You Want the Best of Both Worlds? Dream On

My husband, Matthew Lorenzo, dies unexpectedly. Soon after, my in-laws come to me with an outrageous suggestion.

"Why not let Matthew’s twin brother take you in and look after you? After all, your child needs a father."

My sister-in-law, Felicia Dare, furiously calls me a shameless woman.

I turn to look at Matthew's brother, Michael Lorenzo. It's like staring at Matthew's face all over again. The grief hits me hard.

Just as I'm about to talk my in-laws out of this ridiculous idea, I overhear a conversation behind the door between them and "Michael".

"Michael was the one who died. Why did you lie and let everyone think it was you?"

Matthew sighs. "The one I love is Felicia. Faking my death was the only way I could be with her openly. And as for this nonsense about taking Luna in and looking after her—drop it.

"As for Luna, I gave her a child and a respectable marriage. I don't owe her anything."

I turn around and see my daughter standing there with her eyes red. She asks, "Mommy, does Daddy not want us anymore?"

I kneel down, gather her into my arms, and hold back the ache in my chest. "Sweetheart, your uncle just wants to protect the person he loves. We shouldn't disturb him; it's time we start our new life."

"Can we leave only after Daddy spends my birthday with me? It'll be the last time," My daughter, Lyanna Lorenzo, asked with tears in her eyes.

"It'll be my fifth birthday next week," she continued. "Daddy promised that he would celebrate my birthday with me."

I patted her little head as I listened to her pitiful request. "Okay. We'll leave after he celebrates your fifth birthday with you."

After putting Lyanna to bed, I opened the drawer and retrieved Matthew's death certificate. I had been married to him for six years. I never would have imagined that our relationship would come to an end like this. Not because of divorce, but because I had been turned into a "widow".

It was obvious that Lyanna was still clinging to one last thread of hope. She was desperate for what little fatherly love Matthew was willing to offer her.

I, on the other hand, had lost all hope in him after discovering his lies. Since he was in love with Felicia Dare and was willing to force me to suffer through the pain of losing my husband, I had no reason to continue making his life difficult.

I was going to take Lyanna with me and disappear from their lives after her fifth birthday.

The next day, Lyanna brought the card she had carefully prepared to give to Matthew. My heart broke when I saw the hope that glimmered in her eyes.

In the six years that we were married, Matthew had never once celebrated Lyanna's birthday. Before his "death", he promised that he would celebrate her fifth birthday with her. I hoped that he had enough guilt in his heart to fulfill his promise to her.

However, in the next second, Lyanna's anguished cries resounded from the living room. I rushed into the living room, only to see that the card that she had meticulously prepared had been ripped to shreds and scattered all across the living room floor.

My nephew, Elias Lorenzo, was stomping on the torn-up pieces of paper. He was wearing an arrogant and bossy expression. "Stupid Lyanna! Your father is already six feet under the ground! An unlucky star like you doesn't deserve to have a father!"

He grabbed something and threw it at Lyanna. I dashed forward to shield her from the projectile, but it never reached me. Instead, it fell to the side and rolled away. It was the wedding ring that had mysteriously disappeared from "Matthew's" ring finger during the funeral.

Despite the animosity that Elias was directing at Lyanna, Matthew only stood by the sidelines and watched, letting Elias do as he pleased.

Despair flickered in Lyanna's eyes, but she still summoned what little courage she had left and asked, "Daddy, I've been earning a lot of gold stars in school. I even won an award for my art. I've been doing so well so… Can you please celebrate my birthday with me?"