Entangled With Wolves

Abandoned Ex-Wife: Now Untouchable

Tao Yaoyao

My five-year-old daughter was dying in the ICU, her heartbeat replaced by the continuous, electronic scream of a flatline. I gripped her cold hand, my throat sealed shut by a terror so absolute I couldn't even cry out. I dialed my husband Grayson's private number, the one reserved only for me and his assistants. He declined the call instantly. A second later, a text buzzed against my palm: "In a meeting. Do not disturb. Stop calling." Five miles away, Grayson was at a luxury gala, adjusting his silk tie and laughing with Belle Escobar. He told her I was just being "dramatic" and using our daughter's "fever" as an excuse to avoid the event. He had no idea Effie's heart had already stopped. When I finally reached our penthouse, soaked from the rain and carrying Effie's small socks in a plastic bag, Grayson didn't even look at me. He snapped at me for ruining the hardwood floors and asked if I'd left Effie with the nanny just to "feel sorry for myself." Three days later, while I buried our daughter in a small, lonely ceremony, Grayson was at the Hamptons. Belle posted a photo of him golfing with the caption: "A mental health day with the boys." He didn't even attend the funeral, but he returned home demanding I clear out Effie's room to make a study for Belle's son. The injustice burned through me until there was nothing left. I swallowed a handful of sleeping pills, desperate to join my daughter. But instead of the darkness, I woke up to blinding lights and the scent of Grayson's expensive cologne. I was standing in a ballroom, wearing a blue silk dress I had already burned. Above me, a banner read: "Happy 5th Birthday Kaiden & Effie." I was back, exactly one year before the tragedy. This time, I wasn't going to be the grieving wife. I was going to be their worst nightmare.

Modern Parenting Ex-wife Drama

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[Five Days Earlier]

Roxanne stirred on her bed as she turned from side to side. She muttered intelligible words as she tightly clutched her comfy pillow.

“Roxanne! Aren’t you up yet? At this rate, you’ll be late for school!” A loud voice came forth.

This voice belonged to her mother, who was beginning to get concerned that her daughter wasn’t responding to her calls.

“This girl…” She muttered to herself, climbing the stairs which led to the first floor where Roxanne’s room was located.

Within moments, she arrived at the front of Roxanne’s room, with only the lacquered door serving as a boundary, preventing her from entering.

>Knock, Knock, Knock<

The clacking sounds her mother’s hands made as they made contact with the door to her room seemed to do the trick as the sleeping beauty immediately roused from her slumber, opening her eyes slowly as the knocking sounds continued.

Her blue lens shone dimly as she opened her eyes lazily. She slowly stirred, moving her body in an attempt to rise from bed, an exercise in futility. Instead, she compensated by shifting her body toward the crown of the bed, while using the wooden structure alongside her hands to support her body.

“I can hear you mom. I’m up…” Roxanne grumbled, sitting up on her bed.

Her unruly, long dark hair covered her face, causing the strands to dance all over her cheeks. She pushed herself to stand, dragging her feet as she walked toward the door to her room where her mom stood on the other side. She undid the lock and opened the door slowly.

“Morning mom” She said in a tired fashion.

“Roxanne!? I can’t believe this. You’re such a mess! This never happens, just when did you get to bed last night?” Her mom asked her with a concerned look.

Roxanne smiled uncomfortably. There’s no way she could tell her mom what she had been up to the previous night. As always, she had to just come up with a special something called a LIE.

“I was studying. We have tests by the end of the week before we leave for Winter Break.” Roxanne mumbled.

“Oh, wow. That’s good then, but don’t push it, okay? You need to get to school quickly, so I’ll leave you right now. Get freshened up quickly, if you don’t want to ruin your perfect attendance record.” Her mom said with her usual doting tone.

Roxanne was used to this though.

“Aye aye mom,” She said, closing the door to her room before her mother uttered another word.

“Gah, I feel sore. Last night didn’t, in any way, go as I thought.” She said to herself.

She stretched her body and yawned, releasing the tensed-up feeling she was feeling as she felt even more awake. She turned her head, causing her hair to flail behind her and stop it’s dance all over her face. A strand still remained in the middle of her face, causing her to glare a bit.

“Whoo. Whoo. Hoooo.”

She let out air from her mouth, pursing her lips to increase the concentration of her breath as she tried to use the air she produced to forcibly make the strand join the rest of its members. All to no avail.

Tired of her meaningless and fruitless effort, she used her hand to carry the strand and place it at its rightful place behind her, just where it belonged. Even though she had achieved her goal, she still felt a sense of defeat, like she lost to the strand.

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