Lily emerged from the bedroom, carrying her suitcase. “You don’t like the kids, do you? You two brothers only care about Jessica!” “We’re just making room for you three! You lovebirds can lock yourselves away forever!”
Mark’s face turned red, his temples
throbbing, “Who gave you the right to talk to
me like that? Just because you’re married to
my brother doesn’t mean I can’t discipline
you! I can get you divorced and out of this
house!”
“Mind your own business! Or did you help
pick out that cake?”
His tone was threatening. I didn’t want him to hurt Lily. “She’s right. We’ll step aside. Let’s
get a divorce. My daughter doesn’t need anyone’s discipline.”
I took four divorce agreements from my bag and placed them on the table. Mark snatched
them up and examined them.
David, Mark’s brother, had just come in,
seeing Lily’s suitcase, his face darkened.
“What’s going on? Running away again? Why
can’t you just stop? Didn’t I explain last
night?”
“I can let the incident with you taking the girls
go, but can you please stop seeing your
friend? You’re trying to break us up!”
“I have to pick Jessica up from the hospital; I
don’t have time for this. Can you be
reasonable?”
Lily saw him and remembered her dead
daughter. Her eyes welled up.
She flung her suitcase at him.
“With your precious Jessica around, do we
even need to break up? David, we’re over!” “Divorce! We’re getting a divorce!”
It was the first time Lily had ever yelled at
him.
<
David glanced at his brother, trying to grab
Lily’s arm. She threw him off.
His hand slammed against the cabinet,
twisting his face in pain. He gritted his teeth,
“Are you crazy?”
Lily looked at his pained face and sneered. “I was crazy. I was crazy when I married you
six years ago! I was crazy when you hung up
on me and didn’t believe me!”
“When you lied to me again and again for
that bitch, and I still believed you, I was
crazy!”
“But now, I’m sane. So, David, it’s over!”
Tears streamed down her face, she wiped them away stubbornly.
Mark had finished reading the agreements. He said coldly, “Lily, what about custody?
After what you did, you don’t think I’ll let you keep her, do you? You’re dreaming.”
He dared to talk about my daughter! I laughed.
“Do you care about her? How could you let such young children go out at night? You just wanted her out of your way, admit it! Your
hypocrisy disgusts me!”
“Don’t mention her! You don’t deserve her!”
“This life, the next life, you’ll never see her again!”
I grabbed Lily and left the house. It was the first time I’d confronted Mark, he was furious and tried to chase me. David stopped him. As we went down in the elevator, I could only hear his enraged shouts in the wind.
“Lily! If you leave, even if you beg me on your
33
knees, I’ll never look at you again!”
“Your daughter will be just like you, paranoid
and crazy! You’re not fit to be a mother!”
