Stormy, Hubby Forces Daughter to Buy Meds for Mistress’s Dog!

Chapter 1

One stormy afternoon, my husband Jack asked our 5-year-old daughter, Ella, to run out and grab medicine for his ex-girlfriend's dog.

The rain was coming down in sheets, and Ella ended up getting hit by a car.

By the time I made it to the hospital, she was already slipping away.

"Mommy... Ella... broke the medicine Daddy wanted... Ella... isn't a good girl..." Her tiny voice barely reached me.

Before she could finish, she took her last breath, still clutching the broken medicine bottle in her little hand.

I held her lifeless body in my arms, completely shattered.

Then, at that exact moment, Mandy, Jack's ex, posted on Snapchat:

"My sweet Buddy hurt his leg. You braved the rain to get medicine for him, having you by my side makes everything perfect!"

The picture showed her cuddling the dog, a ribbon wrapped around its injured leg.

It felt like my world had frozen over. I took a screenshot of the post and sent it to Jack, rage boiling over:

"So this is why you sent our daughter out in that downpour?"

It wasn't until the next day, after Ella was gone, that Jack finally decided to call me back.

Before I could even say anything, he snapped at me:

"I told Ella to get the medicine, but she ran off to find you instead. If Buddy's leg gets messed up because of this, I swear I'll break her legs when I get back."

Jack hung up without a second thought. Not one word about how Ella was doing. I called him back, but he had already blocked my number.

Fine. If that's how he wanted it, then he didn't need to know about Ella's death. I went through the motions of making funeral arrangements, feeling numb, like I was walking through life in a daze.

The hospital staff was kind, rushing everything along with sympathy. There was a shortage of cemetery plots, so I had to settle for bringing Ella home in a small urn, at least for now.

Jack still hadn't come back.

The house felt so empty without her. I pushed open the door to her room and sank down on her little bed, staring into the nothingness. I could almost hear her sweet voice calling out, "Mommy." And then the tears came again, hot and endless.

I cried until there were no more tears to shed. When I finally stood up, it felt like a battle just to get to my feet. I couldn't stand this house without her. I couldn't stand this life without her.

Just as I finished printing the divorce papers, Jack walked in.

His face was twisted with fury. The first thing out of his mouth?

"Get that little brat Ella out here right now. I'm going to give her a good thrashing. She nearly crippled Mandy's dog. She's only five, how can she be so vicious already?"

I shot him a cold smirk. So now he remembered she was just five? Funny how he conveniently forgot that fact when he sent her out in the pouring rain to buy medicine for Mandy's dog.

The look on my face seemed to set him off even more. Jack yanked off his tie and tossed his jacket onto the couch. He pointed at me, his finger shaking with rage.

"You have the nerve to smirk? Like mother, like daughter. Ella's turned out so spoiled because you've pampered her."

"Where is she? Get her out here right now to apologize to Mandy. Mandy's so kind-hearted, she's not even holding a grudge. Buddy's leg was almost crippled, but Mandy's still saying it's because you don't know how to raise a child. She's blaming you for everything."

"Lucy, I'm warning you, if you try to protect her while I discipline her today, we're done."

Ella was dead. There was nothing left to say to Jack. I tossed the divorce papers at him, my voice like ice.

"Just sign these and go be with your precious Mandy. My daughter doesn't need your discipline. She doesn't need you at all."

I thought for sure he'd jump at the chance to sign them. But instead, he grabbed the papers, tore them up without even glancing at them, and exploded.

"What divorce? Are you serious? How many times do I have to tell you, Mandy and I are just neighbors, like family."

"No wonder Ella doesn't like Mandy, and by extension, doesn't like her dog. It's all your fault for influencing her."

"She agreed to go buy the medicine, but then disappeared. She clearly wanted Buddy to get hurt. What a devious little mind for a five-year-old. If I don't straighten her out, she'll be out of control."

His words about our daughter felt like daggers, each one stabbing deeper than the last. I could barely breathe, my chest tight, my body swaying from the weight of the pain.

But somehow, I found the strength to speak, my voice shaking with fury.

"How is she devious? How can you, as her father, use such a hateful word to describe a five-year-old? Don't you think you've gone too far?"

"You sent her out in the rain to buy medicine, without a second thought about the danger. And now you're blaming her for not coming back? Jack, do you even realize that our daughter, "

"I don't care, and I don't want to know," he interrupted, his face twisted with irritation. "So what if it was raining? The pharmacy's right across the street. She's five, she needs to learn some independence. You're making a big deal out of nothing. She's just spoiled and can't handle the smallest inconvenience."

He rubbed his temples like I was the one overreacting.

"I'm done with this. Just get her out here to apologize to Mandy. Otherwise, Mandy won't be able to sleep, and she'll feel guilty all night."

Looking at him, it was like I was staring at a stranger. He wasn't worried about our daughter. He didn't even care that she was missing in a storm. No, he was worried about Mandy's guilt.

That was when I knew, he didn't deserve to be at our daughter's funeral. He didn't deserve to be a part of her life, or mine.

"I'm not making her apologize," I said, my voice cold and final.

Jack's face darkened, his anger reaching a boiling point.

"Fine. Keep spoiling her, Lucy. When she turns into a little monster, don't come crying to me."

With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.