My husband sent our six-year-old daughter to buy the latest milkshake for his childhood sweetheart.
On the way, my daughter Emily got into an accident, and by the time she was rushed to the hospital, she had already passed away.
I called my husband to confront him, but he hung up on me.
It wasn't until Emily's funeral that I received his belated call.
"Emily is already six years old. If she can't even do this, what's the point of raising her?"
His childhood sweetheart laughed beside him.
"Rose, it's all my fault. I suddenly craved that milkshake, and if I don't get it, I can't sleep at night."
I was bedridden with a high fever due to an infection. I entrusted Emily, to my husband, Jeffrey Strong, and went to the hospital alone for some medical care.
But I didn't expect that just when I was in treatment, the hospital called to inform me that Emily had been in an accident and was in critical condition.
When I rushed to the emergency room, Emily was already lying on the bed, barely alive.
My six-year-old daughter, so small, was covered in blood, lying there all alone. Bright red blood dripped from the bed to the floor, a painfully stark sight.
Emily was still clutching a torn milkshake bag in her tiny hand.
I rushed over immediately.
Emily opened her eyes and. Seeing me, she cried.
"Mommy, Daddy said that if I got Ms. Joseph her milkshake, he will accompany me to participate in kindergarten activities."
As she spoke, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Hearing her mention Ms. Joseph, I instantly understood.
Louise Joseph was Jeffrey's childhood friend.
"Emily, stop talking. Mommy will save you. You'll get better. It's all Mommy's fault. I shouldn't have left you with Daddy."
I cried uncontrollably.
Emily lifted her hand slowly to wipe away my tears.
"Mommy, don't cry. It's all my fault. I spilled the milkshake, and Ms. Josep didn't get to drink it. Daddy won't take me to the kindergarten event now. I don't want Daddy to be mad at me!"
As Emily finished speaking, her small hand fell from my face, and my heart twisted in unbearable pain.
"Emily, don't sleep. Daddy won't be mad at you. We love you so much. How could we ever be mad at you?"
Emily coughed up more blood, her eyes rolling back. She couldn't even hold my hand anymore.
"Mommy, can you tell Daddy I'm sorry I couldn't get Ms. Joseph her milkshake?"
With those words, Emily closed her eyes forever.
"Emily, wake up! Mommy can't live without you. Don't sleep!"
Despite my heart-wrenching cries, she didn't open her eyes again.
Remembering Emily's last words, I felt a wild beast gnawing away at my sanity.
I took out my phone and called Jeffrey, but he hung up on me again, and I received a message from him shortly after.
[I'm busy. Don't call and disturb me.]
I opened my Instagram and saw that Louise had just posted an update.
[Thanks to my dear neighbor, who always fulfills my whims. He drove 60 miles in the scorching heat to get me my favorite cake. I feel very happy to have you around.]
The photo showed Louise and Jeffrey with milkshakes and cakes.
Their location was tagged as Blido City.
Anger surged through me, and I trembled as I sent Jeffrey a message.
"Jeffrey, let's get a divorce!"
Then, I blocked him.
Chapter 2Jeffrey Strong and Louise Joseph had been childhood friends, growing up together. In high school, Louise's family faced a crisis, forcing her to move abroad, and they were separated.
During college, I met Jeffrey. I fell for him at first sight and pursued him passionately in the prime of my youth.
Eventually, my genuine affection won him over, and we became a couple. After graduation, we started a business together, supporting each other through countless challenges.
Finally, we got married.
After Emily was born, Jeffrey encouraged me to gradually leave the workforce and stay home to take care of the family.
Our life was ordinary but happy.
I thought we would remain this blissfully happy forever.
However, when Emily turned five, Louise returned.
Her reappearance disrupted our peace and stirred up turmoil in Jeffrey's heart.
Jeffrey became increasingly impatient with me and our daughter. He often stayed out all night, and at the mere call from Louise, he would abandon us and rush to her side eagerly.
This left me deeply disappointed and heartbroken.
Since Emily's accident, Jeffrey hadn't returned home. Louise's Instagram was filled with photos of their adventures in Blido City.
It wasn't until the day of Emily's funeral that Jeffrey finally called.
"Rose, you're getting more unreasonable. I only asked Emily to get Louise a milkshake."
"Only? Jeffrey, Emily was only six. How could you send her out alone to buy a milkshake? Are you even human?"
I questioned him angrily.
"Emily is six. She should be independent. If she can't even do this, what's the point of raising her?" Jeffrey retorted, his tone filled with justification.
Just then, I heard Louise's laughter in the background.
