He Threw Our Daughter's Ashes Away

Hailey Carpenter rose to her feet, clutching the small urn that held her daughter's ashes. As she nudged open the bedroom door, the sight hit her like a physical blow.

The room had been decked out like a bridal suite—a bed dressed in loud, floral sheets and a quilt, even the pillows trimmed with lace embroidery. Her daughter had been gone less than a week, and Aidan Mason was already sprucing up the room to welcome Lauren Bell with open arms?

Hailey ripped down those gaudy floral decorations, her jaw tight, hands trembling as she replaced them with soft, ivory-toned bedding.

Right then, the doorbell rang.

Her father stepped inside, arms loaded with bags of vitamins. The moment his eyes landed on the room's setup, his face clouded over with disapproval. “This is ridiculous! What in the world is going on in this house?”

Behind him, Hailey's mother gasped, looking shell-shocked.

“Hailey Carpenter! Have you lost your mind? Lauren's about to move in—who exactly are you trying to spook?!”

Hailey stared at her mother in disbelief, watching her frantically try to yank down the ivory fabric. She could barely process the words coming out of her mother's mouth.

“The Carpenter family only got this far because of the Masons' backing. Now that Aidan's crazy about Lauren, you're about to wreck everything...”

“Mom,” Hailey cut her off, her voice shaking as she watched her mother rush around like a headless chicken.

“You knew all along, didn’t you?”

The room went dead silent for a beat.

Her father let out an icy snort and planted himself on the couch, looking at Hailey like she was an inconvenience. “So what if we did? A man like Aidan, with his background? It's normal for him to have other women. Better we keep the perks in-house than let some outsider snatch them up.”

“Besides, Lauren used to be so sweet to you. Can’t you let this slide? After all, her kid might end up calling you ‘Auntie’ someday.”

Hailey’s mother chimed in, “Yes, your father and I plan to make Lauren legally part of the family soon. She’ll be your sister from now on.”

Hailey gazed at her parents in silence, the whole situation feeling like a bad joke. When she’d first reunited with them, they’d treated her like a queen, bragging to everyone about their long-lost treasure, especially after learning she’d once saved Aidan’s life.

Back then, they’d loathed Lauren, scheming to ship her off the first chance they got. But the more often Aidan visited, the warmer her mother became towards Lauren—and the colder she grew towards Hailey.

Maybe they’d sensed Aidan’s preference for Lauren from the get-go.

Once, she’d been their lost child come home; now, she was just a piece they were willing to toss aside.

Hailey lifted her head, looking at her birth parents—who now felt like total strangers—and let out a bitter laugh. “What if I told you I’m filing for divorce?”

A mocking laugh drifted in from the doorway the next instant.

Aidan leaned bonelessly against the doorframe, a smirk playing on his lips. He straightened up and swaggered over to Hailey. “Divorce?”

He bent down, casually tucking a stray strand of Hailey’s hair behind her ear, his mouth smiling but his eyes ice-cold. “Journi was so attached to me. If she knew you wanted a divorce, she would’ve hated your guts.”

“How okay are you with people calling Journi a fatherless kid behind her back?”

Hailey’s head snapped up, her stomach twisting into knots.

In the past, whenever she tried to put an end to their humiliating arrangement, Aidan would jerk her around using their daughter—threats or false promises, the same dirty playbook every time.

“Let’s play nice one last time. If you do, I’ll take Journi to the amusement park. She’d love that, wouldn’t she?”

“Journi hasn't seen me in a while; come with us, yeah?”

“Hailey Carpenter, you wouldn’t want me to tell Journi her daddy isn’t around because her mommy doesn’t know how to behave, now would you?”

He wielded their beloved daughter like a weapon, stabbing her in the heart over and over. But now, with her daughter gone, her resolve was only stronger.

“Aidan Mason, I said, we’re getting a divorce.”