5
“What are you doing!”
Mark was furious, pushing me away. “Sarah!
I’m a teacher, it’s my duty to help my
students!”
<
“Is it your duty to skip your daughter’s funeral
to help your high school sweetheart’s son?!”
“Sarah!”
Mark’s voice was panicked. “Jake doesn’t
have a dad! Is it so wrong that I want to help
him? Stop with this drama.”
“He doesn’t have a dad, but Lily has you!”
I pushed him off of me. “How can you even
call yourself a person? Do you even see Lily
as your own daughter?”
“Lily is dead!”
He screamed. “Shouldn’t I be more worried
about the people that are still alive? Can you
stop being so irrational?”
<
“Irrational?”
I was shaking with rage. I nodded. “Fine, then
go! Lily doesn’t need a father like you!”
Mark looked around at our family, their faces.
full of disgust and disdain.
“Sarah! Don’t try to guilt trip me! I’m a
teacher! I need to take care of Jake!”
Guilt trip?
I laughed through my tears. This was the first
time I heard someone use it like that.
When I got back from the cemetery, I drew up
the divorce papers and waited for him to sign
them.
r
“Sarah, can you stop this nonsense?”
He sounded tired and annoyed. “I already told
you, there’s nothing going on with Beth. I’m
only helping Jake since he doesn’t have a
dad.”
“Sign the papers or I’m coming to you.”
He groaned, “Okay, okay, Jake’s still running
a fever. I can’t leave. I’ll call you later.”
I went straight to the hospital and saw Mark
running around the room, while Beth was
lying in bed scrolling on her phone.
Jake was crying, “Mr. Mark, I don’t feel
good.”
<
Beth rolled her eyes. “Mark, what kind of care
is this? He’s been running a fever for two
days!”
“Beth, don’t worry. I’ll ask the doctor again.”
Mark was about to leave when he saw me.
“Sarah? What are you doing here?”
My heart was broken. I put the divorce papers
in front of him, coldly. “Sign them!”
“Seriously, Sarah? Can you please stop this
crap?”
Mark was visibly nervous, trying to get me out
of the room. “We can discuss this at home.
You’re creating a scene with the kid here.”
“I just want you to sign these! Why are you
く
I threw the papers at him. “Sign them!”
“Sarah! Are you really trying to embarrass me
here?!”
The papers fell to the floor. Beth picked them
up and read them. “Whoa, Mr. Mark is getting
divorced? What’s going on?”
Mark looked nervous. “No, Beth, we’re just
messing around.”
“Is it because of me?”
Beth laughed. “Well, he owes me, after all.”
“If it wasn’t for his tantrum, my mom wouldn’t
have gone on the road to apologize to him,
and she would not have gotten into a car
accident Sarah He is just atoning for bis
<
I grabbed Mark, my voice shaking. “Because
of that, you ignored Lily when she asked for
your help and she died?”
Mark wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Oh, so your daughter died?”
Beth was surprised, and laughed. “Don’t
blame us. We didn’t do anything!”
“No, no, it’s not that.
Mark rushed to explain. “It’s Lily’s fault. It’s
her fault. She’s the one-
“Mark!”
I was full of rage. “Are you human! Lily is
your own daughter. Why don’t you give a
<
damn about her life and death?!”
