Chapter 9

The table was laden with meticulously prepared vegetarian dishes that the chef had spent all morning crafting. However, it was utterly outshone by my takeout spread.

Yasmin and Daphne, who'd eaten Timothy's vegetarian meals for two days, stared at my food with wide eyes. Yasmin visibly swallowed hard, and Daphne was practically drooling.

Timothy was the only one unmoved. He coldly asked, "Who allowed you to bring that into the house?"

I snorted and retorted, "You bought this villa after our marriage, which means that it's our joint property. Since half of it is mine, why can't I eat what I want in my own home?"

I sauntered to the wine cabinet and grabbed a bottle of exorbitantly priced red wine he had bought at an auction last year. I poured myself a glass.

Under Timothy's murderous glare, I took a seat and elegantly cut into my steak. I took a bite, followed by a sip of wine.

God, it was delicious.

I had lost my marriage, but I suddenly felt like I had everything again.

Naturally, Timothy wasn't one to take provocations lightly. He commanded his bodyguards, "Throw her food out."

As soon as he said that, Daphne tugged at his sleeve, looking pitiful. "Daddy, I… I want to eat steak, too…"

She swallowed hard several times and blinked tearily as she asked, "Why can't we eat meat?"

Timothy was stumped, unable to come up with an answer. Explaining religious practices to a child was like talking to a wall.

Yasmin, eager to please him, quickly said, "Daphne, Daddy means well for us. Eating vegetarian food is good for our health. People who eat meat all the time easily fall sick."

I nodded while savoring my meal. "Uh-huh. Leave all the suffering to me while you guys enjoy your healthy lives."

When I saw Timothy's stormy expression, I smirked. "What's wrong? Are you hungry, seeing me eat all this? You're so eager to toss my food out. Is it because you're afraid you'll lose control of your worldly desires and break your vows?"

He shot me a look before silently eating his vegetarian meal. He no longer told the bodyguards to throw out my food. Yasmin and Daphne grudgingly ate their vegetarian fare, but their eyes kept darting to mine.

This was easily the most satisfying meal I had had in years. By the time I was full, I had no room left for the pizza. It was untouched.

Daphne stared at it and licked her lips, her intentions clear. Kids were innocent, but what if she ate my food and got sick? What if Timothy accused me of harming his daughter?

And so, under Daphne's hopeful gaze, I summoned Laura and said, "Feed this to the strays in the neighborhood."

The light in Daphne's eyes was snuffed out. I could've sworn that even Yasmin looked disappointed.

After all, with the media and paparazzi hounding her, she wouldn't dare leave the villa. That meant that she would have to keep eating vegetarian food with Timothy.

Could she and Daphne be eyeing my leftovers?

The thought almost made me laugh out loud.

I grabbed a napkin and slowly wiped my mouth. As I left the table, I glanced at the spread of vegetarian dishes and said to Yasmin, "You'll be enjoying wonderful days like this from now on. I hope you like them."

If I'd known the consequences this lunchtime stunt would bring, I would never have done it!

…

That afternoon, I visited my mother in the hospital. She had fallen into a coma after a car crash when I was five, and she'd been treated here since.

She lay peacefully on the bed as the doctor told me something I'd heard countless times—there was little hope of her waking up. Maintaining her vital signs was already a miracle.

Even so, I sat by her bed and poured my heart out. I told her about my marriage to Timothy and how I acted carefree while secretly feeling terrified and lost about the future.

In the evening, I got a call from Laura. "Mrs. Grant, something's happened! Please hurry back!"

She sounded like the world had ended, but when I asked for details, she stammered, unable to answer me. An ominous feeling gnawed at me as I grabbed my bag and rushed back to the Grant residence.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard Laura arguing with Yasmin.

Laura cried, "Put down the vacuum and wait for Mrs. Grant to come back to deal with this! You've gone too far!"

"Can't you see that the floor's filthy? How can I not clean it?" Yasmin's tone carried a casual threat. "You're awfully loyal to Josie, but don't forget who pays you. Do you think Tim will be happy when he comes home and sees this mess?"

I hurried into the living room. Specks of grayish-white ash were scattered across the wooden floor like an untimely snowfall. The rosewood urn, which held the remains of my daughter, lay tilted on the ground. Its lid had fallen open and had a jagged, gaping hole in it. It was as if my baby was silently weeping.

Outside, the night swallowed the last traces of daylight.

My body was stiff as I stepped forward and crouched to touch the scattered ashes with trembling fingers. The tiny grains felt scalding, and my hand shot back as if it had been burned. It was as if my daughter was screaming and demanding to know why I hadn't protected her. She seemed to be telling me how much it hurt.

Just then, Yasmin's voice rang out. "Sorry, Ms. York. Daphne saw you having all that good food at lunch and thought you were hiding treats in your room. She sneaked in there when I wasn't paying attention in the afternoon. She thought there was food in this jar, so she brought it to the living room. She accidentally dropped it and—"

A second later, I stood and grabbed her collar. I slapped her hard across the face like mad.

She screamed and instinctively struggled. "Let me go, Josie York! Tim will kill you if he finds out about this!"

It was too bad she'd underestimated the strength of a mother in despair. I wanted to kill her!

Amid the chaos, I heard Timothy's voice. "What are you doing, Josie? Stop it!"

Yasmin looked like she'd seen her savior. She cried, "Tim, save me!"

But as Timothy moved to pull me away, Laura stepped in front of him. She was probably worried that Yasmin would twist the truth and make me take the fall.

So, she did all she could to stop him. Then, she guided him to look at the ashes scattered across the floor. He froze at the sight of them.