"Rose, it's all my fault. I suddenly craved that milkshake, and if I don't get it, I can't sleep at night.
"Jeffrey was just worried about me going out in the heat, so he asked Emily to get it for me," Louise added.
Her words ignited the fury within me.
"Jeffrey, you care about Louise, a thirty-year-old woman, but you sent our six-year-old daughter out in scorching weather to get her a milkshake? You don't deserve to be Emily's father."
Jeffrey immediately defended Louise.
"Rose, it was just a milkshake. Do you have to blow it out of proportion? You're becoming more and more petty. Emily is just like you, making a big deal out of nothing. She could've called if she had trouble. We waited for her at home for a long time."
"Yes, Rose. You really need to teach Emily better. She took over an hour to get a milkshake and didn't even call. If Jeffrey hadn't taken me to Blido to get a cake, I don't know how much longer we would've waited," Louise chimed in.
Their words shattered my heart, filling it with cold hatred.
Holding Emily's urn, I closed my eyes in despair.
"Jeffrey, let's get a divorce. The papers are ready. Just sign, and we'll be done."
Jeffrey exploded at the mention of divorce.
"Rose, I've tolerated your nonsense over and over. Are you really going to be this unreasonable? It was just a milkshake! I can take her to the kindergarten graduation to make it up to her."
I scoffed, tears silently streaming down my face, landing on Emily's black urn.
"There's no need. Emily won't be able to go. She'll never be able to go."
"Rose, you're disgusting. Are you cursing our daughter just to spite me? Are you even human?" Jeffrey spat angrily.
"Emily couldn't go because when she was on her way to buy..."
I couldn't finish before a scream interrupted me from the other end of the line.
"Jeffrey, I'm so clumsy! I cut myself while peeling an apple."
"Louise is hurt. I need to take her to the hospital. Stop causing trouble," Jeffrey said hastily before hanging up.
Chapter 3After Emily's burial, I went to the hospital to obtain her death certificate.
The moment I received the death certificate, I truly realized that my child was gone.
My little girl, who used to hold my hand and tell me she loved me, was gone forever.
Leaving the administrative building, I had to pass through the emergency room to exit.
As I entered, a familiar voice echoed in my ears.
"Can you be gentler? Can't you hear her saying it hurts? I don't know how you do your job. I'll complain to the hospital if you're not careful."
Following the voice, I saw Jeffrey holding Louise in a room.
A nurse was cleaning a small cut on Louise's finger.
The nurse rolled her eyes at Jeffrey.
"It's just a tiny cut. If you had come any later, it would have healed on its own. You people waste medical resources for nothing."
"Jeffrey, it's all my fault. If I hadn't been so clumsy and cut myself, you wouldn't have to deal with this."
Louise looked at Jeffrey with such pitiful eyes that he almost felt sorry for her.
"You're too kind-hearted. I don't know what you'd do without me," Jeffrey replied.
"Aren't you always going to be with me?" Louise asked.
"Yes, I'll always be with you," he said.
And then they embraced each other like characters in a soap opera, unwilling to part.
Watching this scene, I gripped Emily's death certificate tightly, feeling a sense of injustice for both myself and my deceased daughter.
At that moment, Jeffrey looked up and our eyes met.
"Why are you here? Are you following me?"
His expression was full of displeasure.
Louise stood up from Jeffrey's embrace.
"Rose, don't blame Jeffrey. It's all my fault. I got hurt and he was just worried, so he brought me to the hospital."
Louise always wore that pitiful expression, which made me furious.
"Shut up! You're a thirty-year-old woman. Don't act like a child. Do you want to be Jeffrey's mistress?"
As I yelled at her, Louise immediately hid behind Jeffrey. He glared at me, furious.
"Rose, shut your mouth. Louise is hurt and already feeling bad. Do you have to come here and make it worse? How did you become so vicious?"
"I'm vicious? You sent Emily out alone to get her a milkshake. Did you ever consider she might get hurt?" I demanded.
My eyes were red with anger and grief.
Jeffrey was momentarily taken aback, then sneered.
"You keep talking about Emily. It's time for school to end. Shouldn't you be picking her up instead of coming here to confront me? You're so hypocritical, Rose."
I looked at the death certificate in my hand, feeling utterly drained.
"Emily doesn't need to be picked up anymore. She'll never need to be picked up again."
"What do you mean?"
Jeffrey finally noticed the death certificate I was holding. When he saw the words "Death Certificate," his eyes widened in shock.
He asked nervously, "What are you holding? Who... who died?"