Chapter 1
Six years ago, my upperclassman Marshall Ellison coaxed me into the bathroom.
He murmured enticingly, "Be good, give it to me."
I resisted half-heartedly, and we ended up fulfilling each other's desires.
The guy I'd been secretly pining for liked me back—it was everything I'd ever dreamed of.
But right then, his childhood sweetheart Reva Krause walked in on us.
She was thunderstruck. In a fit of rage, she fled the country, leaving a void in Marshall's heart that lingered for years.
Six years later, when Reva came back, Marshall couldn't contain his excitement.
Eager to impress her, he took our daughter Miranda Ellison along to buy a rare, limited-edition bouquet from around the world—but he left her behind on the busy shopping street.
Miranda, born colorblind and unable to distinguish red from green at the crosswalk, was hit by a car and thrown into the air.
The moment I learned what happened, my entire world shattered.
In the early hours of the morning, I dragged my leaden legs back home, barely managing to wrap up everything after what felt like an eternity.
It should have been a happy day, but Marshall's betrayal shattered our family in an instant—our daughter was gone, and our home was in ruins.
I stumbled mechanically into her room and buried my face in the bedding, which still held her faint scent.
That familiar smell hit me like a hammer, pounding at my heart over and over, until I couldn't hold it together anymore. I broke down sobbing.
"Miranda, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry—I deserve to die..."
If only I'd rushed back from out of town a bit faster today, maybe I could have protected her. But now it was too late.
"Kellie, what the hell are you wailing about? Did someone die?"
The sharp rebuke cut my sobs short.
I lifted my tear-streaked face and saw Marshall in the doorway, his expression twisted with fury. He snatched the water glass from the table and smashed it viciously at my feet.
"What gives you the right to secretly track me? You're always so paranoid—now you're stalking me too!"
I shot a cold glance at Reva Krause standing behind him.
I should have been raging, storming over to beat the crap out of this cheating pair.
But my heart was just empty, numb to it all.
In a way, I even owed Reva a thank you.
If she hadn't posted that gloating photo of the bouquet on her social media a few hours ago, I never would have realized Marshall had abandoned our six-year-old daughter on Valentine's Day to go fetch flowers with her.
In just a few hours, he'd destroyed my entire life.
"Speak up! Are you mute?
"Miranda hardly ever talks—guess she gets that from you!
"Can't even tell colors apart—is that from you too?"
When I didn't respond, Marshall's vicious words stabbed at me like knives again.
Yes, Miranda was colorblind, but she was sweet and thoughtful, and she adored her parents.
But because of her colorblindness, Marshall didn't love her—he wouldn't even admit to outsiders that he had a daughter.
I slowly stood up, my blank gaze drifting over every corner of her room, still half-convinced this was all a nightmare.
Seeing me stay silent, Marshall lost it and grabbed for something else to hurl at me, but Reva stopped him just in time.
She flashed an innocent smile. "Kellie, you're not mad at me, are you?"
She dipped her head slightly, putting on a pitiful, doe-eyed expression.
"Sorry—I just got back to the country and don't have many friends here. I had no choice but to ask Marshall for help. You're so reasonable, Kellie; you get where I'm coming from, right?"
I let out a scornful snort.
Over the past two years, Marshall and Reva had been glued at the hip, with him staying out all night more often than not.
Whenever I tried to ask about it, he'd blow up, calling me petty and insisting she was just a childhood friend—that he saw her like a little sister.
A sister?
More like the kind of a woman you took to bed.
The more I dwelled on it, the more it turned my stomach. A surge of bitter grief welled up from deep inside, threatening to swallow me whole.
I stood up, fixing my calm gaze on Marshall.
"Marshall, let's get a divorce."
He let out a cold snort, his voice laced with contempt.
"You won't even own up to your mistake—just throwing around divorce threats? That's absurd!
"You're seriously going to end our marriage over something this minor? Have you even considered how Miranda would feel? Do you even deserve to be her mother?"
I bowed my head, my eyes landing on the Barbie doll by her bedside.
It was her absolute favorite toy—the one she cuddled every night before falling asleep.
I truly didn't deserve to be her mom.
I gently scooped up the Barbie, holding it close like something precious. The morgue was so dark and cold; I was afraid she'd be scared without it.
"Kellie, even if you're upset, you can't just toss out talk of divorce like that—it'll really hurt Marshall's feelings!"
As I brushed past Reva, she suddenly latched onto my hand.