Cruise Romance, My Daughter's Empty Funeral

My daughter was in the ICU after the crash. My husband, Silas, told me he was on an urgent business trip and couldn't make it.

The very next day, I saw a headline of him on a romantic getaway with his young assistant.

I looked at my daughter through the glass and called him to end our marriage.

There was a brief silence before a woman's voice answered.

"Mr. Salinger is in the shower. Do you want me to give him a message?"

I hung up the phone. I decided to take my daughter and vanish from his world forever.

Annie fought for her life in that ICU for two weeks. She didn't make it.

I watched as they covered her small body with a white sheet. I felt like a hollow shell, a ghost walking among the living.

My parents flew in the moment they heard. They helped me handle the arrangements while I sat in a trance.

The funeral wasn't grand. It was just close family and a few friends.

Her father never showed up.

Before she passed, Annie told me she wanted to see her daddy. She wanted him to take her to Disney World one last time.

But until the moment she was buried, he never came.

After the service, once everyone had left, my mother grabbed my arm. Her eyes were red with fury.

"Where the hell is Silas Salinger? From the accident to the burial, he hasn't shown his face once. Does he even deserve to be called a father?"

I didn't say a word.

The night of the accident, I called him immediately.

He told me he was stuck at a mandatory corporate retreat. He said he had already pulled strings to get the best doctors for Annie.

He promised he'd be back the second the meetings were over.

But the next day, I saw him on the news with Lexi, his assistant.

They were on a luxury cruise, holding hands and laughing. They didn't care who was watching.

Silas had even commissioned a private fireworks display that lit up the entire harbor for her.

The internet was swooning over their "romance." I only felt a cold, sharp bitterness.

I had seen it coming. Since Lexi joined the company, Silas couldn't stop talking about her.

The look in his eyes when he mentioned her was a look I knew well.

It was the same way he used to look at me when we were college sweethearts.

When Annie was moved to the ICU, I lied to myself. I told myself she would be okay and Silas would come home.

But the truth was, he didn't return until today.

It had been three days since the funeral and nearly twenty days since the accident. I was packing the last of our things when the door opened.

Silas walked in, looking disheveled but satisfied. Lexi was right there with him.

I wondered what kind of "project" required twenty days of silence.

Lexi was practically carrying him, her arm wrapped firmly around his waist. They looked sickeningly intimate.

She helped him onto the sofa and looked at me with a fake, shy smile.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Salinger. Silas had a bit too much to drink at the closing dinner. I had to make sure he got home safe."

Silas blinked, his eyes focusing on me. He barked an order like I was the help.

"Go make something for me and Lexi to eat."

Lexi waved her hands dismissively. "Oh, don't bother her, Silas."

Silas didn't care. "It's fine. That's all she does all day anyway. It's no trouble."

I let out a sharp, cold laugh.

In all the years we were married, he viewed me as a glorified, unpaid maid.

Between the cooking, the cleaning, and raising Annie, I had no life of my own left.

He forgot that before we married, I was a top-tier graduate from a prestigious university. I was a rising executive.

But after the wedding, I just became "Mrs. Salinger." I became Annie's mom.

Since Silas insisted, Lexi stopped pretending to be polite. She turned to me with a smirk.

"Mrs. Salinger, let me help you in the kitchen. I'd hate to be a burden."

I hadn't said a single word. I just watched them perform their little play.

When I didn't move, Silas's face darkened with annoyance.

Before he could snap at me again, I walked to the table. I picked up the folder and handed him the divorce papers.

"Sign these. We can pick a day to finalize the paperwork at the courthouse. After that, we're done."

Silas didn't even glance at the pages. He slapped them onto the floor.

"We'll talk about this later. Don't make a scene in front of a guest."

Lexi's smile faltered when he called her a "guest." She clearly wanted a more permanent title.

Still, she played the part of the sweet girl. "Silas, maybe I should head out."

Silas looked at her softly. "Lexi, you've worked so hard these past few days. Take a few days off before coming back to the office."

She didn't want to leave, but she had no choice. She scurried out the door.

I didn't react. I just looked at Silas again. "Sign the papers."

He finally picked them up, scanned a few lines, and tossed them back on the rug.

"I heard you've been looking for a job lately. I guess that divorce threat wasn't just for show this time."

The industry is small. I knew he'd find out I was job hunting.

I also knew the reason I hadn't heard back from anyone was likely because of his interference.

"Avery, you've been a housewife for five years. What can you even do now? The only thing you're good at is taking care of me and Annie."

"Besides, being a stay-at-home wife is a dream. I work my ass off to provide, and all you do is cook and clean. If I were a woman, I'd kill for your life."

