When Love Fades, I Begin Again

The moment fireworks burst across the night sky over Dreamhaven, the tears in my eyes dried.

With trembling fingers, I added a comment to the post they had made just a minute earlier.

[Wishing the three of you a long and happy life together, never to be separated.]

Less than three minutes after I posted the comment, the number that had blacklisted me suddenly called just as the staff stopped me at the entrance.

My heart sank, but I calmly answered.

On the other end, Fiona was furious, just as I'd expected.

"Willam Edwards! How could you be so vicious? How dare you spread a rumor like that about someone else?

"Do you know that because of that one sarcastic comment, Tyler thinks he's done something terribly wrong? He's crying so hard he can't stop!

"He's such an innocent young man! Are you trying to traumatize him?!"

There was a sharp rustle, followed by a brief silence.

Then an even angrier voice came through the receiver.

My older sister, Janet, an oncologist, spoke without a trace of mercy. "Willam, I'm warning you. Delete that comment right now and apologize to Tyler! Then give Tyler all the shares in Dad's companies that he left to you!

"Otherwise, for every extra tear Tyler sheds, I'll make sure that little bastard loses another pound of blood during her next round of chemotherapy!"

If this had happened before, I would have compromised long ago for the sake of my child's treatment and medical expenses.

But now, I held Xalia in my arms as her body slowly grew cold.

"Janet, let's end our relationship as brother and sister. Xalia won't need your treatment anymore." My voice remained calm.

Janet had put the call on speaker, so my words about cutting ties came through loud and clear to Fiona.

"Willam! Have you lost your mind?! Just because you don't want to apologize to Tyler, you're really willing to gamble with the child's life?!"

Faced with my wife's accusations, I remained unmoved. "Fiona, let's get a divorce. I'll give you to Tyler. Consider it my apology…"

The fireworks overhead were dazzling.

As another barrage exploded across the night sky, the call abruptly disconnected.

No one heard my despair.

…

Xalia's face looked so different after her death, nothing like the way she had looked when she was alive.

No form of transportation would allow me to bring her body aboard.

I had no choice but to carry Xalia on my back and walk across more than half the city. Only then did I finally find a funeral home willing to handle her final arrangements.

Sitting in the viewing room, I bent over her body as cold tears streamed down my face.