Chapter 7 Where Did You Hide Her?

(Evelyn's POV)

The heart monitor showed nothing but a harsh flat line, and it let out one long, piercing wail.

Stella's eyes were half open. Even at the moment she died, those green eyes, emptied of all their light, had stayed fixed on the closed door. I knew she was waiting for Adrian. Even in the very last second of her life, she'd still been hoping her father would push that door open, walk in, and hold her.

I reached out with a shaking hand, laid it over her little face as it grew cold, and slowly closed her eyes.

"Go to sleep, Stella." I laid my face on her small chest, where the heartbeat was gone for good. My voice was dry and flat. "It won't hurt anymore. No more yucky, bitter medicine. No more big, long needles. Mommy's right here with you."

Two hours later, I carried Stella's body into Westside Crematorium. The whole way there from the hospital, I didn't shed a single tear. Because my daughter was finally free.

She didn't have to drag her broken little body through any more suffering in a hospital bed. If there really was a next life, she would surely be born into a happy family.

She would never again end up with such a cold-blooded, irresponsible father.

A crematorium attendant came over with a thick cremation authorization form. He took one look at my face and asked carefully, "Ma'am, would the child's father be able to come sign? Under our policy, for a minor's cremation, it's best to have both parents present to confirm."

I took out my phone and called Adrian. It rang and rang, then went to voicemail.

The attendant watched me call again and again with no answer. He sighed and dialed the number from the desk phone in the crematorium office.

This time, it only rang twice before someone picked up. The call was on speaker, so Adrian's deep voice, edged with impatience, filled the empty office. "Who is this?"

"Hello, sir. This is Westside Crematorium." The attendant glanced at me, his tone serious but sympathetic. "Your daughter, Stella Hayes, has been pronounced dead. We need you to come in right away and complete the final cremation paperwork together with your mate."

There was a long silence on the other end. Then Adrian spoke, his voice low. "Evelyn, I know you're standing right there. Is this really necessary? Getting someone to call me with a joke like this, just to get me to come home? You're her mother. If Stella ever found out you'd said something like this about her, how do you think she'd feel?"

My lips moved, but it took a moment for any sound to come out. "Adrian..." My voice was barely a whisper. "Stella's gone. Right up until the end, she kept watching the door. She was waiting for you..."

"That's enough, Evelyn." Adrian cut me off, sounding tired and fed up. "Stop using Stella to get my attention. She pushed Vanessa into the pool today and was rude to a guest, and instead of teaching her, you keep making excuses for her. If you can't raise her right, then tomorrow I'll send her to my grandmother's for a while. Grandmother can teach her some manners."

Beep. Beep.

He'd hung up. The dial tone echoed through the empty room.

My nails dug deep into my palms, but I didn't feel any pain at all. Stella never pushed Vanessa. And now she would never get the chance to tell him.

I turned to the stunned attendant. My voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like mine. "Just go ahead with the cremation. He's not coming. I'll take full responsibility."

The attendant gave me a sympathetic look and took the paperwork back toward the cremation room. As I walked down the hallway, I heard a couple of the staff talking in low voices.

"God, I've never seen such an irresponsible father! His daughter's dead, and he won't even come see her. He says he doesn't believe it!"

"Tell me about it! Every family that comes through here is sobbing their hearts out, eyes all red. A parent that heartless? That's a first for me. I guess all the good men really are extinct these days."

The cremation fire roared to life. A few hours later, I carried a cold white urn back to the house on the pack estate.

I pushed open the door to Stella's room.

Everything was just as she'd left it.

Her favorite stuffed bunny sat on the pink princess bed. On her desk was a half-finished drawing of a tall man carrying a little girl on his shoulders, watching fireworks. The air still seemed to hold the faint smell of the baby wash she used.

Holding the urn, I slowly slid down onto the cold floor.

All my strength, all my pretending, collapsed in that moment. I pressed my face hard against that cold, unyielding urn and finally broke down, sobbing out loud.

I would never again hear that soft, sweet little voice call me Mommy. My Stella would be six forever. All that was left of her was the handful of ashes in my arms.

Early the next morning, I heard familiar heavy footsteps in the hallway.

The door to Stella's room swung open, and Adrian strode in, still wearing yesterday's suit. His eyes swept over the empty bed and finally landed on me, sitting on the floor with my back to him.

He cleared his throat, sounding almost awkward. "Evelyn, where's Stella? Is she hiding from me?" His voice softened. "I came to apologize to her."