Shannon's POV
After hanging up the phone, I looked down at the black-and-white photo of my daughter. The pain in my chest felt like my heart was being ripped apart.
Just two days ago, she was in my arms, giggling and begging me to take her to the beach. Now, all that was left of her was a jar of ashes.
The next morning, I had barely gotten out of bed when I saw more than a dozen missed calls on my phone, all from Max. He must have already gotten the news.
Yet I blocked his number without hesitation.
But seconds later, the lock on my door clicked, followed by the crash of a chair being kicked over.
I rushed to the living room, only to see Max, furious, kicking over my daughter’s favorite bunny-shaped dining chair.
Vania was also with him, cowering behind him, pretending to be terrified.
“Max, what the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped, hurrying to set the chair upright again. The sight of it, toppled and abandoned, made my already shattered heart ache even more.
But he strode forward and grabbed me by the collar. “Shannon, I thought you were just acting crazy. But you actually went and reported me and Vania to the higher-ups? How vicious can you be? Do you have any idea that this was the peak of my career? Now both of us are suspended and under investigation. Even if I get reinstated, my chances of moving up are next to zero!”
Vania then started crying softly beside him. “Because of those photos, people point at me and whisper behind my back on the street. Now I’m suspended too. I don’t even want to live anymore.”
Max pulled her into his arms protectively, but his eyes were full of rage as he glared at me.
“Vania, don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will dare hurt you. I’ll make Shannon apologize to you in public.”
I stared at them blankly and flatly said, “You’re not getting your jobs back. And I will never apologize.”
Anyone who hurt my daughter would pay for it. This was only the beginning.
“What the hell do you want, Shannon?”
Max’s eyes were bloodshot as he shoved me away.
With such force, my back slammed into the table behind me, and I heard something crash to the floor with a loud bang.
I quickly turned around to see what it was, and my heart stopped.
My daughter’s framed photo had fallen, and the glass was shattered across the floor.
“Daisy!”
Ignoring the shards cutting into my palms, I reached out to pick it up. Blood dripped down my hands as I tried to hold her picture.
“I’m divorcing you,” Max said, yanking me back. Then his foot came down on my daughter’s photo, crushing her little face beneath his size 42 shoe.
Seeing that, I shoved him with all my strength.
“Get away from her! You’re hurting my Daisy. She can feel it!”
But he didn’t even look at me. Instead, he tossed a signed divorce agreement in front of me.
“You think you can use our daughter as an excuse to avoid signing? She’s dead, Shannon! This is just a piece of paper with her picture on it. Stop acting like a martyr!”
With my swollen eyes, I looked at him and roared, “Max, you bastard! Why wasn’t it you who died? You’re the one who should be in the ground!”
Looking at me breaking down, his expression twisted with disgust.
“Enough with the crazy act! Either divorce me, or withdraw your complaint and publicly apologize. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you’re ruined.”
And with that, he grabbed Vania’s hand and walked out.
The moment they were gone, I sank to the floor, cradling my daughter’s photo against my chest, and finally let the sobs tear through me.
I didn't know how long I cried, but when the storm inside me quieted, I picked up the divorce papers from the floor and signed my name without a second thought.
