I fought to keep my composure.

A soft laugh came through the phone.

"Talia's having an asthma attack? Please. You'd do anything to save this marriage—cry wolf enough times and no one believes you anymore."

In my arms, my daughter let out a feeble whimper. Something inside me snapped.

"Make him come back! She needs help! This is his own daughter! Rebecca, you'll pay for this!"

Rebecca just laughed, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Honestly? It'd be better if she died. Victor's going to have a new child anyway."

Click.

The line went dead.

I stood there in the bitter wind, clutching my daughter as her body went limp in my arms. The hatred that surged through me in that moment—it eclipsed even my terror.

Victor. Rebecca.

If anything happens to my daughter tonight, I will bury your entire family with her.

In the end, that ambulance with its flashing blue lights became the regret I would carry for the rest of my life.

The doctor emerged from the ER, pulled down his mask, and shook his head.

The world didn't collapse. It simply went silent. Completely, utterly silent.

I didn't cry. I just felt something blunt push into my chest and start sawing back and forth until the pain turned to numbness.

I went through the motions mechanically—paperwork, selecting a burial plot, arranging the cremation.

Every form required a family member's signature. The pen trembled so violently in my hand I could barely write.

Somewhere in that haze, I called Victor.

I wanted to tell him our daughter was gone.

I wanted him to see Talia one last time.

First call—rejected.

Second call—rejected.

The third time, my phone buzzed with a text notification.

Victor: Stop calling to harass me. Talk to my lawyer if you have something to say. When you've come to your senses, meet me at the county clerk's office.

I stared at those cold words until my eyes burned dry. Not a single tear fell.

I typed back: Fine. Monday. County clerk's office. I'll be there.

This time, he replied instantly—a voice message.

I pressed play. His tone was mocking, impatient.

"Odette, you'd better not be stalling. If you stand me up, I have ways to make you regret it."

I didn't respond. I just turned off my phone.

The days that followed passed in a blur. I drifted through the empty villa like a ghost.

The funeral was simple—just a few bouquets of lilies, Talia's favorite flower.

I knelt before her casket, burning paper offerings through the endless nights.

Victor never came.

Not a single text asking what happened. Not one phone call.

Nothing.

On the day of the burial, the sharp click of heels echoed from outside the funeral home.

Crisp. Grating.

I looked up.

Rebecca stood in the doorway wearing a crimson dress, a designer bag dangling from her arm, sauntering in like she owned the place.

Her gaze landed on the black-and-white portrait at the center of the room. She pressed a hand to her lips in mock surprise, but her eyes glittered with undisguised satisfaction.

"Oh my. She actually died?"

She walked over and stood above me, looking down at where I knelt, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.

"I was worried this little brat would fight my son for the family inheritance someday. Well, problem solved. Saves me a lot of trouble."

She tilted her head, a saccharine smile spreading across her face.

"Don't be too sad, Odette. It's called survival of the fittest. She was just making room for a child who actually deserves to be blessed."

My fingers tightened around my phone until my nails broke the skin of my palm. Blood seeped through the gaps between my fingers and dripped onto the floor.

I lifted my head and fixed my gaze on her perfectly made-up face. My voice came out raw, like I was choking on blood.

"Get out."

Rebecca let out a contemptuous scoff. "What's with the attitude? I came all this way just to kindly remind you not to forget about the divorce."

She tilted her head, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "After all, now that your little burden is gone, you don't exactly have any leverage to keep Victor anymore, do you?"

She turned away, ignoring the inferno raging in my eyes. Her gaze swept the room like she was surveying a conquered territory, and then she left, thoroughly satisfied.

I watched her retreating figure, and in my heart, I spoke to Talia, word by word.

Baby, take a good look. The people who hurt you—Mommy won't let a single one of them go.

They'll pay for what they've done. Every last one of them.

Monday. Outside the county clerk's office.

