Wrong Kid, Wrong Wife

After Oliver's heart was removed, his body was dumped onto the morgue floor like a piece of trash.

From a distance, I watched Wilson and Catherine wrinkle their noses and kick the body aside.

A cold laugh escaped me.

Then I walked out of the hospital.

None of it had anything to do with me anymore.

Ever since Poppy was a baby, Oliver had always found ways to hurt her.

He'd hit her.

Pinch her.

Push her around.

After Poppy learned to call Zara "Mommy," it got even worse.

Whenever he heard it, he'd shove her down and start hitting her.

And every single time, Zara took Oliver's side without even asking what happened.

I was buried in work.

By the time I realized how bad things were, the damage had already been done.

Poppy didn't speak until she was five because of him.

Even so, seeing how his own parents, Holden and Zara, treated him now made me shake my head.

Pathetic.

I'd planned to take Poppy to the amusement park for her birthday.

But the second we stepped outside, Oliver stopped us and demanded to come along.

He hated Poppy.

And Poppy was terrified of him.

I was worried they'd end up fighting and ruin her birthday.

So after thinking it over, I dropped Poppy off at my parents' place.

Then I left with Oliver.

I never imagined it would end like this.

***

For two whole weeks, Zara never came home.

Holden's socials, though, stayed busy.

[The surgery went great. Someone's been freaking out over me. No matter what I say, she won't stop fussing. She seriously cares about me! And the homemade soup from my sweetheart? Insane.]

The comments were all congrats and jealousy.

[Congrats. She's a keeper!]

[Your girlfriend treats you so well!]

I stared at the hickey on Holden's neck in the photo and laughed.

The kidnapping case was going nowhere.

But none of them seemed to care.

The medical examiner needed the family's approval to perform an autopsy on Oliver.

Besides me, no one in that family answered.

When I got to the hospital, the body was gone.

I figured the medical examiner had already taken it.

I was about to leave when I overheard a conversation nearby.

"How'd the body end up in a dumpster? If a stray dog hadn't dragged it out, we never would've found it.

"It's this badly damaged. How are we supposed to explain this to the family?"

I froze as the staff wheeled over the mangled remains.

No matter how much I hated Oliver, the sight still turned my stomach.

A staffer caught me staring and looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. This was on us."

"Can we check the security footage?" I asked.

Before anyone could answer, a voice cut through the room.

"Forget it. The body's been found. No need to waste the hospital's time."

Zara strode over, a group of police officers right behind her.

The second she arrived, she turned on me.

"This is your fault too. You couldn't even take care of Poppy's body. What are you good for?"

Her eyes filled with blame.

"No wonder you got Poppy killed.

"What a waste. Now that the body's been damaged, we'll probably never find any clues."

Holden let out a long sigh and reached for my shoulder.

I stepped aside.

He stumbled forward, hit the floor, and yelped in pain.

"Holden!"

Zara rushed over, furious.

She shot me a vicious glare.

I laughed.

Then I pulled out a divorce agreement and smacked it against her face.

"Let's get divorced."

I'd put up with all of it because of Poppy.

But after Poppy was born, Zara never cared for her. Not once.

I worked to keep the family afloat and raised Poppy by myself.

I thought Zara had postpartum depression, so I spoiled her. Let everything slide.

But with Oliver, she was suddenly mother of the year.

When he got sick, she stayed up all night with him.

When he bullied Poppy, she forced Poppy to apologize.