I stared at him in genuine shock.

He had been gaslighting me for years, but this was a new low.

I couldn't believe a man in this day and age could actually say that out loud.

Silas took my silence for submission. He leaned back on the sofa and sighed.

"Is Annie still at the hospital? Tell her Daddy's been busy. I'll go see her in a few days."

The man didn't deserve to be a father. He certainly didn't deserve to be Annie's father.

I looked at him with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You will never see Annie again."

He scoffed, thinking I was just being petty. "Are you really going to use our kid to throw a tantrum?"

I was sick of him calling my pain a "tantrum."

Silas seemed to realize he was pushing too hard. He softened his tone, but his words were still poison.

"My mother finally agreed to let Annie into the family circle properly. If you behave and give me a son in the next year or two, she might finally accept you as a daughter-in-law."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my suitcase.

His mother was a nightmare who hated that I had a daughter first. She had spent years belittling me and Annie.

My Annie was the sweetest soul. She used to make handmade cards for her grandmother, hoping to be loved.

But that woman would just throw the gifts in the trash and criticize the girl's every flaw.

Eventually, I stopped taking Annie there.

Annie used to ask me if she had done something wrong to make Grandma hate her.

Thinking of my sweet girl lying in a cold urn while this man sat here comfortably made me tremble.

I turned back one last time as Silas poured himself a glass of expensive scotch.

"Silas, Annie is dead. You'll never have to worry about seeing her again."

I walked out and didn't look back.

Before we married, the Salinger family was on the brink of bankruptcy. I used all my savings to bail them out.

I gave up my condo and my car to keep them afloat.

Now that they were successful, I was the one they treated like garbage.

Since I hadn't finalized the divorce, I was low on cash. I moved in with my best friend, Jordan.

She was working overseas for a while and needed someone to watch her place. It was a perfect escape.

The grief was eating me alive. I couldn't sleep.

Jordan eventually forced me to see a therapist.

I didn't fight it. I went to the appointment, was hypnotized for a bit, and did some counseling.

I was leaving the clinic with my prescription and diagnosis when I bumped into someone.

I started to apologize, but then I saw that innocent, wide-eyed face. It was Lexi.

And Silas was right there, holding her arm to steady her.

Silas looked surprised to see me. "What are you doing at a hospital?"

I looked at them both. "It's work hours. Why are you two here?"

Silas went quiet, but Lexi jumped in.

"I tripped and scraped my knee. Silas insisted on bringing me here to get it disinfected."

She sounded so proud, emphasizing how much he cared.

I looked at her "injury." If we had waited another ten minutes, it would have been fully healed.

I suddenly remembered a day not too long ago. I had driven through a storm to deliver a document to Silas.

The rain was so heavy the roads were flooding. My car couldn't make it through the deep water.

I called Silas to tell him I was stuck.

He didn't care. He screamed at me over the phone.

He told me I was useless and that I did nothing but spend his money. He said I couldn't even handle a simple task.

He blamed me for wasting his time and said he should have just had Lexi get the files.

I was stupid back then. I didn't realize he was using her name just to hurt me.

I got out of the car and walked the rest of the way in the pouring rain.

By the time I reached his office, I was a mess.

I was covered in mud. My hair was matted, and my clothes were soaked through.

The receptionist didn't even recognize me at first. She was incredibly rude.

Only when I said I was Avery Song did her face change, though her eyes were still full of judgment.

As I walked through the security gates, I heard them whispering.

"Mrs. Salinger looks like a hag. She's nothing compared to Lexi."

"I bet Lexi will be the new Mrs. Salinger by next year."

"Shh, don't let her hear you."

I had heard those rumors a thousand times, but that day, they stung like salt in a wound.

I walked into Silas's office without knocking.

Lexi was sitting in his chair, leaning over his computer.

Silas was bent over her, his hand on the mouse, his chest practically pressed against her back.

They jumped at the sound of the door and looked at me.

Silas's brow furrowed in immediate disgust. "Why do you look like that?"

I looked out the window. "The storm is bad."

"That's no excuse to look like a swamp creature."

For a split second, I thought he was worried about me.

Then he crushed that hope.

"It's embarrassing. You're my wife. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about my image and the company's."

He spoke as if I were a piece of trash he wanted to hide.

Lexi hopped up and went to his private closet. She brought out a fresh towel and handed it to me.

"Oh, Mrs. Salinger, you poor thing. Please dry off. We wouldn't want you catching a cold."

She was so performative, acting like the perfect, caring angel.

