Chapter 0

On the National Splurge Day, my wife blew through our entire savings to buy a sports car for her first love, who had just come back from abroad. What she didn't realize was that the money in that account was supposed to save our daughter's life. 

Despite my desperate pleas, the hospital agreed to treat our daughter first, but it was too late. That same night, my wife updated her social media with a post:

[It feels so good to be pampered. After all these years, it's finally time to live for myself. ]

The post was paired with a picture of a hotel suite, the bed covered in gifts. 

My heart shattered as I wheeled my daughter's body into the morgue. 

I held my daughter's body as I waited for the cremation, but right up to the last moment, my wife, Nora, never answered my calls. An hour later, my daughter was reduced to a handful of ashes in a box. 

In a daze, I carried her ashes and walked home. On the way, I blocked every contact I had for Nora, finally saying goodbye to the past. 

I had been with Nora for five years, loving her every step of the way. She ignored me, and I thought that if I swallowed my pride, I could keep our family together. I was wrong. 

Six months ago, our daughter was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, and the doctor warned us she could be in danger at any moment. I sold the car, scraped together enough money for the surgery, and then Nora went and spent it all on June 18th, maxing out our account to buy a car for her first love. 

She knew that money was supposed to save our daughter!

When I got home, Nora was sitting in front of the mirror, putting on makeup. Our daughter was dead, and she was still getting dolled up. She jumped when she saw me in the mirror. 

"Ian, why didn't you knock? You scared me, " she said. 

"This is my home, " I replied calmly. "Why should I knock? Or is there something you don't want me to see?"

Nora's face instantly hardened. 

"You're getting bold, Ian. How dare you talk to me like that?"

I kept my cool and asked, "Does Julian still like that car?"

Nora's eyes flickered, and then she snapped back with a defensive tone. 

"When Julian was with me, he bought me so many things. He just got back from abroadshouldn't I buy him a gift? He's only here for three days before he transfers to the Ashton City headquarters. Are you jealous of that?"

Should? When she was willing to give away a car worth over 35, 000 dollars, she didn't even think to ask when our daughter's life was on the line!

I looked at her coldly and said, "You're overthinking it. I just feel sorry for our daughter. "

As soon as I finished speaking, Nora jumped up and slapped me across the face. 

"Ian, what's that supposed to mean? Are you using our daughter to guilt-trip me?"

Then she noticed what I was holding and sneered, "What's that filthy thing you brought home?"

I stayed calm. "You don't deserve to know. "

Nora pointed her finger right in my face and started yelling. 

"I'm warning you, don't bring any of that bad luck into this house. If you don't care, I sure do!"

I touched my daughter's ashes, feeling a deep sense of despair. Nora couldn't even show a shred of respect for her own child. 

In the past, I would've backed down the moment Nora got mad. But now that my daughter was gone, I wasn't about to go along with her nonsense anymore. This was my home too. If she couldn't stand it, she was free to leave. Wasn't Julian still waiting for her?

My defiance only made her angrier, and she slammed her hand on the table. 

"Ian, don't push your luck. I'm in a good mood today, so I'm not going to argue with you. Think about what you've done and contact me when you've come to your senses. "

With that, Nora stormed out, swinging her hips as she left.