Josephine's birthday was also the day I was reborn. My poor Josephine. Every year, she'd sit in front of her birthday cake, waiting. Even when the candles burned out, her dad never showed up. Every time I thought of her big, bright eyes, looking at me with pure innocence, asking, "Mommy, when will Daddy come home to celebrate my birthday?"—my heart shattered into pieces.
That night, I went to the study to write up the divorce papers. That's when I saw a locked box inside the desk drawer. On a whim, I opened it. The password was Evangeline's birthday. Inside was a thick stack of photos. Every single one showed Leo looking tenderly at Evangeline and Henry in his arms. Their happiness was blinding. At the bottom of the box, I found a sealed document. It was Leo's will. A few bolded lines stood out: upon his death, all his assets would be unconditionally bequeathed to Henry Laughlin.
I went out to the yard, to the big tree and dug up the little treasures Josephine used to bury when she played. Her favorite toy dog, the strawberry gummies she loved. She said if she buried her favorite things in the ground, lots and lots of treasures would grow.
As I dug, her sweet little face filled my mind. When I unearthed a painting, I couldn't hold back anymore and I burst into tears. It was a family portrait she drew for her fifth birthday. In it, Leo and I were with her, blowing out the candles and she was smiling so innocently. Sadly, she never got to celebrate her birthday with her father before she died.
Utterly heartbroken, I pulled out my phone. Relying on muscle memory, I dialed a familiar number. "Noah, I'm requesting to return to the team. Also, I want Leo Laughlin dead!"
I said nothing, silently going along with his plans. A little while later, the roar of a sports car echoed from the driveway. It was the new car Leo had bought just last month. He had spent 30 million on it, all because Henry had said he liked it. I watched as that striking red car sped off towards the west, in the same direction as the hotel where Henry's birthday party was being held. I let out a cold laugh. Then, I grabbed my black coat and headed for the cemetery.
He could toss aside Josephine's memorial for Henry's birthday. Still, as her mother, I couldn't bear the thought of her suffering alone in the afterlife. But after searching the entire cemetery, I couldn't find Josephine's grave and a sense of unease washed over me. I pulled over a cemetery worker to ask.
"Oh, you mean that little girl, Josephine Laughlin?" he said casually. "Her dad brought in a witch doctor to check her fortune. Said she died a violent death and her spirit was too restless. It would bring bad luck to the family. So, they didn't bury her in the main cemetery. They moved her to the mass grave site in the south instead. Maybe to save face, they set up an empty, nameless tombstone here."
A mass grave? My mind went blank. Was Leo Laughlin this heartless? Even in death, he wouldn't let Josephine rest in peace. I quickly wiped away my tears and drove to the mass grave. After a long search, I finally found the small mound with Josephine's name. A lone urn was carelessly placed to the side and in the small photo, Josephine was smiling sweetly.
My heart ached. I picked up the urn and sped away. I kicked open the doors to Henry's birthday party. The loud bang turned everyone's attention to me. I immediately saw Leo in the center of the crowd, holding Henry on the stage. He clearly hadn't expected me and his smile froze on his face. Henry was the first to react. With his hair slicked back and wearing a custom-tailored tuxedo, Henry walked cockily towards me. He looked me up and down with disdain.