Silas wouldn't even look at me. "Fine, just leave the files and go home. Don't loiter around here."

I wanted to scream at him, but I saw the look in Lexi's eyes.

She was waiting for me to start a fight. She wanted to look like the calm, rational one.

I grit my teeth and turned to leave.

But as I took a step, a sharp pain shot through my leg. I pulled up my pant leg and saw the damage.

A jagged branch must have sliced deep into my calf while I was walking.

It was bleeding pretty badly, and the cut was full of grit. It looked nasty.

Silas just glanced at it. "You're a grown woman and you can't even walk without getting hurt? Useless."

Lexi moved to grab a first aid kit, but Silas stopped her.

"Go prep the materials for the meeting. She can handle a scratch herself."

I ignored the pain and took the kit from her.

Silas didn't stay. "Clean yourself up and get out. I have clients coming, and I don't want them seeing you like this."

He walked out without asking if it hurt. He didn't even look back.

"Avery! Why the hell are you at the hospital? Did something happen to Annie?"

Silas's voice snapped me back to the present. I didn't answer him. I just bent down to pick up the papers I had dropped.

He clearly didn't believe me when I said she was dead.

But he also didn't care enough to check. If he had called even one person, he would have known.

Lexi knelt down to help me, her voice dripping with fake concern.

"It's all my fault, Mrs. Salinger. I didn't see you. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I snatched the papers out of her hand.

Silas caught a glimpse of the header on the medical report. "Moderate depression? Insomnia? Why would you have depression?"

He looked at me like I was playing a prank.

He couldn't comprehend how someone who didn't have to work, who just spent "his" money, could be depressed.

Lexi put on a serious face. "Mrs. Salinger, depression is manageable. You just need to keep a positive mindset."

I finally snapped. I shoved her hand away.

"My depression would get a lot better if you and Silas stopped breathing my air."

I didn't even push her hard, but Lexi went down like she'd been hit by a truck.

She collapsed onto the hospital floor with a dramatic gasp.

People started staring, pointing at me and whispering.

Lexi covered her face and started to sob. "Please, don't be so mean. There's nothing going on between me and Silas!"

Silas rushed to her side, helping her up. He glared at me.

"When are you going to stop this? I treat Lexi like a sister because of her age. Don't make our relationship out to be something filthy."

I looked at their little routine.

Even a blind person could see what was happening.

I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Silas, just sign the damn papers! I don't care if you treat her like a sister or a mistress. I just want you gone!"

That got the attention of the crowd.

The whispers shifted. People started looking at Lexi differently. A few older women whispered the word "homewrecker."

Lexi shrunk behind Silas, acting terrified.

"You're delusional," Silas hissed.

He pulled Lexi into his arms, shielding her as they walked away.

I didn't stay. I went back to Jordan's place.

Just thinking about them made my blood boil.

But then, I got an email notification.

I opened it and nearly screamed for joy.

It was an offer letter.

It was from a Fortune 500 firm, a direct rival to Silas's company.

I hadn't expected to get it, especially with my personal life being a mess in the tabloids.

I was celebrating with Jordan when my phone rang. It was Silas.

The smile vanished from my face.

I answered, hoping he was calling about the divorce.

But his tone was as demanding as ever.

"My mother says she hasn't seen Annie in forever. It's her birthday tomorrow. Bring the kid over for the party."

I laughed. It was a dark, hollow sound. "Your mother wants to see Annie?"

Whenever Annie wanted to see her grandma, Silas's mom always said she was "too busy."

Annie eventually realized she wasn't wanted and stopped asking.

But last Christmas, Annie had been so hopeful. She wanted a big family dinner.

I had fought so hard to get us invited to the Salinger estate.

Annie was so excited. She spent all day at a bakery making a special cake. She picked out gifts for everyone.

Mrs. Salinger threw those gifts in the trash without even opening them.

As for the cake?

Silas's ten-year-old sister, Sienna, threw it on the floor in front of everyone.

Annie had held back her tears, telling herself it was okay.

But then Mrs. Salinger screamed at her, saying the cake almost made Sienna slip and fall.

Annie had burst into tears and ran into my arms.

Silas hadn't said a word to defend her. He just told me I was raising a brat who didn't know how to behave.

That was the moment I knew we were outsiders in that house.

And now, after Annie was gone, his mother suddenly wanted to see her?

Silas didn't get why I was laughing. "What's so funny? Just make sure Annie behaves tomorrow. My mom might actually like her if she's good."

I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white.

"Fine. I'll bring Annie... I'll make sure she's very good."

It was her birthday, after all. I had a very special gift to deliver.