It took me more than ten agonizing days to arrange my daughter’s burial. Those days felt like an eternity—every moment a reminder of the life I’d lost and the pain that wouldn’t subside. During that time, Adam never returned home, not even a call. It was as if he had vanished from my life completely. I had already given up on him, so I didn’t bother reaching out. I knew I had to move forward, even if that meant doing it alone.

On the day he finally returned, I was in my daughter’s room, packing away her belongings—her favorite toys, her tiny clothes, the little memories of a life cut too short. The house was eerily quiet, filled with the ghosts of what could have been.

Adam walked in and slumped onto the sofa, looking exhausted as he rubbed his temples. “I’m hungry,” he said, his voice flat and indifferent. “Make me a bowl of noodles.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I quietly pulled out the divorce agreement I had prepared days ago. I placed it on the coffee table in front of him, the papers crisp and stark against the dark wood. “I’ve already signed it,” I said, my voice steady. “Take a look. If there’s nothing you disagree with, just sign it.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only one o’clock in the afternoon. “There’s still time. Sign it and we can go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the divorce today.”

Adam’s hand froze as he reached for the papers. He looked up at me, his brow furrowed in confusion and irritation. “Rachel, what are you making a fuss about?”

Making a fuss? His words hit me like a slap in the face.

Adam and I had been inseparable since kindergarten, sitting together as deskmates through elementary school, middle school and even high school. We’d been admitted to the same university and everyone around us assumed we would end up together. I thought so too. For years, I tried to break through the invisible barrier between us, but Adam never responded. I was ready to move on, to let go, but he wouldn’t let me. He kept me close, never truly accepting me but never letting me go either.

In college, when he started dating Kate, I thought that was the end of whatever it was between us. But he would come running back to me every time they fought, seeking comfort and healing. And each time, I foolishly let him. When Kate went abroad after graduation without a word, Adam turned to me once again. I was his safe haven, the one who patched him up when he was broken. We finally got together during that year of ‘healing’ for him and for a brief moment, I thought we could be happy.

Looking back, I realize now that I had loved him for as long as I could remember—for 32 years, to be exact. And in those 32 years, I had given him everything, only to be left with nothing.

Adam, seeing that I hadn’t spoken for a long time, suddenly sneered. “Okay, Rachel, I get it. I know I’ve been busy lately and haven’t paid much attention to you. I’ll make it up to you, so stop making a scene.”

He pointed at the divorce papers with his long, slender fingers. “I’ll pretend I never saw these.”

I felt a surge of anger rise within me, but I kept my voice calm. “Adam, listen carefully—I want a divorce.”

No matter how deep my feelings for him had been, they had died along with my daughter. There was nothing left to salvage.

His expression darkened, frustration creeping into his voice. “You’ve gone too far! I’ve only been away for a little over ten days and you’re blowing this out of proportion. And what about Tania? If we get divorced, do you want her to grow up in a single-parent household? What kind of mother would do that? You have no sense of responsibility!”

I could hardly believe the audacity of his words. He had the nerve to mention Tania? Our daughter who had died because he was too busy with Kate to care?

I took a deep breath, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill over. “Adam, you don’t deserve to mention Tania’s name. When we needed you most, you were with Kate. Now you dare to talk about responsibility?”

For a moment, Adam looked flustered, then his expression hardened. “You’ve been spying on me? How else would you know Kate is back?”

“I don’t want to argue with you anymore. Just sign the papers.”

I turned away from him, not wanting to see the look on his face any longer. My phone suddenly rang, interrupting the tense silence between us. I glanced at the screen—it was the cemetery staff.

“Hello?”

“Miss Rachel, you need to come to the cemetery immediately. Someone is trying to dig up your daughter’s grave.”

The blood drained from my face. I didn’t have time to argue with Adam anymore. Grabbing my bag, I rushed out the door without looking back. My heart pounded in my chest as I raced to the cemetery, praying that I wasn’t too late to protect what little I had left of my daughter.

