Chapter 2

02.

I sat alone in the dark bedroom, staring blankly at the last text message my father had ever sent me.

He had sent it right before the car crash.

"Alec, I picked up some spicy Cajun crawfish for you and Darcy. Isn't that her absolute favorite?"

"You kids need to be patient with each other. If Darcy doesn't want me staying over, that's completely fine. My health is decent, and I can take care of myself."

Later that afternoon, the crash happened. The takeout crawfish had spilled all over the asphalt at the scene.

I called Darcy frantically dozens of times, only to be brushed off with a cold, "I'm busy."

After spending a sleepless, tear-filled night at the hospital, I came home only to be interrogated about why I hadn't cooked dinner.

"My dad was in a car accident," I said softly.

"A car crash? I told him not to wander around at his age. Why does he always have to cause so much trouble for us?"

"By the way, is he faking it just to get attention? Did you even verify it?"

Darcy was lounging on the sofa scrolling through her phone, a box of crawfish sitting beside her.

A sudden wave of rage boiled inside me. I stepped forward and flipped the box straight onto the floor.

"Darcy! That's my dad! How can you be so heartless?"

Darcy snapped right back at me. "Alec, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"He already used his poor health as an excuse to try moving in with us! We're in the middle of trying for a baby, and his hygiene habits are terrible. How could we raise a newborn with him here?"

"If he insists on moving in, fine, I'll move out. Is that what you want?"

That night, our argument ended bitterly.

Darcy vanished for an entire week, while I stayed by my father's bedside at the hospital day and night.

A few times when he drifted into consciousness, he would weakly squeeze my hand and ask.

"Where's Darcy? Alec, don't keep picking fights with your wife. Married life has its friction, but you're a man―you need to be accommodating."

Looking at my dad covered in medical tubes while still worrying about my marriage, a lump formed in my throat, tears threatening to spill over.

Yet I held his frail hand and lied to him over and over.

"Dad, Darcy and I are great. She even dropped by to visit you this afternoon."

"You were asleep, so you didn't see her. Look, that warm soup over there is what Darcy made for you."

My dad nodded gently. Not long after, he took his final breath.

I collapsed by his hospital bed, sobbing uncontrollably. The salty tears burned my skin.

I never told my dad the truth.

Darcy and I were miserable, but I couldn't bear the thought of him worrying about me in heaven.

After splashing cold water on my face, I handled my father's funeral arrangements completely alone until late into the night.

Unexpectedly, Darcy finally unblocked me, her tone as impatient as ever.

"Where the hell are you? Don't you know I'm starving after working late?"

Starving?

Wasn't she well-fed over at Wyatt's place?

My soul was utterly exhausted, but I replied steadily.

"My dad passed away. I'm at the funeral home."

Even through the speaker, I could sense Darcy's sudden shock.

After a long silence, she offered a stiff apology.

"I'm sorry, Alec. I didn't know. I've been so swamped with work lately. I'm coming to the funeral home right now to help you bring Dad home."

Ten minutes later, Darcy pulled up outside.

My hair was a disheveled mess, and seven days of relentless grief made me stumble, nearly falling to the ground.

Darcy didn't even offer a hand to steady me. She merely told me the Uber driver was waiting and urged me to hurry up.