When I stepped through the front door, the weight of the funeral still heavy on my shoulders, I stopped cold.
There she was. Jessica. Seated comfortably on the couch as if she belonged there. As if she hadn’t just stolen my world out from under me.
Wade stood at her side, arms folded across his chest. “She just wanted to offer her sympathies,” he said, his tone flat.
I stared at him. Then her. And slowly, a twisted smile curled on my lips—bitter, cold. “Sympathies?” I repeated, each syllable laced with venom. “I buried our daughter today, Wade. Alone. You couldn’t even show your face. So please, don’t pretend to care now. It’s disgusting.”
His expression darkened, a flicker of irritation rising. “Why are you being like this?” he snapped. “You’re acting completely unreasonable.”
I let out a dry, mirthless laugh. “Unreasonable?” I echoed. “You mean like a mother who just put her child in the ground while her husband played house with his mistress?” My voice shook, then grew sharper. “Where were you, Wade? Wait—don’t answer. I already know where.”
His mouth drew into a hard line. “You were driving that day, Joanne,” he said coldly.
The accusation hit like a sledgehammer. I felt the air vanish from my lungs.
“You’re blaming me?” I breathed, barely able to speak.
He didn’t even blink. “If you had paid more attention, Julie might still be here.”
The words shattered something inside me. My fingers trembled. My knees nearly buckled. “You coward,” I hissed, my voice trembling from fury and grief. “You’re hiding behind lies because the truth is too ugly for you to face. I never wanted that crash—I would have died in her place!”
Jessica stepped in, her face a mask of calm control. But I could see through it. Her polished grief. Her fake concern. It made my skin crawl.
“This isn’t helping,” she said in a gentle, patronizing tone, tilting her head slightly. “You’re both hurting right now. Julie wouldn’t want—”
“Don’t you dare say her name,” I snapped, my voice cracking with emotion. “You don’t get to speak about her. You destroyed our family!”
She blinked as if surprised by my outburst, but I saw the flicker in her eyes. Something smug. Smug and satisfied.
Wade reacted instantly, moving protectively in front of her, his arm rising as if shielding her from a blow. “You’re crossing the line,” he said, glaring. “She’s not the enemy here.”
A bitter laugh tore from my throat. “You’re unbelievable,” I muttered, shaking my head. “She wormed her way back into your life, wrecked everything we had—and you’re defending her?” My voice broke. “Meanwhile, our little girl is gone…”
Wade’s face was unreadable, but his voice was icy. “This isn’t about Jessica. This is about you being stuck in the past.”
My blood froze. “The past?” I repeated, stunned. “You think Julie is the past? She was our child. Your daughter. And you couldn’t even bother to show up for her final goodbye.”
Jessica placed a delicate hand on his chest, murmuring softly like a saint. “She’s just overwhelmed,” she said quietly. “She’s grieving. That’s all.”
Grieving? Overwhelmed?
I saw red.
“Don’t patronize me,” I said in a dangerously quiet voice. “I know exactly what I’m saying. You took everything from me—and you let her. You chose her over your own family.”
Wade frowned, his brow creasing. “What are you even implying?”
But I was already turning away, no longer able to stomach the sight of them standing side by side like some twisted picture of domestic bliss. His voice followed me, calling my name, but I didn’t turn back.
I locked myself in the bedroom, and only then did I collapse.
My knees gave out beneath me, and I sank to the floor, hands clutching my face as violent sobs tore through me. My body ached with the weight of grief, of betrayal, of everything I had lost.
Julie. Wade. The life I thought I had.
But I couldn’t live like this—not one more second.
I dragged myself upright, wiped the tears from my swollen face, and reached for my phone. My fingers shook, but I dialed anyway.
The call connected.
“Hello?”
“I’m filing for divorce,” I said, my voice flat but unshakable. There was no room left for doubt. This was final.
The lawyer’s tone was calm. “Understood, ma’am. I’ll begin the paperwork immediately.”
I ended the call, my heart pounding like thunder in my chest.
This was it. I was leaving.
I yanked open my closet, pulled out a suitcase, and began throwing clothes into it. Shoes. Toiletries. Essentials.
But when I opened the drawer holding Julie’s belongings, my hands froze.
There was her favorite sundress—the yellow one with little blue flowers. Her soft toy bunny, worn from so many nights of cuddles. Tiny shoes lined neatly, untouched.
I pressed the bunny to my chest, inhaling the faint scent of her. The scent of her room. Her laughter. Her life.
Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them fall again.
I would take her with me. In my heart. Wherever I went.
As I zipped the bag shut, voices outside my window floated in.
I moved closer, careful not to make a sound.
Jessica.
Her voice was low, urgent. But I caught every syllable.
“Make absolutely sure no one ever finds out I caused that crash with Joanne and her daughter. Understand?”
And just like that—any doubt I had left… disappeared.
