Chapter 2

2.

I went back to our house to pack my things. Between boxes, I started looking for a good burial plot for my mother.

It took hours for Caleb to finally call me back.

His voice was a low whisper, like he was afraid of waking someone up.

"What kind of crazy stunt is this now? Why are you talking about divorce?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my voice steady.

"My mother is dead. Is that a good enough reason?"

"You told me she was just bumped a little! Is this your version of a little bump?!"

Caleb sounded genuinely shocked for a split second.

"What?"

After a long silence, he sighed.

"Look, she was old. Sometimes a small accident is too much for seniors. Don't be too dramatic."

"Since we can't change what happened, shouldn't we try to move on with our lives?"

"By the way, Sierra's mom has been having leg pain. You're an orthopedic expert. I'm bringing her over to your clinic later."

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh.

Caleb was so casual about it. To him, my mother's death was just a minor inconvenience.

That was a human life!

"Find someone else," I spat out. "I'm busy."

Caleb paused, his voice turning cold.

"It's just thirty minutes for Sierra's mom. I don't believe you're too busy for that."

I couldn't believe the nerve of these people.

After everything, he actually expected me to treat the mother of the woman who stole him away? He didn't care that my mother died because of his neglect.

But of course. In Caleb's world, Sierra was the sun.

Even Sierra's mother was more important to him than my own family.

My mother was gone, and to Caleb, that was irrelevant information.

He saw my silence as hesitation and grew angry.

"Are you really going to ignore a patient? Where is your medical ethics?"

I took a deep breath.

"My mother is dead, Caleb. You want me to treat Sierra's mother? In your dreams!"

I hung up and blocked his number immediately.

My lawyer sent over the digital draft of the divorce agreement.

I printed it out, signed it with a shaking hand, and left it on the master bed.

After five years, I had a lot of stuff. I packed the essentials and hauled them to my car.

I had to go give my mother the funeral she deserved.