Chapter 4

Lucille's POV

At the sight of my tears, Alexander lost what little patience he had left. He turned toward the gravestone. "Mrs. Walker, your daughter never had the chance to learn how to be a wife from you. You left too soon."

My fingers clenched, but he kept going.

"She gets upset over the slightest thing. She even called off the wedding and threatened me with divorce. She was like this when you were sick, too. The moment something went wrong, she cried.

"And the second that happened, everyone had to drop everything like their world revolved around her. You asked me to take care of her before you left. But how am I supposed to take care of someone who acts so petulantly?"

I stared at Alexander, stunned.

When Mom was sick, her greatest fear was burdening me. Even when the pain kept her awake at night, she would lie there quietly so she wouldn't wake me.

Before she passed, she held Alexander's hand and begged him to be patient with me.

Now, he was standing at her grave, turning her final request into a burden. Worse, he was blaming her for not raising me right.

Alexander looked at me. "If your mom were around, she would've been disappointed to see you turn into this."

I closed my eyes. The last bit of pounding pain in my chest went quiet.

"Alexander, let's get divorced. I'll have my lawyer send the papers to your secretary."

His face dropped. He grabbed my injured arm. The wound split open again, pain exploding through me.

He stared at me for a long time before a cold sneer escaped him.

"You're going to push this even further, huh? Forget about divorce. It's not happening. Instead, I'll make you understand exactly what happens when you try to threaten me."

With that, he walked down the hill.

Casey followed him for a few steps before turning back to me. She lifted her chin with a smug grin. "Looks like you're in trouble now, Lucille."

I knelt alone in front of Mom's grave, slowly rubbing away the red writing with the edge of my sleeve.

When I returned home, the nursery door was open. Alexander was standing inside with the fetal Doppler in his hand.

It was the only sound we had left of our baby, Mason.

Alexander pulled the memory card from the device and snapped it in half right in front of me. I stood in the doorway, forgetting how to breathe.

He tossed the device back on the table. "Consider that a lesson."

When we lost the baby, Alexander had been even more devastated than I was. When I woke up from the surgery, he was kneeling beside my bed, his eyes red from crying.

Now, all he did was narrow his eyes at me in warning. "Today, it's only the recording of Mason's heartbeat. I don't know what it'll be next time."

I met his gaze. I could clearly see the reluctance in his eyes, but his voice remained frigid.

"While Casey and I are away on the honeymoon, take some time to reflect. Once we get back, I expect you to have come to your senses."

I closed my eyes, but the tears still rolled down my cheeks. Alexander tried to reach over and wipe the tears away, like he had done every other time, but I turned my face away.

His expression darkened instantly. "Lucille, don't exhaust the last of my patience."

Casey's voice came from outside. "Al, the bags are in the car. If we don't leave now, we'll miss our flight."

He pulled his hand back. "Don't even think about leaving again. I mean, where else could you possibly go?"

After the door closed, the room fell silent. I crouched on the floor and slowly put everything he had thrown back in its place.

A silver baby bracelet lay on the bed. Back then, Alexander had held my hand and carefully engraved a message on the back.

"Mommy and Daddy love you forever, Mason."

I ran my thumb slowly over the words. So, this was how short forever could be.

…

Third-Person POV

Three days later, Alexander and Casey returned from their honeymoon. She pushed open the door and called out cheerfully, "Hey, Lucille. I got you a present!"

No one answered.

Alexander rushed into the nursery, only to find a signed divorce agreement waiting for him inside.