymore. All the pain, the anger, just burst out. I stormed forward and slapped Quinn across the face, hard.

“Get out! I don’t want to see you again!”

She gasped, hand flying to her cheek, stunned, her eyes filling with tears.

“You can’t hit Aunt Quinn!” Zachary jumped up like a little cannonball, slammed right into me.

“You’re awful! Why don’t you just die?! I don’t want you as my mom! I want Aunt Quinn to be my mom!”

I fell to the ground from the impact. The urn slipped from my grip and tumbled a few feet away.

The ashes spilled out.

Chloe’s ashes were all over the floor.

My whole body shook with rage. My eyes burned red. I couldn’t take it anymore.

All sense just snapped. I raised my hand and slapped Zachary hard across the face—