On Children's Day, my wife Laila, who was supposed to take our daughter Taliah to the amusement park, left her alone in the car.

Under the scorching sun, the temperature inside the car soared, and after drinking all three bottles of water in the car, Taliah suffocated to death.

While I was away on a business trip, I received a phone call and desperately rushed back home, but I still didn't get to see Taliah for the last time.

I held Taliah's lifeless body and broke down crying.

I didn't understand why Taliah, who was happily going out with Laila in the morning, ended up being left alone in the car.

And why did Laila, who should have been with Taliah, disappear?

Just as I was about to call the police, I saw a video on Instagram posted by her first love.

[Because of you, I feel the happiness of home!]

In the video, a little boy was hugging my wife and sweetly calling her "Mommy"!

That was her first love's son, who was the same age as my daughter Taliah!

I felt a mix of sadness and anger, trembling as I sent her a message questioning.

[Is this your reason for abandoning Taliah?]

The next day, she replied to me nonchalantly.

[Taliah has always been introverted and likes to be alone, what's the problem?]

[But they are different, they can't live without a woman taking care of them!]

***

"Laila, let's get a divorce!"

The unwavering love I once had for Laila vanished in an instant.

She used to be a ray of light in my young life.

Back when I had just transferred to her school, I stuttered when I spoke and had no one to play with or be friends with.

During a seating arrangement change, no one wanted to sit with me.

With her hair tied up in a high ponytail, she confidently walked over and sat next to me, extending her hand.

"Hi, nice to meet you!"

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Laila Gibson."

From that moment on, she lived in my heart.

This was a secret love that lasted for several years. I, who was originally a good student, purposely got a similar grade to hers to be closer to her.

My wish came true when we both got accepted into the same university.

However, she quickly fell in love with Yael Johnson.

They were a perfect match, both talented and beautiful.

I could only bury my secret love, and those days became a dark abyss without a glimpse of light for me.

After graduation, Yael chose to go abroad, and Laila experienced heartbreak.

She wore heavy makeup every day and drowned her sorrows in nightclubs.

Worried that something might happen to her, I silently followed behind her, ensuring she safely returned home every day.

Until one day, she stared at me with hazy eyes, lost in thought.

"Victor, do you like me?

"Shall we get married?"

I thought that over time, she had finally seen my dedication and intense love for her, so I happily agreed.

In seven years of our marriage, I had always obeyed her and was willing to sacrifice everything for her.

But now I realized that I was just a compromise.

I never truly got into her heart, and she never saw me for who I was.

She would complain about being tired, but it was me who took care of Taliah's every need, including changing diapers and cleaning up.

Meanwhile, she only focused on dressing up herself beautifully every day and occasionally playing with Taliah when she felt like it.

I really couldn't avoid this business trip, and Laila also promised to take Taliah to the amusement park to celebrate Children's Day.

However, she left Taliah locked in the car while she went to spend time with Yael and his son.

I couldn't imagine how painful and desperate Taliah felt when she died.

There was not a drop of water left in the car, only three empty bottles. The car windows were covered in her handprints from her desperate attempts to escape, and there were marks of her struggle on the seats and backrests.

When the window was broken, she had a pale face, drenched in sweat.

I held her already cold body and cried out in pain.

My Taliah.

She is so well-behaved and sensible.

How could she be gone?

"Taliah, I'm sorry. It's my fault for coming back late..."

I knelt in front of Taliah's lifeless body the entire night, torturing myself by listening to the voice recordings on the car's dashcam repeatedly.

When she got into the car, Taliah was filled with joy, her voice sounding excited.

"Mommy, can I have an ice cream today?

"Mommy, our kindergarten..."

Taliah wanted to share her daily experiences at kindergarten with Laila, but she was interrupted by Laila.

"Can you please stop talking? You're distracting me from driving."

However, shortly after, Laila's phone rang. It was Yael's voice, and Laila wasn't afraid of being distracted anymore. She happily flirted with him on the phone while driving.

They chatted all the way, and during that time, Taliah never spoke again.

Until Laila hung up the phone and called out "Taliah".

"There will be a little boy joining us later, let's wait for them here."

Taliah's timid voice sounded.

"Is it the little boy from last time?

"Can we not play with them? He pulled my hair and stained my dress last time. I'm scared of him."

I vaguely remembered that one weekend last month, Laila took Taliah out. When they came back, her hair was disheveled and her dress was dirty.

She said she fell down on her own.

It turned out that Laila went to see Yael and his son at that time.

"I brought you out to play, but why are you so difficult?

"He doesn't have a mom, that's already pitiful enough. How can you have no sympathy at all?"

Taliah let out a small sob.

"Crying again, all you do is cry. It's so annoying!"

Taliah was a timid and sensitive child, and I could imagine how scared she must have been at that moment, afraid that Laila would dislike her.

She must have curled herself up in a corner, trying hard not to let the tears fall.

Not long after, Yael and his son arrived.

"Why is the little crybaby here too? So annoying!

"Mommy, can we go to the zoo today? Please?"

