Chapter 1

1: 1

Irvin Gilbert promised to take Nina Abbott to the water park, but right up until Nina drowned, he still hadn't shown up, because he was with his childhood friend Ellie Henson.

When I reached out to grab Nina, I lost my footing and fell, and the fall sent me into early labor.

Before I passed out, the last thing in my ears was the panicked screaming of the other visitors.

On the operating table, hand shaking, I signed the emergency surgery consent forms for myself and for Nina.

That was when Irvin finally texted me:

【Ran into Ellie on the way, handling a quick emergency, I'll be there soon.】

Again. The same thing, again.

North and south, opposite ends of the city, and to him it was all "on the way."

I opened his social feed. Pinned at the top was a drowning-prevention promo video:

《There's Still Time》.

In the photo, Irvin was crouched down, patiently and gently walking each child through water-safety tips.

Beside him stood Ellie, holding a stack of brochures, her profile soft and sweet, her whole face lit with a smile.

Numbly, I tapped the like button.

Then I sent him the hospital's location.

He replied in a second: 【Got it.】

I sent one more: 【Come here. As soon as you get here, we're going to the county clerk's office to file for divorce.】

……

Irvin's call came through.

"Babe, what is it now? All these calls. Didn't I already say I'd come as soon as I finished up?"

I found it almost funny, but I couldn't laugh.

"Irvin, you promised you'd come soon. You didn't come."

"This so-called urgent work of yours, was it handing out brochures with Ellie?"

He didn't catch the weakness in my voice. He just explained, the same as always.

"Didn't I already tell you about it? I was helping out, it was on the way. Do you really have to blow this up, be this petty? And now you're using divorce as a threat?"

On the way? The talk was on the South Side. The water park was on the North Side.

And he was telling me it was on the way?

"If you two are done playing, just take Nina home first and wait for me."

Nina can't go home anymore.

Scalding tears struck the cold phone screen.

Every time I closed my eyes I saw Nina pinned at the bottom of the pool, trying again and again to push herself up,

losing the water's lift each time and going back down, until she choked and couldn't breathe.

"She can't come home."

Two seconds of silence on his end, then a note of irritation crept into his voice.

"Fine, I promised Nina I'd take her to the water park if she came in first, but something came up, didn't it! You're an adult. Can't you be a little more reasonable?"

Reasonable?

Through my mind flashed Nina's face as they wheeled her into surgery, pale and stiff, no life left in it,

and the flesh over my heart split open inch by inch, the pain so sharp I couldn't breathe.

"It's too late."

"Too late for what?" He still thought I was throwing a tantrum, his tone more impatient now. "I told you I'd come by later. Do you have to sit there muttering this cryptic, passive-aggressive stuff?"

I gathered every last bit of strength I had and forced out, choking:

"Nina, she's already—"

Before I could finish, Ellie's soft, sweet call came through from his end.

"Irvin, come help me, I'm one brochure short over here."

"Coming!"

Irvin didn't notice anything wrong with me. He just lowered his voice and brushed me off.

"Babe, tell Nina Daddy will bring her a present when he's done, and we'll do bead art together."

The cold dial tone hummed from the other end.

Bead art?

Nina had always wanted the three of us to do bead art together, because all her friends did it with their parents.

But every time she asked, Irvin put it off. Every single time.

Six years. Irvin had so many "laters."

On our wedding day, Ellie's dog had a sudden seizure, and he tossed out "I'll be right back."

He left a hall full of family and friends, left me standing there in my wedding dress, and went to help her save the dog.

My parents got mocked for it by relatives for years.

On my birthday, I found out I was pregnant.

My heart full of joy, gripping the test results, I couldn't wait to tell him this gift from heaven.

But Ellie's dog was giving birth, so he told me "later," and didn't come home all night.

Everything about us, in Irvin's eyes, ranked below Ellie's dog.

My phone buzzed again. Irvin had forwarded me a short video.

The very one, 《Drowning-Prevention Film: There's Still Time》.

【Hurry and like, comment, and share for Ellie.】

A bitter laugh escaped me.

The short video had been filmed on location at the exact water park where our whole world had just fallen apart.

I thought of Nina that morning, clutching her first-place certificate, skipping over to Irvin.

"Daddy, I got first place! You have to keep your promise and take me to the water park!"

Irvin ruffled her hair, doting.

"Good girl, Nina. Daddy still has work to do. You go with Mommy first."

In that instant, the starlight that had flared in Nina's eyes dimmed almost all the way out.

Maybe he caught the disappointment in her face, because Irvin added:

"Daddy will fly over the second he's done."

The light came rushing back into my innocent girl's eyes. She nodded hard and carefully reminded him:

"Daddy, you have to come fast! Everyone in my class has both their mom and dad playing with them."

Thinking of it, I fought down the surging pain in my chest, and the tears slid free anyway.

I drew a deep breath, pulled my thoughts back, and didn't dare remember any further.

I downloaded a divorce agreement online, filled it out carefully, and sent it to Irvin.

This time, he didn't reply with 【Got it.】

He replied: 【Wait till I'm done and I'll call. We'll talk it through.】

I picked up my phone and hired a lawyer to file for divorce.

I had just finished when the call I got wasn't from Irvin, but from my mother-in-law.