Semua Bab The Hollow Life: Bab 1 - Bab 10

My eyes filled with tears, my hands clenched into fists. Suddenly, the image of my daughter's gruesome death flooded my entire mind."But Sam's been sterile for some time now. How are you going to explain the baby in your belly to him?" Pete Griffith hugged Jody Parker, letting out a playful, teasing laugh."I'll just tell him this is Chloe reincarnated, that she came into my belly six months ago. Don't worry. You just stay here at home and keep being our male nurse. You don't need to worry about anything else. Once the baby is born in four months, we'll be a happy little family of three.""But if Sam finds out you let me kill his daughter and buried her alive while she was still breathing... is he not going to get angry?" Pete stroked Jody's swollen belly, a victorious smile on his face.It felt like a thousand poisoned needles pierced my chest. I stopped breathing. I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing out loud.But Jody on the swing didn't notice a thing. She smi

Jody led Pete upstairs and slammed the bedroom door.I glanced at the messy kitchen. The carefully chosen dishes and cutlery were a total wreck.I grabbed some gloves and threw everything into the trash.After smashing everything in the kitchen, I stood in front of the vase filled with dried flowers, staring blankly. There were hundreds of different kinds. Every single stem was a gift from Jody.For five years of marriage, she had given me a flower every week. Our friends were always jealous."Dude, you're so lucky. What guy gets flowers from his wife these days? Mine won't even buy her own—she waits for me to get them for her."My heart softened. I was about to put the vase away in a cabinet when I heard Pete's chuckle behind me."Hey Sam, you still don't get it, do you? All those flowers were the rejects she grabbed while chasing me back in college. If I hadn't told her to put in more effort with you, you wouldn't have even seen the rejects."Pete casually poured himself a gl

Chloe rushed over to hug me, but no matter how I moved, I couldn't catch her.Then her eyes filled with tears. She sobbed, heartbroken. "Mommy! Why won't Mommy come see me! I miss Mommy, I miss Daddy. I want to go home. It's so cold and hungry here. I'm so scared. My head hurts so much."When I woke up, my hands were numb. My face was covered in tears.A dull, aching pain pressed against my chest.I rubbed my temples and sent Jody a message. [Chloe came to me in a dream and said she misses you. Let's go see her together.]The message, sent as a careful test, sank like a stone. No response.I put my phone aside and opened my suitcase to pack. My daughter's room was still the same. If I could, I wanted to take everything in it with me exactly as it was.Looking at the sweet, innocent face in my daughter's photo—the same pleading expression she had in my dream—my heart ached.I zipped up my suitcase. My phone buzzed.Jody: [Okay. You drive. Let's go together.]My heart leaped.

The welcome home party was held at the most lavish banquet hall in the city. Jody had invited many powerful business partners from the circle. She led Pete around, working the room."Jody, you're so dedicated. Expecting a baby this far along and still bringing your young associate out to network.""That belly of yours doesn't look six months pregnant. But I heard your husband lost his ability to have children six months ago."She smiled graciously. "I have a smaller belly. This is the only bloodline my husband has left in this world."I swirled my glass of wine. What else was there to figure out? She called this a party for me, but she really just wanted to introduce Pete to everyone and force me to accept this child.But she miscalculated.When a man stops loving you, he'll never lose his head over you again.Soft music started playing. She stood in front of the cameras, talking smoothly, shielding Pete behind her the way I used to shield her."Four months from now, I hope you

"Sam, I'm sorry... I visit Chloe every day. I knew I'd run into you eventually." Her eyes filled with tears. Her lips trembled.For a moment, I was reminded of when I first met Jody.She had been upset about something at work, sitting alone by the river crying. I thought she was about to do something stupid, so I grabbed her and pulled her up onto the sidewalk. The moment our eyes met, she looked at me with red, swollen eyes and said, "I feel like the worst person in the world."From that moment on, I knew I wanted to protect her for the rest of my life.So after we got married, every time we fought, if she showed even a hint of weakness, I'd drop my pride and do whatever it took to make her happy again.But now? All I felt was disgust.Jody saw that I wasn't saying anything. She took my hand and pressed it against her chest. "I swear, I mean every word. Every single day without you, I can't stop thinking about you. I regret everything. I never should have lied to you from the