Never See You Again

"Mina, once Clara recovers, I'll take you both on a trip around the world. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the northern lights?" Christian Gordon said.

Mina Lambert smirked. "Won’t your wife be jealous if you take me along? What if she throws a fit?"

Christian scoffed. "She wouldn’t dare."

I might not have dared in the past, but now that my daughter, Minnie Gordon, was gone—and I would be joining her soon—there was nothing left to fear. Clutching the urn tightly, I pushed open the door.

Mina, perched coquettishly on Christian’s lap, didn’t bother restraining herself when she saw me. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Rachel, Christian says his neck is sore. You don’t mind if I give him a massage, do you?" Her eyes gleamed with open defiance, certain I would swallow my pride to keep the peace.

Christian glanced at me, irritation flashing in his eyes. "I haven’t been home for days, and you let yourself look like a beggar? I know you’re angry, but I had to make a decision. Clara can’t wait any longer. I’ll make it up to our daughter next time."

However, Minnie was dead. There was no "next time" for her.

"I know you loved Minnie, but life is life. She was my daughter too; I wouldn’t have ignored her, alive or dead. But I couldn’t just ignore Clara’s situation. You’re being childish by making a fuss," Christian said impatiently, as if he were the one making sense and I was the one being unreasonable.

But if Clara couldn’t wait, could Minnie?

If Minnie had been the one to receive that surgery, she would still be alive. She would be the one recovering now. Instead, after losing her chance at a new heart, Mina sent someone to Minnie’s hospital room to tell her that Christian didn’t want her anymore. The shock triggered a heart attack, and she collapsed into my arms, gasping her final breaths.

She was so young. She never even got to truly see the world.

With the last of her strength, she clutched my clothes. "Is it true? Does Dad really not want me anymore?"

All I could do was hold her tightly and whisper that I would always love her.

Until the end, she never saw Christian.

Meanwhile, Clara Lambert—Christian’s childhood sweetheart’s daughter—was thriving, her body healthy after a successful heart transplant.

Hatred surged through me. I wanted them all dead.

My silence must have made Christian think I had given in.

"The matter ends here," he declared. "Clean yourself up. Look at you."

I tightened my grip on the urn and lifted my gaze to the man I had once loved so deeply.

"Christian, let’s get a divorce."