My Daughter Got a 99, and My Husband Made Her Pay
My daughter only scored a 99 on a test, and
my husband punished her for it all night. He
made her stand for hours, and it triggered a
heart attack. When she called him for help, he
was busy tutoring his old son and
S
hung up, telling her to “drop dead” if she was
gonna be so dramatic. She died on the first
day of her winter break.
1
My daughter died on the first day of winter
break. It was also her birthday.
I was out of town for work. The day before,
I’d called her, promising I’d be back for her
birthday.
<
On the phone, her voice was so soft, “Mom, I
didn’t do so well on my test. Maybe we
should skip my birthday.”
I was about to reassure her when I heard my
husband, Mark, yelling. “Who are you trying
to impress? What, are we all supposed to feel
sorry for you? You’re gonna turn into a
criminal with this kind of drama. How did I get
stuck with such a loser?”
Then he hung up. I was furious, planning to
have a serious talk with Mark about how he
treated our daughter.
But that interrupted call was the last time I
ever spoke to her. The next day, my calls
went straight to voicemail.
Panicked, I rushed home, only to hear that my
<
daughter, Lily, was left back at school. I
begged them to help me search.
I flew back, only to be greeted with the news
of her death.
The cause was a sudden heart attack.
Lily had a weak heart from birth. I’d been so
careful all these years, and she had never had
an attack. But now she was dead in a cold,
damp storage room at school.
My whole body went numb. I lifted the sheet,
saw her purple face. Her once–rosy cheeks
were stained with dried tears, her expression
full of pain. The medical examiner had closed
her eyes, but my little girl didn’t die
peacefully.
<
I collapsed, grabbing her cold hands, my heart
breaking. The birthday gift I’d bought her was
still in the trunk of my car. She’d never get to
see it.
The school staff told me that Mark, her own.
father, was the one who forced Lily to stay
after the parent–teacher conferences. Then
he’d just vanished.
I was trembling as I kept calling Mark. He finally picked up after about a dozen tries.
“What is your problem, Sarah? Why are you
calling me so much? Don’t you know Jake is
studying?”
Jake was Lily’s classmate, someone Mark
always favored. I never understood it until I
found out he was the son of Mark’s high
<
I demanded an explanation, but Mark had a response. “Jake just transferred, and I’m his
teacher, so yeah, I’m gonna keep an eye on
him. Don’t be so freaking judgmental, Sarah!”
Jake wasn’t a great student. Mark tutored him.
every day, showering him with encouragement
while he had nothing but criticism for Lily.
I tried to talk to him about it. He snapped,
“I’m the teacher here. My daughter is a mess,
I have to keep her in line. Otherwise, she’ll
grow up to be some useless piece of trash.”
“Look at Jake, he’s improving, but look at
Lily. It’s embarrassing.”
And now, even now, he’s still talking about
Jake!
L
I yelled, “Mark! How can you be so cold? You
left her at school by herself. Don’t you know-
–?”
“Stop screaming!”
Mark’s voice was sharp. “That little brat is a
liar. She was just trying to get attention. She
only got third on her test; you’ve spoiled her
rotten!”
“She’s been faking it all her life. She says
she’s dying; tell her to get hit by a car if she
wants to die. At least it wouldn’t annoy me so
much!”