After arriving at the cemetery, I rushed to my daughter's grave, my heart pounding in my chest. A group of people were already there, pushing and shoving with the cemetery staff. Amid the chaos, a woman in a white dress stood in front of the grave, clutching a penguin doll. It was Kate.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw the grave had been dug up, the pink coffin of my daughter now exposed to the world. The sight was like a dagger to my heart, piercing me with a pain so intense I could hardly breathe.

I walked over, my steps heavy with anger and grief, until I stood directly in front of Kate. My voice was cold and steady as I asked, "Did you let them dig it up?"

Kate looked up, clearly startled to see me. But then she smiled, a sickeningly sweet expression that only fueled my rage. "Sister Rachel," she began, "it’s you. Yes, I asked them to—"

Before she could finish, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face, the force of it knocking her to the ground. The slap echoed through the air, a sharp, satisfying crack. But the satisfaction was fleeting, overwhelmed by the hatred and despair bubbling up inside me. I moved to kick her, driven by an uncontrollable need to hurt her as much as I was hurting.

But before I could, Adam suddenly appeared. He pushed me away, his face twisted in anger. "Rachel, how long are you going to keep this up? I only saw Kate once since she came back and now you’re hitting her? Where’s your dignity?"

His words stung, but not as much as seeing him rush to Kate’s side. He helped her up and she collapsed into his arms like a delicate, helpless creature. Her voice was soft and tremulous as she spoke, "Rachel, why are you doing this to me? I only came back to say goodbye to Adam."

She clung to the penguin doll, her grip tightening as if it were a lifeline. "This was the pet doll we raised together. Even though we’re apart, it’s like a bond that still ties us together. I wanted to bury our Peggy here and then Adam and I will have no more ties. This cemetery is the best in the area and there’s only one plot left. Please, Rachel, let us have it so we can bury our Peggy."

She looked up at Adam with teary, imploring eyes and he stared back at her, his expression conflicted. Then his gaze shifted to the tombstone and the color drained from his face. His eyes widened as he saw the photo of Tania and her name etched into the stone.

He looked back at me, fury replacing the shock. "Rachel, why did you erect a tombstone for Tania in advance? Are you trying to curse our daughter?"

His words were like a slap to my face and for a moment, I was too stunned to speak. The absurdity, the cruelty of his accusation, left me reeling. I could barely process what he was saying—this man, who had abandoned us when we needed him most, who was now accusing me of something so vile.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my voice trembling with rage and heartbreak. "Curse? Adam, our daughter is already gone! She died because you were too busy with her!" I pointed at Kate, who was still nestled in his arms. "You don’t deserve to mention Tania, not after what you’ve done."

Adam’s face twisted with guilt and anger, but I didn’t care anymore. The man I once loved, who I had spent my entire life caring for, was nothing more than a stranger to me now.

"Are you taking revenge on me? Rachel, you know I met Kate, so you curse Tania to get back at me?" Adam’s voice rose in desperation, his tone wild as he yelled at me, like a cornered animal lashing out.

I met his crazed gaze with calm resolve. "So, why did you want to see her?" I asked, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me.

Adam’s eyes flickered with panic and for a moment, he seemed lost for words. Then he stammered, "Kate just said it very clearly—she came to say goodbye. Don’t I even have the right to say goodbye to her?"

I wasn’t buying his feeble excuse. "Then tell me," I pressed, "why would she answer your phone while you were in the shower?"

His panic deepened, evident in his trembling voice as he stepped closer to me. He lowered his voice, a desperate attempt to contain the situation. "Rachel, there are people here. Let’s not argue in front of them. I’ll explain everything when we get home."

The sound of my hand meeting his cheek echoed through the cemetery. "Scumbag!" I spat, my voice dripping with the disdain I had kept buried for too long. "Adam, I’m 32 years old. I have loved you for 32 years. And what have you done in return?"