As soon as Yael's son Dylan showed up, he started shouting.

"Of course, as long as it's something you want to do, I'll accompany you."

Laila's voice was full of pampering and indulgence.

But she had promised to take Taliah to the amusement park, and Taliah had been counting on her fingers and looking forward to it for a long time.

"Mommy, aren't we going to the amusement park?"

Taliah's small voice was drowned out by the lively conversation among the three of them.

Laila became a little impatient when she heard this.

"Since you don't want to go, then wait in the car. We'll talk about going to the amusement park after we're done at the zoo!"

"Mommy, Mommy, I'll be good, please don't leave me..."

"Let's go. We can't indulge this behavior in children. Let her learn a lesson." Yael snorted coldly.

Laila hesitated for a moment. "She's alone, what if she gets lost?"

"Just lock the car windows and leave two bottles of water."

The sound of the door closing echoed as they left, leaving my daughter Taliah alone in the car, crying helplessly.

I couldn't bear to listen to the rest of the audio. The sound of Taliah struggling before her death was heart-wrenching.

The sound of Taliah crying, pounding on the car window, and the gradually fading cries for help...

"Mommy, I'll be good, save me, save me...

"Daddy, it's so hot, I feel so uncomfortable, where are you?"

In the end, everything fell silent, and my Taliah was gone...

I curled up into a ball, feeling as if a thousand arrows were piercing my heart, and my whole body and heart were in unbearable pain.

Taliah's death was sudden and the cemetery had not been chosen yet, so I took her ashes back home.

One day, during the daytime, I went out to check the cemetery, hoping to find one that was closer to home and had a better environment.

As dusk approached, I returned home, feeling exhausted.

When I opened the door, the room was brightly lit.

Laila was wearing an apron, holding a plate of prepared salad and feeding Yael.

If someone didn't know the truth, they would think they were a couple.

When she saw me come in, Laila, who was originally smiling, instantly lost her expression.

Yael waved at me like the head of the house.

"You're back. Just in time, Laila has finished cooking. Wash your hands and let's eat!"

All the pain and anger that had been building up for days had an outlet in an instant.

I took a step forward, grabbed his collar tightly, and knocked him to the ground with one punch.

The chair behind him fell down, and Yael's exclamation caught Laila's attention.

She stood in front of me, holding a kitchen knife.

"What? Are you so eager to murder your husband and to be with your lover?"

Laila looked at me with anger and disgust.

"Victor, are you crazy? Attacking him for no reason. Do you want me to call the police?"

I sneered, looking at this shameless couple before me.

"Go ahead, call the police! Let everyone see how shameless you are!"

Yael climbed up from the ground and pointed his finger at me. "Victor, you've gone too far! Laila and I are good friends. I was just taking my son to play nearby, and we came up here to rest. Why did you attack me without any reason?

"Laila, is your husband prone to violence? I'm worried about you."

Laila looked at Yael with gratitude and gently asked, "Yael, are you okay?"

Seeing that Yael was fine, Laila finally had time to look back at me.

"Victor, can you please stop being like a mad dog? You don't mind embarrassing yourself, but Taliah and I do.

"Taliah must be ashamed to have an emotionally unstable father like you."

When I heard her mention Taliah, my heart ached.

"You shut up! What right do you have to mention Taliah?

"When you left her all alone in the car, did you ever think about her safety?"

Laila had a moment of guilt, but still stubbornly trying to defend herself.

"I locked her in the car because I was afraid she would get lost.

"The car is safe, and she has a place to rest if she gets tired. Why are you being so dramatic?"

Looking at her beautiful face, I raised my hand high, but I couldn't bring myself to strike her.

Suddenly, a child ran out from the bathroom and bit my leg.

"You bad person, don't bully my Daddy and Mommy!"

The boy in front of me was very young, but there was malice in his eyes.

Thinking of what he had done to Taliah, the anger surged within me.

I kicked him aside.

Laila couldn't stand it anymore. She rushed forward to comfort Dylan and angrily yelled at me, "Victor, you've gone too far! How could you lay a hand on a child?

"If you continue like this, I will divorce you!"

She was so gentle to Dylan, but always impatient with Taliah.

In the past, whenever we had arguments, I would instantly back down as long as she threatened to divorce me.

But now, I nodded incessantly. "Fine, let's get a divorce, it's just what I want!"

I was determined to take Taliah away from this filthy place. I couldn't let these disgusting people be in her presence. It would only make her sad and fearful.

I strode to Taliah's bedroom and pushed open the door. The originally clean and tidy bedroom was now in a mess, as if it had been robbed.

The sheets were wrinkled, half hanging on the bed and half on the floor.

The dolls that Taliah loved when she was alive were scattered dirty in every corner.

Even Taliah's photos had been completely blackened with ink.

Most importantly, Taliah's urn was missing.

I rushed out like crazy, grabbed Laila and yelled at her. Because of anger and fear, I felt my whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Who touched that room?

"Where is the crystal box that was on the bed? What did you do with it?"