Chapter 1

It was Christmas Eve morning, and I was still at work.

Rachel called to say our daughter Emily had a fever and told me to come home quickly.

When I got home, Emily was already unconscious and convulsing from the high fever.

But Rachel was nowhere to be found.

I rushed Emily to the hospital for emergency treatment, but it was too late.

I called Rachel, and she said:

"Derek was lonely spending Christmas alone, so I'm keeping him company for dinner. Just give Emily some medicine."

I wanted to tell her about Emily's death, but she hung up before I could.

It wasn't until I saw Rachel again at Emily's viewing that I realized the truth. She was flirting with Derek, showing no signs of grief for our daughter.

Worse still, behind the viewing room, she shamelessly took off her clothes in front of Derek.

Emily's photo was displayed at the front of the viewing room. It was Christmas Day, a time for family reunions, but I had lost my daughter.

As I lit a candle for Emily, Rachel walked in arm-in-arm with Derek.

They were standing very close, and I finally got a good look at her outfit.

She wore a short red dress with a plunging neckline that revealed her lacy underwear when she bent over.

Over it was a bright red fur coat, making her look like she was dressed for a cocktail party.

This outfit was completely inappropriate for a funeral - she was treating Emily's viewing like a social event.

Derek whispered something in her ear, making Rachel giggle coyly.

When she saw me, Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Jack, you've really outdone yourself! Using such a low trick to lure me home on Christmas!"

Faced with her accusation, my already frozen heart began to crack.

Our daughter was dead, and not only did this mother not know, she didn't even believe what I was saying.

I felt all the strength leave my body as I slowly sat down.

My eyes were dry and sore, the pain of losing Emily making me wilt.

"I'm talking to you! Cat got your tongue? What are you sulking about? So I didn't come home last night, why the attitude?"

I looked up at her, no longer wanting to say a word.

"Rachel, let's get a divorce."

I never thought Rachel and I would end up divorcing.

But Emily's death made me realize the marriage I'd been desperately clinging to had lost all meaning.

"Divorce? Jack, you've really gotten bold, daring to threaten me with divorce!"

Rachel didn't believe it. After all, it was common knowledge how desperately I loved her.

She looked around, seeing that no other mourners had arrived yet. To her, this confirmed it was just my clumsy ruse.

"Emily just had a fever, and you're lying about her being dead? Isn't this supposed to be a funeral? How come no one's here? It's obvious you're tricking me."

Hearing her mention Emily made my dead heart ache again.

Emily shouldn't have died. She was only three, but the delay in treatment due to being left alone proved fatal.

Now Rachel had the nerve to ask about it.

Seeing I wouldn't respond, Rachel lost her patience.

She kicked my shin with her sharp stiletto. "I'm talking to you!"

"Are you blaming me for not taking care of Emily? Derek was lonely on Christmas, try to understand."

"We're together all year round, missing one day won't hurt. I'm back now, can you stop making a fuss?"

Rachel justified herself word for word, but there was no excuse for abandoning our daughter.

Hearing her words, my heart felt like a suddenly exposed wasteland.

"Derek was lonely? Can you get your priorities straight? Was Christmas dinner more important than Emily's illness?"

"Let's not say anything else. We have to get divorced."