Cold Season

It was Chloe's urn. I tried to catch it, but it fell, hitting the ground with a sound that echoed through my hollow heart.

My heart might as well have stopped, and my mind was a blank slate. I just stared at the urn, the reality of it all too much to bear.

The lid had come off, and her ashes were spread out on the floor.

Trembling, I reached out to gather what remained of my little girl. My hands would not stop shaking, no matter how hard I tried to steady them.

When I looked up again, Sheila and Jeff were gone, vanished into thin air.

That was when I lost it, tears streaming down my face. I made a silent vow right then and there that I would never let Sheila find her daughter. Not ever.

That night, Sheila's voice came through the phone.

"Tristan, you know everything now, so let's just end this and get a divorce. I don't care about the property, but I want Chloe. You know about my health issues, how hard the birth was on me. I might not be able to have more kids."

"Don't worry," she added, "Jeff will love Chloe like she's his own."

I could not help but snort and say, "Sure."

Maybe I agreed too quickly because Sheila went silent for what felt like forever.

I was about to hang up when she finally whispered, "I'm sorry."

I laughed, a bitter sound, and cut the call. She had a lot to be sorry for.

Six years back, Jeff ditched her at the altar for his big dreams abroad, leaving her dad to have a stroke that paralyzed him.

She turned to me in her rage, making me her plan B, using me to get over Jeff.

I gave up my job for her, looked after her dad for three years until he passed. Only then did I get a break.

I spent those six years trying to make her happy, to make her feel she made the right choice with me. I walked on eggshells, always doing what she wanted.

However, none of it mattered. I could not compete with the memory of Jeff, her first love.

With just a few simple words, Jeff could make her let go of her hatred over losing her father and the fact that she had been left behind.

Jeff's excuse for leaving? Pathetic. He said he went abroad to make big bucks, to come back and give her the life she deserved.

She fell for his story hook, line, and sinker. However, the real deal was that Jeff had gotten super sick while overseas, with no family or friends to turn to. Being an orphan, his only option was to come crawling back to Sheila for help.

Sheila, bless her heart, not only bought his tale but also dipped into our savings–pretty much all of it–to pay for his medical bills. If that was not enough, it was because of Jeff that we lost our own daughter.

Just thinking about her sent a wave of pain through my chest.

I made the trip back to my old stomping grounds to lay my daughter to rest. I could not bring myself to tell my parents what happened.

At dinner, my mom hit me with, "Tristan, why didn't you bring Chloe along?

"We're not getting any younger, and you guys live so far away. Who knows how many more times we'll get to see Chloe?"

I felt a lump in my throat and just kept my head down, focusing on my food to keep the tears at bay. "Mom, Chloe is off traveling with Sheila. We'll bring her by to see you guys for New Year's."

No sooner had I said that than my phone started buzzing. It was Sheila.

I stepped outside to take the call.

"Tristan, I've sent you the divorce papers online. Sign them, will you? I'm getting hitched next month. You can look after Chloe for now.

"Once the wedding's over, I'm taking Chloe with me to live abroad. So, make the most of your time left with her."

"Sure, I'll have a really nice wedding present for you," I replied, my voice flat.

There was a pause on the line before she said, struggling, "Maybe you shouldn't come. Jeff... He's not too keen on seeing you."