Chapter 3

3

As soon as Lila saw Donovan, her expression darkened.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a slow-witted daughter?"

Donovan flinched for a second but quickly regained his composure.

"She's just a kid with a low IQ. Just pretend she doesn't exist."

"Then why are you still wearing that ring? Take it off!"

Donovan pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned, his eyes flashing with a sudden, sharp intensity.

It was the first time I'd ever seen him look at her like that.

Lila seemed to realize she'd pushed too far.

She threw her arms around him, her voice dripping with artificial sadness.

"You have to take it off, Donovan. And that kid has to go. Otherwise, what was the point of me fighting so hard to survive?"

Donovan whispered to himself, "You're right. For you, I need to get this divorce over with."

He yanked the ring off his finger with such force that it left a red, raw mark.

Finally.

Except for the legal papers, we were officially "divorced."

I must have been truly exhausted, because for a moment, I thought I saw tears in his eyes.

Lila was thrilled, drinking every last drop of the soup.

"Donovan, this soup is so much better than it used to be!"

Donovan's face went pale as he stared at the discarded ring.

He must have remembered.

I was the one who spent months perfecting that recipe for him when he was working late nights.

We had been together for too long.

Now, even the good memories were just jagged blades.

For some reason, Donovan tried calling me again.

The result was exactly the same.

His expression turned dark, and he drove straight to his mother's house without a word.

I saw Chloe again for the first time in days, and ghostly tears pricked my eyes.

Beatrice had just cleaned her up.

The little girl's cheeks had a soft, healthy glow.

I was so grateful that Beatrice was taking care of her.

But Donovan didn't see it that way.

"Mom, you're keeping her too clean. She needs to be outside, getting tough and tan."

Beatrice frowned and pulled a trembling Chloe into her arms.

"Mom, you're too old to handle her. I'm taking her to a foster home."

The moment the words left his mouth, Chloe burst into tears, burying her face in her grandmother's chest.

I clenched my fists.

How could he hate his own daughter this much?

"You're a monster, Donovan! How can you call yourself a father? No matter how poor I was, I never thought about throwing you away."

Donovan stood up abruptly, his eyes burning with fury.

"You're the one who worked my father to death! How dare you lecture me? I'm not like this useless kid. I have a future. Lila and I are getting married, and I'm not wasting money on a vegetable."

"I don't care what you say. I won't let you do it."

The room went silent, save for Chloe's muffled sobs.

Donovan let out a cold snort, snatched Chloe up, and headed for the door.

Beatrice tried to stop him, but she tripped over her own feet and fell hard onto the floor.

"Grandma! Grandma!" Chloe screamed.

I instinctively tried to help her up, but I was dragged away as Donovan walked out.

Donovan was a man of his word.

Within a few days, representatives from several foster agencies had visited.

Chloe huddled in a corner, wearing nothing but a thin t-shirt.

"Daddy, I'll be good. Please don't send Chloe away."

"Who's hitting you? I'm not your dad. Who are you trying to play for?"

I reached out to stroke her hair, but my hand passed through her.

The feeling of suffocation returned.

After several people turned her down because of her condition, Donovan sat back and started making calls.

I knew what he was doing.

He was trying to use Chloe as bait to make me show up.

But I was dead. I was never coming back.

Suddenly, Donovan seemed to sense something.

He straightened up and spoke to the empty air.

"System, do you know where Mina Sterling went?"

There was no answer.

He frowned deeply, grabbed his keys, and drove to the police station to file a missing persons report.