A cold drizzle fell without end. The sky hung low and gray, like one vast tombstone pressing down on the world.

I stood at the bottom of the steps in black from head to toe, the broken plastic crown clutched tight in my hand.

A black Maybach pulled up in front of me.

Victor stepped out, radiating confidence, looking like a man who had everything going his way.

But when his eyes landed on my face, that easy smile froze for just a moment.

I probably looked like a ghost.

Deathly pale. Hollowed-out eyes. So thin I was barely recognizable—like something had drained every last drop of life from my body.

Victor's brow furrowed. For once, a flicker of guilt—faint, almost imperceptible—crossed his features.

He walked over and opened an umbrella over my head. His voice softened, just slightly.

"What have you done to yourself?"

He paused, as if weighing his next words. "Since you're being so cooperative, I won't be completely heartless about this."

He pulled another document from his briefcase and held it out to me.

"I had my lawyer draft a new agreement. Everything I promised before, plus an additional two hundred thousand."

His tone turned magnanimous. "After all, raising Talia on your own won't be easy. School fees, medical bills—it all adds up."

The moment her name left his lips, my heart seized.

I raised my head. My eyes, flat and empty, locked onto his.

Victor shifted under my stare, visibly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and asked casually, as if making small talk:

"By the way, how's Talia been since that day? Still mad at me?"

He gave a light chuckle. "That kid holds a grudge—gets it from you. Once we're done here, I'll buy her a new toy. You can smooth things over with her."

I opened my mouth, ready to shatter his nauseating fantasy of fatherhood.

But before I could speak, the shriek of brakes cut through the rain, followed by a woman's shrill, furious voice.

"Odette, you shameless slut!"

Rebecca didn't even bother with an umbrella. She burst out of her red sports car like a woman possessed.

She shoved aside the umbrella Victor was holding over me and jabbed her finger in my face, screaming.

"You're about to sign divorce papers and you're still trying to seduce him? What, you can't survive without Victor? Is that it?"

Rain instantly soaked through my clothes. The icy droplets hammered against my skin—but they were nothing compared to the cold that had already settled in my bones.

Victor's brow creased, but not because I was getting drenched. He reached for Rebecca's hand, his voice tender with concern.

"Becca, what are you doing here? It's pouring—you'll make yourself sick."

He slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. His tone was so gentle, so warm—as if the cold, indifferent man who'd stood before me seconds ago had never existed.

Rebecca melted into his arms on cue, her eyes reddening as she pouted up at him.

"I was worried you'd go soft on her. This woman is so manipulative—what if she tries to use the kid against you again?"

Then she shot me a venomous glare. Her gaze dropped to the broken plastic crown in my hands, and her lip curled with undisguised disgust.

"Clinging to that piece of junk like it means something? You're lucky Victor's so patient—most men wouldn't bother with alimony for someone like you."

I wiped the rain from my face, expression blank, watching the two of them flaunt their disgusting affection right in front of me.

Victor patted her back with a resigned sigh. "Alright, enough. I already signed the papers, didn't I?"

Rebecca's eyes darted with sudden inspiration. She tightened her grip on his arm and lifted her chin, shooting me a triumphant look.

"Since we're already going to the county clerk's office today, why not take care of everything at once?"

She turned to Victor, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness. "Babe, if you're getting your divorce certificate anyway, why don't we just get our marriage license today too?"

Victor blinked, clearly caught off guard. Hesitation flickered across his face.

"Today? Getting married right after a divorce... wouldn't that look bad?"

"Who cares how it looks! I don't care—I want it today! I want everyone to know I'm your real wife!"

Rebecca shook his arm relentlessly, even pretending to storm off in a huff.

Victor wavered, his gaze drifting toward me almost involuntarily, as if gauging my reaction.

I watched their little performance, and slowly—very slowly—a strange smile curved my lips.

"Say yes."

My voice came out hoarse, cutting through the rain with unsettling clarity.