The Ugly Truth

I gently held Queenie in my arms and cradled her close. She was my daughter, and this was the last bit of warmth I could offer her.

I hugged her tightly, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Don't be scared, my love. Daddy will come visit you every day. Just wait for me… I'll be with you soon. Sleep well, my sweet girl."

Tears kept streaming down my face uncontrollably, yet I couldn't even cry out. It felt as if my heart had been torn to shreds and trampled into the mud, with no chance of it ever being mended.

I took care of Queenie's funeral alone and eventually returned home with only a small urn in my arms.

When I got back, I no longer cared if Sandra had come home or if she ever would.

I walked straight to Queenie's room. Her crib was still there with the baby mobile above it, slowly spinning. Her playmat lay on the floor, scattered with toys, as if waiting for her to come back.

Curling up on the playmat next to her crib, I held her favorite stuffed bunny close to my chest, as if she were still in my arms. Tears streamed down my face as I fell asleep in the darkness.

I had just fallen asleep when I woke to the sound of the front door opening. Two voices, a man's and a woman's, filled the entryway. The woman was my wife, Sandra, and the man… I didn't need to guess. It had to be Shawn.

"Ugh, it's pitch black in here. Xavier hasn't come home yet," Sandra muttered with disdain. "I guess he wants to give me the silent treatment again for being out with you on your birthday."

She continued, her tone laced with scorn, "It's always the same. Whenever it involves you, he gets all paranoid and suspicious. I honestly don't know what I ever saw in that petty, narrow-minded man."

Shawn comforted her. "Don't be upset. Maybe he just loves you too much? If you want, we can cut back on meeting up. I don't want you to be in trouble because of me."

"Forget him. He's just paranoid and neurotic," she scoffed.

After a pause, he asked gently, "We were away for a few days. Is Queenie okay?"

"What could possibly happen? If something had happened, Xavier would have called me to argue by now. Look, not a single call or message from him these past few days," she replied dismissively.

I gritted my teeth in silence. How could I call or text her when she had blocked my number?

Shawn's voice was gentle as he said, "You must be exhausted after the last few days. Get some rest. I'll head out."

Yet, Sandra stopped him. "Shawn, why don't you stay? It's late. Xavier isn't here anyway, and he probably took Queenie to his parents'. You know how much they dislike me. I'm certainly not calling his parents to ask if they're coming back."

A long silence followed, and then Shawn spoke again. "Sandra, are you unhappy in this marriage? I… if I hadn't left back then, Xavier would never have had a chance to step in. Losing you is my biggest regret."

He continued, "Sandra, if you're truly unhappy, would you give me a chance? A chance to make you happy again? Can we start over?"

I gently opened the door and peeked through the crack. Sandra had buried her face in his shoulder. Her eyes were red as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Shawn, you know you're the only man I've ever loved. Yes, we can.

"If it weren't for Xavier pressuring me to marry him so he would save Chance Group, I'd never have agreed to it. You can't imagine how I feel lying beside him every night. Shawn, I've never loved him. I gave birth to a daughter for him, so I've repaid him enough. I just want to be with you."

A lump formed in my throat. What did our years of marriage mean to her? To her, it was just a debt.

She claimed that Shawn was the only man she had ever loved. To him, I was just a scheming opportunist who had taken advantage of Sandra.

Yet, she had conveniently forgotten one thing. Without me, she wouldn't have this life, wouldn't be living so lavishly, and wouldn't still be treated like the pampered daughter of the Chance Family. Without my help, her family would've lost everything long ago.

I first met Sandra at a cocktail party. At that time, Chance Group was facing a severe financial crisis. Without immediate funds, they were on the verge of bankruptcy.

The Chance Family took her to the cocktail party in hopes that she would catch the interest of a wealthy man or two so they could arrange a marriage and save Chance Group.

Everyone saw right through it. They looked at her with mockery, as if she were nothing more than a commodity, a price tag hanging over her. She was mocked and humiliated by a few wealthy young women, and she was so angry she was nearly in tears, but she didn't dare to leave.

