Chapter 1

1

The day my daughter spiked a fever, Mark was at a parent-teacher conference for his "best friend's" kid.

I called him, and she answered.

She was all weepy and apologetic, then Mark snatched the phone. "They're practically orphans, okay? Is it a crime to help them out?" He was annoyed.

I sighed. "Okay, fine." I turned to my little girl, Lily, getting a shot like a champ. "How about just you and Mommy from now on?"

Lily's face was flushed from the fever. "Okay, Mommy." She gave me a weak smile.

"Good girl." I kissed her forehead.

Then I called the school principal to talk about transferring her to a new school.

The principal said it would take at least a month.

No problem. I'd survived eight years of being a single parent in a marriage. I could handle a month.

...

Lily kept looking at the door with those big, round eyes.

She didn't say it, but I knew she was waiting for Mark.

I called him again, just hoping he'd tell Lily goodnight.

The phone rang forever. Finally, Mark answered, all icy and ticked off. "Sarah, I'm just at this kid's parent-teacher conference. Do you have to call every five minutes?"

"And you lied about Lily being sick? That's low, even for you."

I could hear a party going on in the background. It was that Chuck E. Cheese Lily had been begging to go to.

Mark always said he was too busy to spend time with his own daughter.

Then I heard a little voice, clear as a bell: "Daddy, why aren't you eating?"

My hand shook, and I almost dropped the phone.

Right then, Mark hung up.

He didn't come home for a week.

I used to cry and scream, wondering if he was at Carol's place again.

But now? I didn't even feel like calling him.

Then he showed up, storming through the door.

"Did you forget to pack a lunch for little Timmy all week?" he demanded.

"Just because you're mad doesn't mean you can take it out on a kid. Carol can't cook, so it's up to you."

I just stared at the floor.

Mark softened, squeezing my hand. "You always wanted wedding pictures, right? If you'd only be a little nicer..."

It was a joke. Eight years together, no wedding photos, no marriage license.

Right before we were supposed to get married, Carol's husband died and left her with a one-year-old son.

She was devastated and went to the hospital. Mark spent all his time taking care of her. He didn't have time for anything else, especially not me.

Our wedding license expired, so it never happened.

He thought he could bribe me with wedding pictures, but I just stared blankly.

Things were getting tense when Lily's teacher called.

Lily was fighting at school.