My Wife Sent Our Daughter to a Haunted House

I fell in love with Irene during our university years. Back then, she was burdened with an enormous debt of sixty thousand dollars left behind by her parents. She spent her days hiding in a small rented room, surviving on nothing but boiled cabbage. I used my scholarship money and part-time job savings to help her, and together, we paid off the debt over three years. After graduation, we both landed jobs at prestigious companies thanks to our excellent academic performance. A year into our careers, I bought an engagement ring, prepared our new home, and proposed to her. Irene was moved to tears, and shortly after we got married, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Irene put a lot of thought into naming our daughter, poring over dictionaries for the perfect choice. She would often curl up in my arms, reciting the names she had picked out for the baby in her belly. I teased her for being overly sentimental, but she just smiled and said it was only the beginning. She dreamed

"I’ll give you a hint—it’s Mr. Hubert Gunner... You should go and beg him," the voice on the phone said. As soon as the call ended, Robert dropped to his knees before me with a loud thud. "Hubert, this is all my fault! I never should have come between you and Irene. If you’re angry, take it out on me. But please, don’t make Yuki pay the price!"He clasped his hands together, pleading. "I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t make this harder for Yuki. She’s my only daughter!" I didn’t respond. My hands moved mechanically as I continued gathering Lily’s ashes from the floor, piece by piece. "Hubert! Robert is talking to you. Are you even listening?" Irene shouted, her voice sharp with frustration. "How can you be so heartless? Misunderstanding my relationship with Robert is one thing, but now you’re taking it out on a child? Are you even human?" Her scolding was endless, but I tuned her out entirely. I carefully cradled the ashes in my hands, my mind consumed by thoughts of

"I'm sorry, Lily... I’m so sorry..." Irene murmured, her voice trembling as she cradled the doll. I watched her coldly, unmoved by her display of remorse. From the day I met Irene, she had always been carefree and straightforward, typically wearing simple business suits. When did she start wearing these extravagant dresses? Even she probably hadn’t noticed. It began after she reconnected with Robert. She started paying meticulous attention to her appearance, spending more and more time in front of the mirror each day. Back then, Lily would imitate her, admiring herself in the mirror, twirling around in her own little dresses. She begged me to buy her several princess dresses. "Mommy, Mommy, look! I have a pretty dress too!" she exclaimed one day, running excitedly toward Irene, who was preparing to leave. But Lily, being frail, grew dizzy and stumbled, spilling juice onto Irene’s expensive dress. "Lily Gunner! How many times have I told you to be careful? You’re always

Irene started to say something, but Robert stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Irene, he’s upset right now. Talking to him won’t help," he said softly, feigning concern. "Why don’t you go check with the lead doctor and see what they suggest? I’ll stay here with him. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually." Swayed by his words, Irene nodded, gave me a few parting instructions, and left the room. Robert took a seat by my bed, his tone casual as he offered, "Hubert, how about some fruit? I can cut some for you." I scoffed, my lips curling into a bitter smile. "She’s gone now. Why bother keeping up the act?" "Whatever do you mean?" he replied, pretending not to understand."Actually, I should thank you. Thanks to Lily’s heart, Yuki can live a full life. And really, you should be grateful to me. Without Yuki needing Lily’s heart, it would’ve just gone to waste, wouldn’t it?"When I heard you were backing out of the donation yesterday, I didn’t sleep a wink. It took me all n

A year later, I unexpectedly ran into Robert at my doorstep. Unlike the arrogant man I’d seen last time, he now looked deranged, clutching a kitchen knife in his trembling hand. "Hubert, this is all your fault! If you hadn’t refused to give Yuki the heart, she wouldn’t have died! I’m going to kill you!" He charged at me, and I barely had time to react, instinctively trying to dodge. At that critical moment, Irene, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, suddenly appeared and stepped in front of me, taking the knife meant for me. Blood spurted out, staining her face crimson. As Robert stared at her in shock, she seized the opportunity to wrestle the knife from his hand and swung it at him with all her strength. In the end, Robert collapsed into a pool of blood. Irene’s face was pale, yet she still managed a smile as she turned to me. "Hubert, look, I’ve avenged Lily. Can you give me another chance? Can we start over?" She was mad. Both she and Robert had lost their minds. Withou