Five years after my death, my daughter, Emma, dialed Xander Green’s number.

She cautiously asked, "Do you like my mom?"

She was trying to get an answer to the question I once wrote in my diary. "Xander, do you like me?"

Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end sneered, "Did your mom put you up to this? Using her own daughter like a pawn? What an unfaithful woman! She’s already with your dad, yet still trying to rekindle things with me?"

Five years after my death, my daughter, Emma, dialed Xander Green’s number.

She cautiously asked, "Do you like my mom?"

She was trying to get an answer to the question I once wrote in my diary. "Xander, do you like me?"

Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end sneered, "Did your mom put you up to this? Using her own daughter like a pawn? What an unfaithful woman! She’s already with your dad, yet still trying to rekindle things with me?"

……

I had never left Emma’s side after my death, always watching over my lonely and helpless daughter.

When she was just a year old, my father, who had been taking care of her with me, died in a car accident.

Three months later, I took our dog, Snowball, for treatment. However, the hyperbaric chamber at the veterinary clinic exploded, killing me instantly.

After I died, my childhood friend, Russel York, took Emma in and raised her.

When Emma turned five, Russel was driving her home from school and got into a rear-end collision.

Emma followed him out of the car, and when she saw the person in the other car, she froze.

She had seen countless photos of this man among my belongings.

He was Xander Green, my ex-husband.

My heart clenched instantly. I did not want them to recognize each other.

As Xander approached, he noticed Russel and smirked.

I knew that smile all too well. It was a mix of provocation and anger.

Then, his gaze shifted down to Emma, who was holding Russel’s hand. The smirk on his lips deepened, now tinged with mockery.

"Is that your daughter with Amber?"

Emma looked so much like me that his assumption wasn’t surprising.

But hearing it still felt ridiculous and unfair, and a dull ache filled my chest.

I knew it. I couldn’t bear to see him again, not even after death.

Russel impatiently glanced at the scratched paint on his car. "Let’s settle this privately. I won’t hold you responsible."

At that moment, Xander’s "one true love," Haley Carter, gracefully stepped out of the car.

When she saw Emma, she paused. For a split second, I caught the flash of panic in her eyes.

She had such a delicate and beautiful look. It was hard not to like her.

Haley slipped her arm around Xander’s, and he turned to glance at her. He was expressionless, but he didn’t pull away.

What was I thinking? Of course, he wouldn’t pull away.

Russel would occasionally scroll through short videos after Emma went to sleep, and I would watch alongside him.

Every time a news report about Xander and his "one true love" appeared, Russel would pause and watch it through.

Naturally, I learned all about their sweet relationship.

The latest reports mentioned they were getting ready to be engaged.

Xander gently freed his arm from Haley’s grasp and walked over. He handed Emma a business card. "Little one, if you need compensation or reimbursement later, have your dad or your mom give me a call."

When he said "your mom," the other three people present were all stunned.

I was, too.

……

I knew Xander had always been indifferent to me.

Even in a situation like this, with his "one true love" right there and the tension in the air, he could casually tell me, his ex-wife, to contact him for compensation.

So many years had passed, but he was still as arrogant as ever.

Russel did not want to stay a second longer, so he took Emma and got in the car to leave.

Of course, I followed them.

Emma had been distracted ever since she saw Xander.

Finally, she mustered the courage to ask from the back seat, "Uncle Russel, that handsome man just now is my dad, right?"

"I’ve seen so many photos of him in the cookie jar where Mom kept the divorce papers. Mom collected a lot of photos of him. There are at least ten of him holding a trophy on the podium. There are also wedding photos, one of him crouching down to tie Mom’s shoes, and even one where he's kissing her on the cheek."

I regretted it. I should have thrown them all away right after the divorce.

But at the time, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Emma looked at Russel with hopeful eyes. "Is he my dad?"

Russel, not wanting to lie to her, answered truthfully, "Yes."

Emma’s face lit up with a smile. "The kids at preschool used to make fun of me for not having a mom or dad. But now I have a dad! Ha ha."

Suddenly, her smile faltered, and her lips drooped. "Uncle Russel, does that mean Dad doesn’t want me or Mom anymore?"

Russel gently patted her head and assured her that her dad would not abandon her.

Seeing how much Emma craved a father’s love broke my heart.

I wanted to reach out, to hold her and tell her not to be sad, but my hand passed right through her.

In that moment, I forgot I had already been dead for four years.

……

The next day, during the kindergarten nap time, Emma went to the teacher and borrowed her phone. She snuck into the bathroom and dialed the number from the business card Xander had given her the day before.

"Hello?"

"I’m the little girl you gave your card to yesterday. I want to ask you something. Can I?"

Thankfully, Emma didn’t call him ‘Dad.’

But a wave of anxiety swept over me as I rushed forward to grab the phone from her.

