Loves Reckoning

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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Katrina and Eunice approached her with smiles, seemingly giddy on her behalf.

"Your 'my loves' is on the way," Eunice whispered, because Brent was nearby, engrossed in his comics.

The four of them were gathered under a large tree in the vacant lot, their usual meeting spot as a group of friends. The six of them were childhood friends who lived close to each other. They were just waiting for the last two, Nick and Joe.

Three of them were girls and two were boys-yes, only two boys, because Joe was gay and the loudest among them.

She quickly grabbed her comb and mirror, fixing her hair, which wasn't even messy to begin with. They were all high school students attending the same school. Only she and Brent were classmates; the others were in different sections.

She placed the comb and mirror back into her small shoulder bag and waited for Joe and Nick to arrive. The girls were seated on a large fallen tree trunk while Brent was perched up in the tree, still absorbed in his comics.

They soon spotted their two friends approaching on bicycles. The three girls exchanged glances and smiles, but hers faded as the bikes drew nearer-Nick had a girl riding with him.

Nick and Joe quickly reached them, parking their bikes. Nick put his arm around the girl who had been with him.

"Have you been here long, girls?" Joe teased loudly, looking up at Brent in the tree.

Brent jumped down to join them. Nobody spoke as they all stared at the girl Nick had his arm around.

"Oh, this is Fay, my girlfriend," Nick said with a smile, introducing the girl.

Her young heart suddenly ached. She wanted to cry but held it in. She observed the girl Nick introduced. She was pretty, but just from her looks, she could tell she was flirtatious.

"Hi!" the girl greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, I'm Brent," Brent introduced himself when none of the girls responded.

Brent extended his hand toward Nick's girlfriend. Fay gazed at him with dreamy eyes. She didn't know why, but she felt the girl's smile was flirtatious.

Actually, Brent was more handsome than Nick, but Nick had a way with words that won him girlfriends. Brent, on the other hand, could be moody and reserved, and she was the only one who understood his quirks because they were the closest in the group.

Her brows furrowed as she noticed Fay trying to act cute around Brent, even with her boyfriend beside her. She also saw the disapproval on her other friends Katrina and Eunice's faces.

"Ola! These are our lovely besties-Katrina, Eunice, and, of course, the most beautiful of them all, Zyline!" Their gay friend Joe's loud voice startled them all.

They reluctantly shook hands with Nick's new girlfriend. She was probably the fifth girlfriend Nick had introduced to them.

"Oh, girls, help me spread out this mat over there so we can have a picnic vibe. We brought food too," Joe said suddenly, heading toward the tree.

Eunice and Katrina immediately followed. She, however, remained rooted in place. She was about to excuse herself and claim a headache-especially seeing how sweet Nick and his girlfriend were being-but Brent spoke first.

"Joe, can I borrow your bike? Zy and I are just going for a ride," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her toward Joe's bike.

She couldn't say a word and simply followed.

"Hey, you two! Is there something going on that you're not telling us?" Joe teased, pausing in his task.

Nick and his girlfriend looked in their direction.

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