Chapter 2 · He Buried Our Daughter For Her Dog

The hallway lights suddenly turned harsh, and I had to brace myself against the wall to keep from collapsing.

I said, "Do the surgery, no matter the cost."

Hadley was silent for so long that Lisa finally tugged at his sleeve.

"Doctor." Hadley finally broke his silence, hesitation in his voice. "How much is the surgery going to cost?"

I completely snapped. "Are you fucking asking about the cost right now? Callie's dying for god's sake!"

The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "We'll do everything we can. Please sign the consent form as soon as possible."

I slammed the consent form against Hadley's chest. "Sign it!"

As he pulled out his pen, I noticed it was the one Phyllis had given him for his thirtieth birthday.

Lisa's eyes lit up for a moment.

Once Hadley finished signing, the doctor hurried back into the operating room. I collapsed onto the bench and fished my phone out of my pocket.

"I'll take care of the bill," I said.

Hadley nodded, still intently focused on the dog cradled in his arms. Lisa leaned in to examine its paw, her chest nearly brushing his arm.

The line at the billing desk stretched on forever. Moving on autopilot, I dug around in my wallet, but my medical insurance card was nowhere to be found.

"This is just great..." I practically emptied all my pockets, panic rising, until I suddenly remembered that it was probably in Hadley's jacket.

When I got back to the ER, Hadley and Lisa were nowhere to be found. I made my way toward the staff corridor and caught the sound of whispered voices from inside.

"Don't let it show so much," Hadley murmured.

Lisa was crying. "I can't help it. Seeing Priscilla hurt feels like watching Phyllis die all over again..."

Hadley said, his tone gentle, "I know, but Callie is my daughter."

Lisa scoffed, "Daughter? Didn't you only marry Harmony because she looked like Phyllis? Now Phyllis is gone, and even the dog is more important to you than the kid you had with your stand-in..."

I hesitated, hand hovering over the doorknob, suddenly unsure if I should go in.

Hadley let out a weary sigh. "That's enough. Before Phyllis passed, she trusted you to look after the dog. I won't let her down. I'll take care of the dog."

"What about our deal?" Lisa's voice went all syrupy, teasing. "Weren't we supposed to wait three years..."

I slammed the door open, unable to hold back anymore.

They jumped apart, startled. Lisa's cheeks were still streaked with tears, but she couldn't hide that sly little smile tugging at her lips.

"Medical insurance card," I said, my voice eerily calm as I held out my hand.

Hadley fumbled for the card and handed it over, his fingers icy cold.

Back at the billing desk, I unlocked Hadley's phone. The passcode was still Callie's birthday. He'd never changed it.

Lisa's chat was at the top of his messages.

The last message was from this afternoon. [I'm bringing Priscilla over to see you. Miss you.]

As I scrolled up, my stomach twisted into knots.

Three days ago, Lisa wrote: [Had a dream about Phyllis. She was in that white dress, watering the flowers on your balcony.]

Hadley replied: [Jasmine was always her favorite. Why not plant some on your balcony?]

Lisa: [Went to her grave today and saw the flowers you left last time—they're still there. I couldn't stop crying. If only you'd married her instead.]

Hadley: [That's just fate.] He added an emoji of a hug.

I bit down hard on my lip, the pain grounding me.

When I got back from paying, the surgery was still underway. Hadley sat alone on the bench. Lisa was nowhere in sight.

"She went to pick up some bandages for the dog," Hadley offered, not meeting my eyes and sounding almost too quick to explain.

I pulled up my Instagram, and the first post was from Lisa from ten minutes ago.

It read: [Justice delayed is still justice. Shout-out to the person who fought tooth and nail to keep Phyllis's last attachment safe.]

The pic showed the pampered, bandaged Pomeranian snuggled up in her Chanel handbag.

My fingers shook as I stared at her post.

"Harmony!" A familiar voice called out from the end of the hallway.

My best friend, Penelope Bond, came running over in her high heels, a convenience store bag in hand.

She said while pulling me into a hug, "I just heard about the earthquake and rushed over." Then, she leaned in and whispered in my ear, "What's that bitch doing here?"

Hadley got to his feet, clearly uncomfortable. "Penelope..."

Penelope didn't even look at him. She shoved a cup of hot coffee into my hands. "Drink up. Sugar will help. You'll need all your energy."

She shot a quick look at the operating room door, then leaned in and dropped her voice. "I've found out something juicy about your husband and that best friend of his first love."

A chill ran down my spine.

Penelope whipped out her phone and flashed me a photo. Lisa and Hadley were tucked away in a dim corner of some restaurant, her hand casually draped over his thigh.

It was taken last month on my birthday. That nightm Hadley told me he had to work late.

"Wait till you see this," Penelope said, swiping her screen as a grainy surveillance video popped up.

At two in the morning, Hadley's car was parked just outside Lisa's apartment. She slipped out in her pajamas and slid right into his passenger seat. I felt my heart skip a beat.

