Chapter 2

I hung up on Richard before he could even answer.

Looking back, I was nothing but a fool—a total clown—in this whole marriage with Richard.

When we were dating, he kept me in the dark about his previous marriage.

He didn't come clean until after we'd already legally tied the knot.

I was knocked for a loop.

But he swore up and down that his ex-wife had cheated on him, which was why they divorced, and their child had stayed with her.

Against my better judgment, his seemingly sincere promises led me to go through with the wedding.

Afterward, he remained in constant contact with his ex.

When I eventually found out, he said it was all for his kid.

I initially wanted to get a divorce, but every single friend and relative got in my ear, telling me Richard was a truly stand-up guy and that if I just tried to understand him more and work on the marriage, he wouldn't betray me.

They all suggested his heart was still with his ex because I hadn't measured up as a wife.

For the past three years, I bent over backwards to love him with all my might, swallowing every humiliation and grievance.

It wasn't until reality slapped me hard in the face that I finally realized just how monumentally stupid I had been.

The ambulance arrived at the scene in no time.

A team of paramedics immediately started emergency resuscitation on Lily.

"I'm so sorry. We really did everything we could. But she didn't make it. Your little girl passed away right here."

"We are truly sorry for your loss."

I couldn't process the words and kept begging the medical staff to save my child.

I knew, deep down, that it was a lost cause, yet I simply could not believe that my little girl, who was full of life only hours ago, was now a blood-stained corpse.

I followed the ambulance to the hospital, where a few police officers came to take my statement.

Once that was over, I walked in a daze toward the morgue, desperate to see my daughter one last time.

As I rounded a corner in the hospital, I ran straight into Richard, his ex-wife, and her daughter.

The ex-wife's daughter had a cast on her leg.

Richard was leaning down, speaking to her with deep concern. "You really need to watch your step next time. Thank goodness it was just a minor fracture this time.

"Don't you still want to be a dancer someday?

"So you have to take better care of yourself. If you break your leg, you won't be able to dance anymore."

His gentle tone was a world away from the way he had spoken to me on the phone.

"Jessica, what are you doing here?" Richard's ex-wife, Vanessa Cole, was the first to spot me and asked, surprised.

She continued, "This floor is the maternity ward. What brings you here?

"Richard, I thought you said Jessica always did as she was told.

"How is it that she said she was at the amusement park an hour ago and now she's outside the maternity ward?"

Richard's face darkened. "Didn't you say you were taking Lily to the amusement park? Why are you lying to me?"

Seeing my silence, Vanessa continued with a sugary-sweet malice, "You look so worn out. You're not here for an abortion, are you?"

Vanessa was a master manipulator and often poisoned the well against me with Richard.

Richard, feeling embarrassed in front of his ex-wife, looked at me with increasing fury. "Answer me."

I let out a bitter laugh. He truly believed any nonsense whatever Vanessa told him, no matter how unbelievable it was.

I bit down hard on my lip, using the sting to hold back the tears threatening to spill, and said, "Lily is dead."

He was Lily's father. I felt I owed it to him to tell him the truth, to let him see our daughter one last time.

But before Richard could say a word, Vanessa jumped in with a sneer. "Jessica, you really are twisted.

"What kind of mother would actually curse her own child like that?

"Richard, the more she acts this way, the more it proves she has a guilty conscience."

Richard clearly took the bait from Vanessa. "How can Lily have a mother who spins such tall tales?

"Using our daughter to cover up whatever shady stuff you're up to, it's a tragedy for Lily to have a mother like you."

I had no idea how he could stand there, so self-righteous, reading me the riot act.

It was he who had promised Lily he would be there for her birthday.

She might've been young, but she held onto the belief that her father would show up today.

Richard was constantly MIA in Lily's life. I was the one who poured my heart and soul into raising her.

I loved Lily more than anyone.

"Richard, is that really how you see me?" I asked.

My look of utter despair made him pause for a second, and he didn't answer right away.

Just then, his ex-wife's daughter, Sophie, tugged on his sleeve. "Dad, my leg hurts from standing so long.

"Didn't you promise to buy me ice cream?"

Richard bent down and scooped Sophie up in his arms. "Sure, my baby girl."

I watched Sophie snuggle around Richard, while Lily was lying in the cold morgue.

Richard looked at me with impatience. "Jessica, guess I'm the one who let you get out of hand.

"If you can't explain what happened today, I'll see to it that you're out of the family."

Just then, a nurse called out to me from a distance. "Are you Ms. Grant?"

She walked up to me and handed me a wad of cash. "This is the money the gentleman who came to the hospital with you left for you.

"He said he couldn't find you, so he asked me to give it to you."

The nurse shoved the thick bundle of bills into my hand.

She had other duties and quickly rushed away.