Chapter 4

The next day, I contacted a lawyer to discuss divorce matters.

Ms. Davies was an efficient, middle-aged woman.

After listening to my account, she calmly analyzed.

"Mr. Miller's situation falls under typical emotional neglect and psychological abuse. While it's hard to legally define him as the 'at-fault' party in that regard, we can fight for your maximum share of marital assets."

I nodded.

"Ms. Davies, I want one more thing."

"What is it?"

"My daughter's sweater."

Ms. Davies paused, then seemed to understand, a flicker of sympathy in her eyes.

"Ms. Stone, rest assured, I will handle this for you."

As I walked out of the law firm, my phone rang. It was Daniel.

I hesitated, then answered.

"Where are you?"

His voice on the other end was laced with suppressed fury.

"Get back here right now, I…"

I cut him off directly.

"Daniel Miller, I've already retained a lawyer. She'll send you the divorce papers as soon as possible."

"If you don't agree, we'll see each other in court."

With that, I immediately hung up, not giving him a chance to babble further.

Just then, I saw an Ins update notification. It was from Stella Reed.

The latest post, half an hour ago, was a photo of her and Daniel at a carousel in an amusement park, leaning intimately together, with Lucy in his arms.

"Thank you for giving us such a wonderful afternoon."

I knew she wanted to provoke me, but instead of getting angry, I simply tapped the 'like' button.

Seconds later, the post vanished without a trace.

It seemed I wasn't the one who was truly provoked.

A week later was Lily's death anniversary.

In previous years, I had always spent this day alone.

I would buy a bouquet of her favorite white daisies and go to the cemetery to talk to her.

Daniel always had various excuses for his absence.

Either an important meeting or an urgent business trip.

This year, just like always, I went to the suburban cemetery with a bouquet of daisies.

The photo on the tombstone was taken when Lily was five.

In it, she was wearing the yellow sweater I had knitted, smiling with innocent joy.

I gently wiped the dust from the photo, speaking softly to her.

"Lily, Mommy came to see you."

"Mommy moved recently, to a very quiet place."

"Mommy's knitting you a new sweater. When it's finished, I'll burn it for you, so you won't be cold over there…"

As I spoke, my voice choked with emotion.

Faint footsteps sounded behind me. I assumed it was a cemetery worker and didn't turn around.

Until a familiar voice spoke above my head.

"Amelia?"

I spun around abruptly and saw Daniel.

He looked thinner, with faint dark circles under his eyes, his expression haggard.

What shocked me even more was that he wasn't alone.

Beside him stood Stella Reed and her daughter Lucy.

And on Lucy, starkly visible, was *that* yellow sweater.

In that instant, all the blood in my body froze.

"What are you doing here?"

My voice trembled slightly with anger.

Daniel seemed oblivious to my distress.

He placed the chrysanthemums Stella was holding in front of the tombstone and sighed.

"I brought Stella and Lucy to see Lily."

Stella also stepped forward, bowing to the tombstone, and said softly,

"Lily, Aunt Stella came to see you. Don't blame your daddy, he always had you in his heart."

I let out a cold laugh.

"Daniel Miller, what right does she have to visit my daughter? Your friend? Your neighbor?"

I paused, my gaze like a knife.

"Or your first love?"

At that, Daniel and Stella's faces both changed.

Daniel instinctively stepped forward, shielding Stella, and snapped fiercely,

"Amelia Stone! What nonsense are you spouting?! Don't you dare tarnish Stella's reputation here!"

The more he defended her, the more he confirmed the truth.

"Nonsense, you say?"

I advanced on him, step by step.

"Your girlfriend from college, the one you dated for three years, wasn't her name Stella Reed? Later, her family ran into trouble, and she left without a word, and you were depressed for an entire year because of it. Did you think I didn't know?"

"You married me simply because I was honest, easy to control, a 'suitable wife' for settling down."

"And you think I don't know? The apartment Stella lives in now? You bought it for her!"