The day our daughter passed away, my husband was with hisfirst love.

To fulfill our daughter's final wish, my husband agreed to hold a wedding

ceremony for us.

But on the wedding day, he went off to be with his first love.

In the end,our daughter died with regrets.

Unaware of our daughter's death, my husband came home casually

"Why the long face? Ionly missed the wedding, that's all. Wecan always

reschedule and give our daughter a proper wedding next time.

"No need. Our daughter is already gone."

_______________

After my daughter passed away, I remained surprisingly calm.

In these five years of marriage, all my sharp edges had long been worn down in this one-sided show of mine.

I handled the funeral arrangements alone and explained everything to the guests at the wedding.

For five years, Frank had abandoned me and our daughter time and again for Lauren.

Now, I felt nothing but numbness toward his broken promises.

When I saw Lauren's social media post, I felt an odd sense of satisfaction, as if I had predicted the outcome.

I realized that my disappointment in Frank had reached its peak.

It was time to leave.

I had my lawyer draft a divorce agreement, detailing the division of assets.

As I returned home, exhausted, with the agreement in hand, I ran into Frank and Lauren entering together.

Seeing my cold expression, Frank showed a flash of guilt in his eyes.

He lowered his head and pulled out a few things from his bag, tossing them in front of me.

"Didn't our daughter love the ocean? I picked these gifts especially for her."

"And this too, a limited-edition toy."

I looked down at the trash in front of me, nearly laughing in anger.

Just a few broken seashells and a toy from a McDonald's Happy Meal.

Sarcastically, I said, "So while our daughter was on her deathbed, you were at a fast-food joint, reminiscing about your youthful romance? What great taste you have, Frank."

"Not only that, but you brought back a pile of junk for her. Does it even come close to the bracelet Lauren's wearing?"

The guilt in Frank's eyes quickly vanished, replaced by a cold look.

"The gifts I prepared for our daughter have nothing to do with you! Stop with your passive-aggressive comments. You wanted to marry me. It wasn't me begging you! Plus, I was out handling important matters, so what's with your tantrum?"

With that, his face darkened as he took a document from Lauren and handed it to me.

"After all, this was our daughter's only chance to witness her parents' love. This island I found is perfect for a wedding."

"I'm contacting the event planners to reschedule the wedding. The contract is already signed. Look at the details yourself."

"I'm dealing with important business here. Quit giving me attitude! I'm warning you, Jane!"

Business? So important that you didn't even know your daughter had died!

Ignoring his outstretched hand, I walked straight to the bedroom, leaving him angry behind me.

"Are you deaf? Can't you hear me talking to you?"

He flung the documents into the air, scattering the papers across the floor.

His breathing was heavy with rage.

"Jane, don't push it. I just wanted to give our daughter a better memory! Don't you want her to see the island's view in her final moments? Everything I'm doing is for her!"

Hearing him play the victim, I felt eerily calm.

I was already exhausted from explaining his absence to the wedding guests. Now, even speaking felt like a chore.

There was nothing left to argue about.

Lauren, seeing the tension, gently raised her hand to calm him and took the wedding island documents.

As I packed my things, she glanced at me with a smug look, then feigned surprise, saying loudly, "Jane, are you upset because Frank missed the wedding? Are you going on a trip? Why are you packing?"

"Oh, I saw that island and thought it fit your status better, so I suggested it to Frank. Who knew he'd agree right away and drag me along for the inspection... If you're upset, just blame me!"

She spoke with a coy, unapologetic smile that made me want to vomit.

Five years of subtly reminding me of her importance to Frank, and she still hadn't had enough.

Once I'd packed most of my daughter's belongings, I left behind my own clothes, figuring I could buy new ones later.

Calmly, I walked out of the bedroom, watching Frank smoke irritably on the sofa.

"Perfect, I have something for you."

I placed the divorce papers on the table, and he immediately looked shocked.

"Are you crazy, Jane?!"

Maybe I am crazy. Otherwise, how could I have married him and endured these five years?

I used to be as proud as him.

The last thing my daughter said to me before she died was, "I just want you to be happy every day, Mom..."

It turns out even a child could see things clearly that I'd been blind to for five years.

My humility, my compromises, my desperate pleas forced my sweet daughter to humble herself in this home.

Even to Lauren, my daughter had to act politely.

Because only then could she see her father smile.

Only then could she get his embrace.

The humiliations I had endured over the past five years flashed before my eyes.

In that moment, I understood everything.

But the cost was too high for me to bear.

As I looked at Frank's face now, I felt nothing but nausea.

He stared at the divorce papers in disbelief, shaking them violently in front of me.

