The fire raged, and Garry stood frozen between two doors, paralyzed by indecision.

I blacked out from sheer fury. When I came to, I saw him sitting beside my hospital bed, cradling that little dog in one arm while he murmured softly to Kayla, whose cheeks were flushed with color. "Lily dying in the fire was just bad luck. Don't blame yourself. Look how worried our little pup is about you!"

In that moment, something inside me turned to ash.

After I was discharged, I did three things.

I buried Lily.

I hired a lawyer and filed for divorce.

And I called back an old college friend. The job offer overseas—I accepted it.

"Ida, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, but there's no reason to take it out on Kayla." Garry's tone was weary, almost pleading. "She saved my life once. If nothing else, do it for me. Stop making things difficult for her, okay?"

I lifted my head. My voice came out flat and cold. "Your savior. What does that have to do with me?"

"Listen to yourself." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "We're husband and wife. What's mine is yours, remember?"

"Garry, let's get a divorce."

The words left my mouth without preamble.

I'd always imagined I would feel grief when I finally said them. Regret, maybe. But now that the moment had arrived, all I felt was relief.

The smile vanished from his face. His hand shot out and locked around my wrist, his fingers trembling. Even his voice shook. "Ida, don't you dare talk nonsense."

"I'm serious."

I closed my eyes, too exhausted to keep them open. "Garry, this is over."

"Ida, is this still about Lily?" His voice cracked with urgency, guilt swimming in his eyes. "I'm heartbroken about Lily too, but you can't throw a tantrum over something like this."

"Kayla saved my life once. She has no family, no one. I treat her like a little sister. That dog is the only family she has. How could I let her down?"

"Ida, you understand, don't you?"

I pried his fingers off my wrist. "All I understand is that you let my daughter burn to death for the sake of an animal."

"But Garry chose to save that animal over your daughter." Kayla's gaze slid to me, sharp with provocation. One hand stroked the dog in her lap. "Doesn't that mean your daughter was worth less than an animal?" She smiled, pressing her cheek against the dog's fur. "My sweet baby is the lucky one. So many people love her."

"Shut your mouth!" Rage surged through me. I lunged toward her, but Garry caught me and held me back.

His brow furrowed into deep lines, his voice low and even. "Ida, the doctor said you need rest."

"Rest? How am I supposed to rest?" I threw myself against him, fists and feet striking wherever they could land, as if violence were the only language left for my pain. "My daughter burned alive, and you didn't lift a finger to save her. Now you stand there and let this woman spit on her memory!"

"Garry, I want a divorce. You don't deserve to be called Lily's father!"

Kayla shrank behind him, her expression crumpling into something pitiful and wounded. "Ida, I know you don't really want a divorce. You're only saying this to force Garry to push me away."

She dabbed at her reddened eyes and let out a bitter little laugh. "I know I need him. I really do. But if you're so heartless that you can't even tolerate me as a sister, then fine. I'll go."

"Kayla!" Garry's voice thundered through the room. He pulled her back to his side. "As long as I'm here, no one is making you leave."

He turned to me, jaw set. "Ida, let me make this perfectly clear. Divorce is not happening. And Kayla is not going anywhere."

Kayla gazed up at him, adoration and gratitude spilling from her eyes. "Garry..."

The two of them stood there, wrapped up in each other, when my voice cut through like a blade of ice.

"Garry, you don't get a say in this."

"I don't get a say?" Garry let out a cold laugh and planted himself right in front of me. "Ida, I think I've been too good to you. Without the title of Mrs. Sanchez, what do you even have?"

Even though hope had long since died inside me, his cutting words still sent a stab of pain through my chest.

"Garry, I have an idea." Kayla's smile dripped with malice as she laid out her little scheme. "The only reason she dares act this way is because she's been living comfortably with nothing to worry about, right? Just freeze her bank cards. Give it a few days and she'll come crawling back, begging to make nice."

"Fine. Freeze them."

Garry turned to me, his face dark as a storm. "You can still apologize. Do it now, and I might reconsider."

"Go ahead and freeze them." I lifted my chin, a bitter smile on my lips. I wanted to see him try.

"Unbelievable." This time Garry didn't hesitate. He dialed the bank immediately. "I have several cards under my name. Shut them all down."

The bank representative verified the information several times before responding in an odd tone. "Mr. Sanchez, are you sure you want to freeze these particular cards?"

"Yes!" Garry's voice was clipped with impatience. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sanchez, but these cards have had a zero balance for quite some time. There hasn't been a single transaction in six months."

Garry froze. He stared at me, bewildered. "No living expenses? How have you been surviving these past six months? I transferred money to you every month..."

I laughed, hollow and self-mocking. "How generous of you to remember. Six months ago, you told me Kayla was frugal and responsible while I did nothing but blow money buying press coverage to flaunt our relationship. So you cut off my allowance yourself. Ring any bells?"

A tangle of emotions crossed his face. He stood there in silence for a long time, until the customer service representative's voice pulled him back. "Mr. Sanchez? Would you still like to proceed with freezing the cards?"

"No..."

"Of course he would." Kayla snatched the phone from his hand. "Garry, don't let her fool you. Even if her allowance was cut, she still has shares in the Sanchezes. The monthly dividends alone are a fortune."

