Her Betrayal, My Cold Resolve

lot of earth. It was Lily' s funeral, and my world had shrunk to this cold, muddy patch of grass. People I vaguely

a better pla

y for you

. A better place? The best place for a six-year-old was

ly. My sweet, b

ife, Sarah, wasn' t here. I had told everyone she was too overwhelmed with grief to attend, that she coul

how could a mother miss h

they were closing the gates. The drive home to the opulent house that had never felt like mine was a blur. The house was a gift from

find Sarah curled up on the sofa, weeping. I wanted to hold her

choked with tears. I walked quietly up the grand staircase, my shoes silent on the thick

r tone was light, almost cheerful. "It' s a relief

lled her "true love," the one she' d reconnect

heart into a million pieces. "But you have no idea what it was like. Lily was

. An accident. My beautiful,

How could I ever tell you I had a sick kid? You wo

r pressed against the cold wood

. It was for euthanasia. It was peaceful. She just went to sleep. Now she' s not suffering,

p out from under me. Euthanasia. She hadn't tried

rmula that could fund Lily' s "treatment." All the hope I' d clung to. It was all a lie

a smile for me. "Don' t be sad, Daddy," she' d whispered, her voice barely aud

place where we could escape the sterile mansion and just be a normal f

strument of torture. Lily wanted to live. She was fight

pain. "David thinks he' s some kind of genius, but he' d be nothing without my family' s money. He

e. It burned away the shock, the grief, leaving beh

on the desk. She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise, not guilt.

to arrange her features into a mask of sorrow. "Da

hair opposite her, looked uncomfortable. She

d, my voice a raw whisper

on of annoyance and disdain. "Oh, for God' s sake, David. Are you going to

ound echoing in the huge, empty house.

to match mine. "I did what was necessary to end her suffering. And frankly

ooking nervous. "Sarah

ack on me. "You have no right to judge me. You, living in my house, working for m

kly tried to de-escalate it. "Sarah, he just lost

pt. "Regret? I regret ever marrying him. I regret

e. Her expression shifted in a split second. A mask of co

r voice now dripping with fake sympathy. "Come,

d loved, this woman who was the mother of my child, I felt nothing but a hollow, aching emptiness. How could I ever look at her again without