Don't Ruin Me.

I stared at the clock in front of me, ticking slowly as I waited for my daughter to pick her call. Earlier in the morning, she had presented her award for being the best student in school to her father and me, after which he suggested we take her shopping.

It was 8 p.m. already, and my daughter was not yet back home. My phone soon started ringing, and a wave of relief washed over me as I saw the caller — it was Hailey, my daughter.

“Hello…” I started, but I was suddenly interrupted by the blaring sound of an ambulance siren and hushed voices in the background. Then a male voice came through, frantic and strained.

“Your daughter is dead!!!”

---

Picking up my car keys, I rushed straight to the hospital, my mind reeling with thoughts of what might have happened and how. I prayed and wished it was all a dream.

Gripping my phone tightly, I dialed my husband’s number. The voice that answered made me freeze in place.

“He’s sleeping. Why are you calling him at this time of the night?”

I recognized that voice immediately — Melissa. Liam’s first love.

“Melissa, I don’t have time to mince words with you. Please, just give the phone to Liam. I beg you.” I cried, trembling as I tried to keep my voice steady.

“Give me the phone,” I heard someone say from the other end. Liam’s gruff voice could never be mistaken.

“Why are you calling, Kyra?” His deep, baritone voice sent shivers down my spine — but not the kind I used to feel when we were newly married. This one was sharp, and cold, dismissing me even before I could speak.

“Liam! I got a call from the hospital that Hailey is dead. She was with you — what happened?” My voice cracked as panic clawed at my chest. I knew I should be mad that he was with his ex, but right now, I didn’t care. I just wanted to know what happened to our daughter.

“Take your cheap, fake cries somewhere else, Kyra. Hailey’s been with me all this while. Melissa just sent her to get some groceries down the street. She’ll be back soon.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. How could Liam think I was making up our daughter’s death just to gain his attention? And worse — how could he allow Melissa to send Hailey out on the street at such an odd hour of the night?

“Liam! You need to listen to me. Hailey is dead — I got a call from the hospital! What the hell did you and your cheap, lascivious lover do to my child?!” My voice rose, anger boiling inside me like acid.

“Go to hell, Kyra. I can’t have you disturbing my night.”

The line went dead.

My heart thudded painfully. I pressed hard on the accelerator, ignoring the speed limit, ignoring the pain clawing at my chest. I didn’t care what Liam and Melissa were doing together — not now. I just needed to see my child.

Liam and I had been perfect — at least until Melissa came back from the United States with her six-year-old daughter after her husband divorced her for stealing from him. From that moment, everything changed.

I wiped the tears trickling down my cheeks as I rushed into the hospital, dreading what I was about to face.

---

I stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the cold, lifeless body of my daughter. My hands trembled violently as I clutched the doorframe, fighting to stay upright. The tears came uncontrollably, breaking past every barrier I had left.

That was when I saw them — Liam and Melissa, walking in with their daughter.

“What did you do to her, Kyra?” Liam’s voice thundered through the room as he charged toward me.

I looked at him tearfully, hardly recognizing the man I once loved. “I called you, Liam! I told you our daughter was dead — but you said I was lying! You took her out, and you let her—let her send Hailey out at night. And now, she’s gone. I don’t even know how she died.”

Melissa’s eyes darted around nervously, her lips curling slightly in what looked like pity, but her tone was anything but sincere. “Kyra, I’m so sorry. Please don’t take it out on Liam. I only sent her to get groceries; I didn’t know something like this would happen.”

But her hand slid into Liam’s, her thumb rubbing him slow, comforting circles against his skin. Her face didn’t show remorse.

Liam didn’t pull away. He just stood there, his jaw tight, and eyes fixed on Hailey’s still body. His silence spoke volumes. The death hit him — I could see that — but not enough to make him care about me.

The door creaked open again, and a doctor walked in, removing his gloves with a sigh. His face held the kind of exhaustion that comes from trying and failing to save a life.

“Mrs. Kyra… I’m sorry. It was an accident. A car hit her while she was crossing the street. We tried everything we could, but she’d lost too much blood before she arrived. I’m so sorry.”

His words crashed over me like a tidal wave. I staggered backward, my knees buckling. “She… she didn’t even like crossing alone,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

The doctor lowered his voice. “You’ll have to make burial arrangements soon. The hospital doesn’t allow bodies to stay too long in the morgue.”

I nodded slowly, wiping my face with shaking hands. “I… I’ll come tomorrow. I can’t just leave her here. I’ll bury her myself. She’s been through enough — she doesn’t deserve to stay in that cold room.”

The words broke me.

Turning away from them, I walked out of the hospital, my legs weak but my heart was heavier. The rain hit me the moment I stepped outside, soaking through my clothes, but I didn’t care. My mind was blank, complementing my numb body.

Somewhere behind me, I heard Liam call my name — his voice strained and uncertain, maybe even guilty. But I didn’t turn. I kept walking.

The loud sound of screeching tires came next.

I looked up just in time to see the headlights. My body froze as my mind was too slow to react.

The impact threw me to the ground, the world spinning around me violently. The pain swept through me causing my body to shake violently…

And then… I saw them.

Those amber eyes — glowing faintly through the blur.

Hailey.

She was standing there, staring at me.

My breath hitched. “Hailey…?”

Everything went black.