"Right. You almost slipped that past me." Garry placed the phone firmly in Kayla's palm, a sharp glint in his eyes as he looked at me. "When did you get so calculating, Ida? From now on, Kayla decides how much you spend."

I met the contempt in his gaze without flinching. My expression gave away nothing.

Shares in the Sanchezes? The family had taken those back the day after our wedding, citing one excuse or another.

A message lit up my phone screen.

Ida, your flight in three days is confirmed. Will you be ready to leave on schedule?

I replied yes and started packing.

Before I left, I wanted to visit Lily's grave one last time. I didn't want to be overseas, aching with the regret of not having said goodbye.

I'd hired someone to find the perfect resting place for her. Rolling green hills, clear water, beautiful scenery. Lily would have loved it.

I set the fruit and flowers down in front of the headstone in silence, and only when I lifted my head did my eyes betray me, red and burning. "Lily, I promise you, Mommy will make them pay. Just wait for me a little longer, okay?"

Then I saw the photograph.

My pupils contracted.

That wasn't Lily. It was a stranger. A middle-aged man I had never seen before.

My blood ran cold. Who did this?

I tore through the cemetery in a frenzy, making trip after trip until I finally tracked down the manager. "Where is my daughter? What did you do with my daughter?"

The manager looked completely baffled. "Ms. Swanson, didn't you come in yesterday when the payment was due and say you wouldn't be renewing? You said you had your own arrangements for the ashes."

"What are you talking about? I never received a payment reminder. Who did you call?" My voice cracked, tears choking the words in my throat. Who had done this to my baby girl?

"Your husband's secretary took the call!"

Kayla. Coleman.

Rage ignited inside me like wildfire.

By the time I stormed into Sanchez Corp, the receptionist blocked my path.

"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Sanchez has instructed us not to allow unauthorized visitors inside."

I stared at her. Then I pulled out the photo of my marriage certificate. "Garry and I aren't divorced yet. So where exactly did this Mrs. Sanchez come from?"

The receptionist glanced at the photo and scoffed. "That's obviously photoshopped. Everyone knows Mr. Sanchez adores his wife. He can't even bear to be apart from her during work hours, so he created a secretary position just to keep her close."

Her gaze swept over me, head to toe, dripping with contempt. "Someone like you? You think you could be Mrs. Sanchez?"

I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone to call Garry directly. But the voice that answered wasn't his.

It was Kayla's. Lazy. Suggestive. Dripping with something she wanted me to hear.

"He's busy. What do you want now?"

"Kayla, what did you do with Lily's grave?"

"Why do you care?" She let out a light, mocking laugh. "Mr. Sanchez put me in charge of it. Stop making a fuss."

The line went dead.

Seconds later, security appeared and politely escorted me out.

My thoughts spiraled. I had no idea where that woman had put Lily's ashes. But I didn't dare push her too hard either. If I backed her into a corner, she might destroy them entirely. Panic was clawing at my chest when I noticed two shabbily dressed people walking toward the Sanchez Corp entrance. A man and a woman, clearly from the countryside.

Something made me look twice.

The woman was beaming. "That girl Kayla sure works fast. Found a prime burial spot in less than a day. Now your uncle can finally rest easy."

The man hesitated. "I heard the plot used to belong to some little girl who burned to death. Her father's the CEO of Sanchez Corp. Is it really okay that she just tossed those ashes out?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Mr. Sanchez is head over heels for Kayla. He won't care about something so small."

Every muscle in my body locked. Cold sweat crawled down my spine.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in the conference room. I didn't remember how I'd gotten there. Half a shard of broken glass was clenched in my fist.

Kayla scrambled behind Garry, her face a mask of terror.

Garry's expression twisted with fury. "Ida! What are you doing? There are senior executives in this room. Have you lost your mind?"

A ring of people surrounded the conference table, whispering, pointing.

I didn't see any of them.

"Kayla Coleman!" My voice cut through the room like a blade. "What did you do with my daughter's ashes? Answer me!"

Something in my expression must have shaken him, because beneath the anger, a flicker of doubt crept into Garry's eyes. He turned to Kayla. "Kayla... Lily's ashes. Did you touch them?"

"Of course not!" Kayla's lip trembled, her eyes wide and wounded. "Garry, she's your own daughter. I would've cherished her remains. How could you even ask me that?"

"You're lying!"

I shoved my phone in front of them, the cemetery photo filling the screen. "Then explain this. Who is this man buried in my daughter's plot?"

Garry's breath caught. "Kayla... who is this man?"

"Garry Sanchez, you useless piece of—" Tears burned down my cheeks before I could stop them. "You couldn't protect Lily when she was alive. Now you can't even protect her ashes! Your own daughter's remains were thrown away by this woman, and you just stand there!"

"That's impossible!" Garry shot back reflexively. "Kayla is kindhearted. She would never do something like that. There has to be a misunderstanding."

Kayla nodded, satisfaction barely concealed behind her pitiful expression. "Thank you for believing me, Garry. I truly have no idea what this is about."

"Still denying it?" My voice went flat. Cold. Dead. "I already found your accomplices outside. Let's see how you talk your way out of this."