Once again, my hand passed right through her.

After getting his permission, Emma cautiously asked, "Do you like my mom?"

It felt like a lightning bolt struck me.

Last night, Emma had gone through my belongings again and was fixated on the words I had written in my diary. "Xander, do you like me?"

She wasn’t trying to reconnect with her dad. She was asking for an answer on my behalf.

But please, don’t ask that.

It had been five years since the divorce and four years since I died.

The answer did not matter that much to me anymore.

On the other end of the line, all I heard was ridicule. "Did your mom put you up to this? Using her own daughter like a pawn? What an unfaithful woman! She’s already with your dad, yet still trying to rekindle things with me?"

Xander’s words spilled out like toothpaste squeezed from a tube. Emma probably did not understand half of what he said.

I felt a mix of bitterness and relief. Thankfully, her vocabulary was not that advanced yet.

Emma raised her voice a little, asking, "Are you insulting my mom?"

"Heh… A woman like her deserves it."

Unfaithful?

I had done nothing wrong! If anything, it was you and your ‘one true love’ who were never clear-cut.

Tears streamed down Emma’s face. I panicked and tried to wipe them away, but my hands went right through her again.

"Mom’s been dead for four years, and you’re still insulting her. You’re awful! Waaaah…"

That’s right. I had been dead for four years. I died the year after our divorce.

On the other end of the phone, disbelief lingered in his voice. "Dead? No way. Evil people live forever. Even if I died, she’d still be alive."

Emma was devastated and furious. "You’re awful! I’ll never talk to you again. And I’ll tell Mom’s spirit not to love you anymore. I’ll burn all the things she kept of yours. Waaaah…"

She sobbed so hard she could barely breathe.

I spun in helpless circles, my heart aching for her.

Then came a muffled voice from the other end of the phone.

"Is your mom really dead?"

"Did your mom teach you to say that?

"That woman is an expert at playing me for a fool."

……

The whole drama ended with the teacher unlocking the bathroom door, taking the phone, and hanging up.

But for the rest of the day, Emma was distracted and gloomy.

I was also on edge.

That evening, when Russel came to pick up Emma, Xander blocked their way at the entrance.

Emma lowered her head slightly and shot a glare at Xander who was in front of her.

Xander stared coldly at Russel. "Amber is dead?"

Russel was not in the mood for pleasantries either. "You divorced her a long time ago, and now you're about to get engaged. Why do you even care?"

At the word "engaged," Emma visibly flinched. Her anger was intensifying as she glared at the sharply dressed man before her.

"Don’t be upset, Emma. It’s okay. Mom has nothing to do with him anymore," I wanted to comfort Emma.

Just then, a few kids still at the kindergarten aftercare came out and started pointing at Emma.

"Hey, isn’t the bossy kid in our class the one with no mom or dad? How come you have two uncles picking you up today?"

"Are both of these uncles lining up to be your new dad?"

"Why are you crying? You’re always yelling at us, but now you’re bawling."

"Your mom’s already dead, so even if you cry, no one will wipe your tears at home."

Russel pulled Emma into his arms as her tears fell like pearls.

I was so frustrated I wanted to stomp my feet and give those bratty kids a good smack.

Suddenly, I saw a large hand lift the boy who had made the last remark right off the ground.

Xander, looking as cold and menacing as a ghost, was furious. "If any of you ever bully Emma again, I’ll not only make sure your parents lose their jobs, I’ll cut out your tongues."

He glared down at the kids, one by one.

Terrified, they scattered in fear.

After scaring off the bullies, Xander seemed to be reflecting on what they had said.

He looked almost ridiculous.

Then, he turned to Russel. "Is Amber really dead?"

I had been dead for four years. Why didn’t he believe it?

Russel’s eyes were cold. "She’s dead but it doesn't concern you."

Russel, as my childhood friend, knew all too well the grudge between Xander and me.

So from the beginning, there was no way he would be nice to him.

"Why doesn’t it concern me? Since you’re not Emma’s father, maybe that heartless woman secretly had our child without telling me. Tell me! Is Emma my daughter?"

I was so shocked I nearly lost my balance.

No! Russel, you absolutely couldn’t tell him!

If he found out that Emma was his daughter and took her away, what if he didn’t treat her well?

Xander was already getting engaged. People said that once a stepmom came into the picture, the father wouldn’t treat his child the same anymore.

Russel held Emma tighter. Her arms wrapped around his neck and they were looking just like a perfect father and daughter.

But to my surprise, Russel did not deny it. "So what if she is? You’re about to get married. Do you think your precious fiancée would accept your ex-wife’s child?"

After a pause, Russel added, "Do you know why I’m telling you that Emma is your daughter? Because I want you to feel guilty for what you did to her mom. Do you know why Amber had to raise her alone?

"Would someone like you even feel guilt?"