I couldn't stand to watch it any longer, so I stepped in and spoke up for her. And that was how we met.

The Consequences of Your Actions

I admitted that I fell for her at first sight. She knew it, too, and understood exactly what my presence in her life meant.

She quickly agreed to marry me under my pursuit on the condition that I would help Chance Group through its difficulties.

I knew she had once loved someone deeply who had since moved abroad. I thought that I treated her so well, and coupled with the fact that we had been married for several years, as well as having a daughter together, surely she must feel something for both me and our child. But it was all my wishful thinking.

In her eyes, I was just an annoyance, someone she barely tolerated. And Queenie? Our daughter was just another burden.

I looked at the couple hugging each other and kissing passionately in the living room before I opened the door with a bang that startled the pair of lovers.

Shawn saw me standing there with a grim expression, and he was shocked. Sandra stood protectively in front of him, saying, "Xavier, if you have a problem, take it up with me. Leave Shawn out of this."

She lifted her confidently, brazenly challenging me. "You knew I never loved you. I only married you because you and my parents forced me into it. Now that Shawn is back, I realize he's the one I've always loved. I refuse to spend the rest of my life in misery."

"Just because you have money, don't think you can do as you please. I'm not afraid," she spat. "We're getting divorced. I don't want our daughter, so you can keep her. The assets will be divided equally. That doesn't bother you, does it?"

Blinded by rage, I stepped forward and gave her a forceful slap that sent her tumbling onto the couch.

Shawn lunged at me, grabbing my arm. "How dare you hit her? I'll make you pay for that."

I remembered that it was because of him that Sandra had drugged Queenie. Fury boiled within me, and I punched him square in the face—one hard blow after another.

Sandra scrambled to her feet, yelling, "Xavier, are you insane? I'm calling the cops!"

I shoved her aside and glared down at the bruised and beaten Shawn on the floor. Turning back to Sandra, I spoke through clenched teeth. "You want a divorce? Fine. I'll agree—on one condition: Queenie stays with me. Give me our daughter."

I can keep Queenie?' My heart ached when I said those words. "Let's see how you'll give our daughter back to me,' I thought.

A spark of excitement lit up in her eyes. "Really? You promise?"

I nodded. "I mean it. Ask her if she wants to come with me."

She scoffed, dismissing my words. "She's been raised by you all this time. She smiles whenever she sees you, doesn't she? That means she's happy to come with you."

'If only she could smile at me again. I'd give anything for that,' I said sadly in my heart.

Sandra turned and headed to Queenie's room before asking me in puzzlement. "Where is she, anyway? Did you leave her with your parents again? I told you to stop doing that. Kids should be raised by their own parents."

I laughed bitterly. "Raised by their own parents? When have you ever done that? Between your shopping trips, spa visits, and endless brunches, when have you ever cared for her?

"After she was born, you said breastfeeding would ruin your figure, so she's been drinking formula milk from day one, and her health's been poor because of it.

"You said you were not good at caring for a child, so I hired a nanny.

"And at night, you said you couldn't sleep with her in the room, so the nanny was the one staying up with her."

I continued coldly, "As a mother, what have you done? You put sleeping medications in her milk bottle just so you could go on a date with your lover. You killed her."

Sandra shot to her feet, her face flushed with indignation. "We're not lovers! Shawn and I are just close friends."

I scoffed. "Is that what you call 'close friends' these days? Kissing another man in your own home while your husband's around?"

Shawn stood up and said, "A sleeping pill isn't going to do anything serious to a baby. She just needed a good night's rest. You're making this a big deal over nothing."

Rage filled my chest. "What the hell did you say? Just needed a good night's rest?"

Sandra lifted her chin again, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What do you want to do? It's done. She's already taken it. Why can't you just let it go?"

I could barely contain my fury. "What do I want to do? Sandra, do you even realize what you've done?"

Then, I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward the table. She screamed, "What are you trying to do?"

But her scream was cut off when she saw what I had placed there: Queenie's portrait and the urn beside it.