"Throw this nonsense away, and I'll pretend you never took it out! I already agreed to reschedule the wedding for our daughter. I just wanted to find a better place. When have I ever gone back on my word?"

"And I arranged for specialists to assess her condition while I was on the island. I wanted to surprise you both. What are you making a scene for now?"

When he mentioned our daughter's illness, I couldn't hold back my tears.

Angrily, I shouted, "Having a father like you was the worst thing that ever happened to our daughter! Go run off with your first love. My child doesn't need a father like you! Don't even mention her. You don't deserve it!"

Frank's impatient expression finally froze. For the first time, he seemed to realize I wasn't joking.

"Our daughter's no longer here. The wedding doesn't matter anymore. Just sign the papers."

Only now did I understand my daughter's true wish.

She didn't want a wedding; she wanted me to be happy.

But Frank immediately frowned, looking displeased. "Jane, did you tell her something you shouldn't have?"

"She's just a kid. What are you filling her head with? Can't you be a normal mom?"

"The last time I brought Lauren to see her, she even asked if we could stop spending time together because she was worried you'd be upset."

Frank's stubborn face made me sick. Never had I felt the bitter irony of my five-year marriage as strongly as I did now!

He had never cared about our daughter's growth, only visiting her a few times while she was hospitalized.

And always with Lauren.

Seeing my expression grow colder, he spoke impatiently, "Enough already. I'm exhausted from work and had to inspect that wedding venue for you. You've been sitting in the hospital doing nothing while I've handled everything. Can't you find something to do and help me out? I'll explain it to our daughter later, alright?"

"Divorce! The only thing I want right now is to divorce you!"

My words caught Frank off guard, and I could see his anger rising.

He had never seen me so cold before.

Just as he was about to say something, Lauren rushed over and gently took his hand, patting the back of it softly.

"Oh, come on now, a wedding isn't a small thing. Don't be angry. You already promised. If Jane hadn't told you the wrong surgery time, we wouldn't have had to rush like this. We can make it up next time..."

Before she could finish, I stormed over and slapped her across the face.

"Don't you dare use my daughter as part of your act!"

The moment I spoke, Frank shoved me forcefully onto the sofa.

The sudden loss of balance made the room spin, and I felt an overwhelming wave of nausea.

I couldn't stop myself from leaning over the sofa and retching.

However, Frank wrapped Lauren tightly in his arms. His eyes were like daggers piercing through me.

"Jane, shut up. You disgust me."

"Apologize to Lauren right now, or you can forget about the wedding!"

It took me a while to catch my breath. My eyes were bloodshot from holding my head down for so long.

Instead of apologizing, I laughed bitterly.

"Apologize? I'm not like her. I don't need to cling to a man to survive. And you? You don't deserve my daughter's name on your lips. If you bring her up again, I'll slap you both!"

Frank's face darkened as he let out a cold laugh.

"So Lauren was right after all. This wedding wasn't about our daughter. It was about you. You've been using her illness to manipulate me."

"Now that you've finally shown your true colors, huh? Our daughter's last wish doesn't mean anything to you?"

I locked eyes with him, desperately searching for any hint that this was some twisted performance.

But there was none.

He truly believed Lauren's lies.

Seeing the icy look in my eyes, Frank coldly defended Lauren.

"Do you know how much Lauren sacrificed for our wedding? Her feet were bleeding from running around looking for the best doctors for our daughter. What did you do? Nothing but complain and enjoy your easy life."

I couldn't help but sneer.

"Oh really? So, those doctors happen to love taking romantic walks on the beach at sunrise, huh?"

Frank lunged at me, but Lauren clung to his arm, weakly holding him back.

He had no choice but to glare at me, shouting in frustration, "Jane, I'm warning you for the last time! Stop accusing Lauren!"

"Apologize to her now!"

"Or the wedding is off!"

I stared at him coldly.

"Honestly, with a mother like you, our daughter's better off dead!"

The second those words left his mouth, I felt a surge of uncontrollable rage explode inside me. My eyes scanned the room until they landed on a glass ashtray on the coffee table. Without thinking, I grabbed it and hurled it straight at his head.

"Shut up, Frank! Shut your mouth! Don't you dare mention our daughter again!"

The ashtray shattered with a loud crash, scattering fragments all over the floor. Blood trickled down from a gash on Frank's forehead, his expression turning dangerously dark.

The still-lit smoke he'd been smoking nearly ignited his hair.

I stood my ground, glaring at him without fear.

Within seconds, he stormed toward me, grabbing my collar so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Apologize, Jane!"

He hissed through clenched teeth, his voice trembling with fury.

My hands clawed at his grip, but I refused to look away.

"Divorce me! You owe our daughter everything, and I'll make sure you pay, bit by bit! There's nothing left to say between us!"