Love's Shadow: A Bitter End

rit tethered to my daughter, Emma,

dical treatment, but he coldly refused, telling her, "Then let her di

ears old, because her father woul

ed Emma' s death to manipulate him. He pulled back the sheet co

pster, scattering raw meat around it, taunting, "Let's see how long this prop lasts wh

, but I was a ghost, a silent, screaming witness t

ily pregnant, and the horrifying truth clicked: he had a ne

pte

rit has been lingering, unable to l

e told him our daughter, Emma Morris, was seriously

on. I watched through the phone line as

ll Annis to stop pl

t a game. Emma is ver

ound I used to love, b

be a convenience. She can go

ne wen

She died because her father, the man who once promis

dn't touch her. I couldn't hold her. I could o

d annoyed, impatient. He was carrying a bag of expen

director's office

e is Annis? Tell he

yes, looked at him with a mixture of gr

missively. "That's part of the act. Now, where

had staged our daughter' s death to

ace went pale. "Y

he demanded, h

ld room where they kept Emma's body. She was lying

tleness. He stared down at Emma's still, pa

did Annis get it? Tell her she' s getting better

creaming witness. That' s ou

the last piece of my spectral heart.

" the director gaspe

ard shoved

cruel satisfaction. He walked to the back of

on, he tossed her body insi

raw meat from his pocket. He scattered it around the dumpster.

e person he believed w

a, trying to push him away, but my hands passe

dumpster. I heard the sounds of tearing, of snarling. I couldn

ou and your brat deserve. To be torn apart and forgotten. You're

frozen, her hand over her mou

stody, she shouldn't play dead. My mother's memorial is next week. If

proud of his

ught came to me. I was relieved. I was relieved that Emma was truly gone

ve car, surrounded by his

ssel of pure, cold

wn. A woman came out to greet him. She was heavil

od sweetheart. The woman who had