Adam looked at me in disbelief, his hand slowly rising to his cheek where I had struck him. "You… you hit me?" he stammered, as though the very idea was inconceivable.

I had always been the one to take care of him, the one to love him unconditionally, more than his own family. I had never raised a hand against him, never even spoken a harsh word to him. And now, here we were.

But before I could say more, Kate rushed forward, pushing me with surprising force. "Rachel, I won’t let you hurt Adam! You forced me to go abroad and I left him to you—not so you could bully him!"

I stared at her, incredulous. "I forced you to go abroad?" I repeated, the absurdity of her accusation almost making me laugh.

"Kate, did Rachel really force you to go abroad?" Adam asked, his expression cold as he turned to her.

Kate lowered her head, her voice trembling with mock humility. "Adam, it’s all in the past. Let’s not bring it up again. If she hadn’t hit you, I would’ve kept it to myself."

Adam’s gaze shifted back to me, suspicion clouding his eyes. "Is it true, Rachel? Did you force her?"

I shook my head, too exhausted to defend myself against their twisted narrative. "It doesn’t matter," I said, waving them off. "Just get out of here. I don’t want to see either of you again."

Kate clung to Adam, her voice wavering with faux distress. "Brother Adam, what about our Peggy? We’ve already canceled it on QQ and now we don’t even have a place to bury her. It’s so pitiful."

Adam took a deep breath, his expression hardening as he looked at me. "Rachel, stop causing trouble. Give up the cemetery plot. Tania doesn’t need it because I’ve found a donor with Kate’s help and Tania will be fine."

Kate’s involvement in this, the casual way Adam mentioned her, sent a fresh wave of disgust washing over me. "Adam," I sneered, "you disgust me. You think you can cut ties with your ex-girlfriend by burying a doll and calling it a ceremony? What kind of person are you?"

Kate, of course, burst into tears again. "Peggy isn’t just a doll! She was a part of our lives, just like your daughter is to you!"

"Don’t you dare mention my daughter!" I roared, my anger reaching its boiling point as I lunged at her.

But Adam grabbed me before I could strike her again, throwing me aside with a force that sent me stumbling to the ground. He stood over me, his face contorted with anger. "Rachel, stop this now!"

He turned to the group of people Kate had brought with her. "Dig out the coffin and take away the tombstone!" he ordered, his voice cold and unyielding.

"No!" I screamed, scrambling to my feet and rushing toward them, but Adam grabbed me, holding me tightly as I struggled. I wanted to tell him the truth, to scream at him that our daughter was already gone, but he silenced me, covering my mouth with his hand. "Rachel, listen to me—stop talking now!"

The sound of shovels hitting the earth rang out as the coffin was dug up. And then, as they lifted it, the coffin fell and flipped over with a sickening crash. The sound of shattering porcelain echoed in the still air.

My heart sank as I realized what had happened. My daughter’s urn—it was broken.

"Get out of here!" I bit down on Adam’s hand, hard and broke free from his grip. I rushed to the coffin, my hands trembling as I begged the workers, "Open it, please! My daughter’s urn is broken!"

They hesitated, their eyes wide with shock. "Open it!" I screamed. "Her ashes—please!"

The cemetery staff hurried over and opened the lid. Inside, the urn was shattered, the delicate porcelain pieces mixed with the ashes of my beloved daughter. The sight broke something inside me. Ignoring the sharp edges that cut into my fingers, I began to gather the ashes, my tears falling onto the fragments.

Adam stood frozen, his face a mask of horror and disbelief. "Rachel… What is this? Why are there ashes?"

One of the cemetery workers looked at him with pity. "Mr. Lambert, you didn’t know? Your daughter passed away over ten days ago."

"Impossible!" Adam whispered, his voice shaking as he fumbled for his phone. He dialed his assistant with trembling hands. "My daughter…"

The assistant’s voice was sober on the other end. "Mr. Lambert, your daughter's condition worsened. There was an organ donation, but someone intercepted it. She… she didn’t make it."