Chapter 1

My mother died in a car accident, and I had to handle her funeral all by myself.

After seeing off the last of the relatives, I called my husband, Scott Ball, who hadn't shown up at all.

"Can you come over?" I asked.

Scott let out a long sigh on the other end.

"Evie, your mom's got the best doctors. She'll be alright. Harriet just had her leg amputated. She's in so much pain she can't sleep at all.

"She really can't be left alone right now. I just can't make it over at the moment. I'll come by when things settle down, okay?"

I looked down at the cold urn in my arms and said in a flat voice, "No, don't bother."

He paused for a few seconds, then replied, sounding impatient.

"Evie, don't be so stubborn, okay? Harriet's got her own problems right now and really needs someone with her.

"Your mom has you and the doctors, what could possibly happen? Stop giving me a hard time about this. I'm already overwhelmed over here."

Harriet Stevens was his childhood sweetheart.

Five days ago, in that pileup, she lost both her legs, and my mom died after twenty-four hours of emergency care.

For the past five days, he kept vigil by Harriet's side day and night at the best private hospital.

When my mom was on her deathbed, she wanted to see him one last time. I called him over and over, but he never picked up.

I stared at the urn in front of me, my voice flat. "Just stay with Harriet. My mom doesn't need you anymore."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Evie, I know you're upset, but Harriet's lost her legs, how is she supposed to live now? Your mom's strong, fate's on her side, she'll be okay.

"Don't keep putting me in the middle."

I took a deep breath and cut him off. "Scott, my mom is already gone..."

Before I could finish, I heard Harriet's soft, needy voice on the other end. "Scott, it hurts."

The next second, he hung up.

I stared at my phone, its screen gone dark, and laughed bitterly, tears streaming down my face.

Clutching my mom's urn, I murmured, "Mom, the son-in-law you cared for most never showed up to say goodbye. I'm so sorry."

I reached into my bag and pulled out the divorce papers I'd prepared two days ago.

My tears fell onto the page, blurring the signature I'd already written.

*****

The cemetery back home wasn't ready yet, so I came home with my mom's urn.

Two hours later, Scott came home, reeking of disinfectant.

As soon as he walked in, he saw the urn on the table.

His brows knitted together.

He strode over, pointing at the urn. "Evie, what's this? What are you pulling now?"

I looked at him calmly. "It's my mom's urn."

"An urn?" He looked at me like I'd just told the most ridiculous joke he'd ever heard.

"Evie, will you ever stop? I just didn't go see your mom for a few days, do you really have to pull this kind of low blow just to get at me?"

He jabbed his finger toward the door, yelling at me.

"The doctors said your mom just had a concussion, she was fine. Harriet lost both her legs. Can't you tell what really matters?

"You're so desperate to get me back, you'd even stoop so low as to curse your own mom just to make me sick?"

I stared at his angry face, and all I could think was, 'This is just ridiculous.'

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Back when the accident happened, he barely listened before bolting off to the other hospital for his childhood sweetheart, Harriet.

He had no clue, the accident only left my mom with some minor injuries on the surface.

But a few years back, she suddenly had a brain bleed. She made it through, but it messed her up for good.

Ever since then, she had serious complications, her blood vessels were super fragile.

This time, the crash hit her so hard it triggered another brain bleed.

By the time she got to the ER, it was already too late to save her.

She fought for twenty-four hours, but in the end, she was gone.

Scott stood there with his hands on his hips, staring at me since I stayed silent.

"Got nothing to say now? Evie, I can't believe I never saw it before. You'd actually pull these messed-up, sick moves just to make me come back?"

I just stared at him. I was not freaking out and was not even bothering to argue.

I spoke, my voice flat and distant.

"Scott, I don't have a mom anymore."

Scott turned away, giving me a look like I'd completely lost my mind.

"Evie, you're unbelievable," he snapped.

With that, he turned and walked straight into the kitchen.

He started prepping ingredients, not even glancing back.

"I'm making soup for Harriet. She just had surgery, she needs all the nutrients she can get. Why don't you go to the market and pick up something nice for your mom yourself?"

I sat on the couch, watching his busy back, and honestly, it was beyond ridiculous.

'Absurd. Just absurd,' I thought to myself.