It was the night Callie was burning up with a fever.

Chapter 2

The hallway lights suddenly turned harsh, and I had to brace myself against the wall to keep from collapsing.

I said, "Do the surgery, no matter the cost."

Hadley was silent for so long that Lisa finally tugged at his sleeve.

"Doctor." Hadley finally broke his silence, hesitation in his voice. "How much is the surgery going to cost?"

I completely snapped. "Are you fucking asking about the cost right now? Callie's dying for god's sake!"

The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "We'll do everything we can. Please sign the consent form as soon as possible."

I slammed the consent form against Hadley's chest. "Sign it!"

As he pulled out his pen, I noticed it was the one Phyllis had given him for his thirtieth birthday.

Lisa's eyes lit up for a moment.

Once Hadley finished signing, the doctor hurried back into the operating room. I collapsed onto the bench and fished my phone out of my pocket.

"I'll take care of the bill," I said.

Hadley nodded, still intently focused on the dog cradled in his arms. Lisa leaned in to examine its paw, her chest nearly brushing his arm.

The line at the billing desk stretched on forever. Moving on autopilot, I dug around in my wallet, but my medical insurance card was nowhere to be found.

"This is just great..." I practically emptied all my pockets, panic rising, until I suddenly remembered that it was probably in Hadley's jacket.

When I got back to the ER, Hadley and Lisa were nowhere to be found. I made my way toward the staff corridor and caught the sound of whispered voices from inside.

"Don't let it show so much," Hadley murmured.

Lisa was crying. "I can't help it. Seeing Priscilla hurt feels like watching Phyllis die all over again..."

Hadley said, his tone gentle, "I know, but Callie is my daughter."

Lisa scoffed, "Daughter? Didn't you only marry Harmony because she looked like Phyllis? Now Phyllis is gone, and even the dog is more important to you than the kid you had with your stand-in..."

I hesitated, hand hovering over the doorknob, suddenly unsure if I should go in.

Hadley let out a weary sigh. "That's enough. Before Phyllis passed, she trusted you to look after the dog. I won't let her down. I'll take care of the dog."

"What about our deal?" Lisa's voice went all syrupy, teasing. "Weren't we supposed to wait three years..."

I slammed the door open, unable to hold back anymore.

They jumped apart, startled. Lisa's cheeks were still streaked with tears, but she couldn't hide that sly little smile tugging at her lips.

"Medical insurance card," I said, my voice eerily calm as I held out my hand.

Hadley fumbled for the card and handed it over, his fingers icy cold.

Back at the billing desk, I unlocked Hadley's phone. The passcode was still Callie's birthday. He'd never changed it.

Lisa's chat was at the top of his messages.

The last message was from this afternoon. [I'm bringing Priscilla over to see you. Miss you.]

As I scrolled up, my stomach twisted into knots.

Three days ago, Lisa wrote: [Had a dream about Phyllis. She was in that white dress, watering the flowers on your balcony.]

Hadley replied: [Jasmine was always her favorite. Why not plant some on your balcony?]

Lisa: [Went to her grave today and saw the flowers you left last time—they're still there. I couldn't stop crying. If only you'd married her instead.]

Hadley: [That's just fate.] He added an emoji of a hug.

I bit down hard on my lip, the pain grounding me.

When I got back from paying, the surgery was still underway. Hadley sat alone on the bench. Lisa was nowhere in sight.

"She went to pick up some bandages for the dog," Hadley offered, not meeting my eyes and sounding almost too quick to explain.

I pulled up my Instagram, and the first post was from Lisa from ten minutes ago.

It read: [Justice delayed is still justice. Shout-out to the person who fought tooth and nail to keep Phyllis's last attachment safe.]

The pic showed the pampered, bandaged Pomeranian snuggled up in her Chanel handbag.

My fingers shook as I stared at her post.

"Harmony!" A familiar voice called out from the end of the hallway.

My best friend, Penelope Bond, came running over in her high heels, a convenience store bag in hand.

She said while pulling me into a hug, "I just heard about the earthquake and rushed over." Then, she leaned in and whispered in my ear, "What's that bitch doing here?"

Hadley got to his feet, clearly uncomfortable. "Penelope..."

Penelope didn't even look at him. She shoved a cup of hot coffee into my hands. "Drink up. Sugar will help. You'll need all your energy."

She shot a quick look at the operating room door, then leaned in and dropped her voice. "I've found out something juicy about your husband and that best friend of his first love."

A chill ran down my spine.

Penelope whipped out her phone and flashed me a photo. Lisa and Hadley were tucked away in a dim corner of some restaurant, her hand casually draped over his thigh.

It was taken last month on my birthday. That nightm Hadley told me he had to work late.

"Wait till you see this," Penelope said, swiping her screen as a grainy surveillance video popped up.

At two in the morning, Hadley's car was parked just outside Lisa's apartment. She slipped out in her pajamas and slid right into his passenger seat. I felt my heart skip a beat.

It was the night Callie was burning up with a fever.