Chapter 2

When I clawed through the foul-smelling dirt with my bare hands, what came into view was a box, tightly locked.

My fingers trembled as I fumbled with the latch, and when I finally managed to pry it open, my worst nightmare unfolded before me.

My daughter—once so full of life—lay inside, her pupils dilated, her tiny face pale and bluish.

I couldn’t believe it.

Just days ago, she was fine, smiling, laughing.

And now, she was gone.

Carefully, I lifted her lifeless body from the box. Her once-bright face would never smile at me again.

At the hospital, the doctor shook his head regretfully.

“She passed away several hours ago. It seems an asthma attack was the cause.”

I sat there, trembling, unable to process the words.

Flashes of her face—a face so full of life—filled my mind. She was only five years old, taken from this world by the very person who should have loved her the most: her own mother.

It was all because of Jessica.

I called her over and over, my fury building with each rejection. Finally, after ignoring me for what felt like an eternity, she answered.

Before I could say a word, her irritated voice snapped through the receiver.

“Gavin, what the hell is wrong with you? Calling me nonstop—don’t you realize I’m busy calming Ethan down?”

“It’s your fault he’s so upset. If he has nightmares tonight, I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

Then the line went dead.

I stared at the phone in silence, the dial tone echoing in my ears.

At that moment, I realized the truth I’d been too afraid to admit until now: Jessica never loved our daughter.

What kind of mother would call her own child a "brat"?

Jessica, a doctor of all things, had betrayed everything her profession stood for. Knowing full well that Lily had asthma, she trapped her in a dark, airless box, leaving her to suffocate to death.

Rage burned through me, threatening to consume me whole. Guilt and grief crushed me like a mountain, making it impossible to breathe.

Memories of the day I left for my business trip replayed in my mind, sharp and vivid.

Lily had grabbed my hand, her tiny fingers clutching mine tightly as she looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“Daddy, do you really have to go? Can’t you take me with you?”

She hugged her little stuffed bear, her innocent face full of hope.

I’d crouched down to her level, holding her close, hesitating as her words gnawed at my heart.

But Jessica had quickly swooped in, pulling Lily into her arms.

“Lily, Mommy’s here to take care of you. Let Daddy focus on work so he can buy you all those pretty clothes and new toys, okay?”

“Gavin, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her,” Jessica had reassured me with a smile.

Despite an uneasy feeling deep in my gut, I left. I convinced myself it was safer for Lily to stay home with her mother than to travel with me.

After all, Jessica was her mom.

But now, staring at my daughter’s lifeless body, I realized just how wrong I had been.

Jessica didn’t just fail to protect Lily—she sacrificed her.

All because I slapped Ethan, the son of her first love.

And why did I slap him? Because Ethan had stabbed Lily with a knife.

Jessica didn’t care. She buried our daughter alive just to “defend” her ex’s precious son.

I had been such a fool to believe her promises, to think she wanted to make things right.

Sitting in the hospital waiting room, I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

I had failed my daughter. I had handed her over to Jessica.

I had sent her to her death.