Chapter 3

My heart twisted in agony as I knelt before Lilith's body, muttering the same words again and again.

I said, "I'm sorry, Lilith. It's all my fault, for being so blind and giving you a father like that."

Lilith lay in the funeral home all night, and I kept vigil by her side until morning.

But Darian never called, not even once.

My parents rushed in from out of town, and when they saw Lilith's body, they were completely devastated.

Mom grabbed my hand and asked, "Where's Darian? No matter how busy he is, he should at least be here to say goodbye to his daughter."

I let out a cold laugh, my lips curling in disdain. Busy? What a joke

He was too busy cooking for some other woman and playing daddy to someone else's kid. He never cared about me or Lilith.

As soon as dawn broke, the funeral home staff wheeled Lilith into the cremation chamber. When she came out, all that remained was a tiny square box.

People came and went at the funeral, but Darian was conspicuously absent.

Everyone in the neighborhood kept asking me, "Where did he go?"

Mom noticed the tension between Darian and me. She urged me, "No matter what happened between you two, Lilith is still his daughter. She would have wanted to see her dad one last time."

After much hesitation, I ended up calling Darian.

He barked, "What do you want? I'm busy today. I don't have time for your crap. Just say it and stop wasting my time.

"Final exams are right around the corner. Let Lilith play all she wants, but then send her straight to tutoring. If she screws up again, I'll make her pay for it."

I squeezed my eyes shut, fury boiling in my chest. "Darian, how long are you going to keep acting like you know everything? Are you deaf or just stupid? Lilith is dead. Your daughter is dead."

"What?" Darian blurted out, his voice laced with shock and a trace of disbelief.

"Lilith's being buried today. Come or don't. It's up to you," I said calmly.

I hung up, feeling utterly numb inside, as if all hope had been extinguished.

When Lilith was first born, Darian actually played the part of a good dad for a while. He was even more skilled than me at feeding her and changing diapers.

But after Lilith started grade school, it was like Darian became a whole new person. He was cold, critical, and totally driven by achievement.

Every night at dinner, he'd go on and on about how other people's kids were brilliant and talented, while our own daughter was slow and hopelessly behind.

I couldn't stand his way of tearing her down, so more than once, we ended up shouting at each other across the dinner table, faces flushed with anger.

But instead of changing, Darian doubled down. He was going from strict verbal discipline to outright corporal punishment.

All of this made Lilith genuinely afraid of him deep down.

Something stirred at the entrance. I turned and saw Darian walk into the funeral hall, looking utterly stunned.

People around him murmured their condolences, "Mr. Blackwell, please accept our deepest sympathies."

I let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Well, look who finally bothered to show up and see his daughter. It took you long enough, Darian."

"This can't be true." Darian's face drained of all color as he stared at the photo of his daughter. "What happened?"

He glared at me, his eyes red and wild. "Fiora, what did you do? How could you fail our daughter like this?"

Blinded by rage, I snatched the ashtray beside me and flung it at him, but he dodged out of the way.

I shot back, "Darian, you've got some nerve asking me that! Lilith was hit by a car and called you for help. What did you say to her?"

I yelled at him with everything I had, "You told her to go die."