All Chapters of Never Whole Again: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Three days after our daughter Bonnie died, I ran into my husband, Sean Gower, at the hospital in the early hours of the morning.He was carrying Miranda Larkin’s daughter, Kelsey Larkin. As he rushed toward the emergency room, shouting for a doctor, he kept glancing back to comfort the crying Miranda.He looked every bit like a devoted husband and a caring father if one ignored the fact that he had no blood relation to the child.His reckless dash through the narrow hallway left several people injured.It was only after Kelsey was taken into the examination room that Sean went around apologizing to everyone with Miranda.The last trace of apology vanished from his face when he saw me getting up from the floor. He looked at me with open disgust.“What are you doing here? Are you following us?”Perhaps the pain of losing Bonnie had already numbed my heart so completely that I could no longer react to his mockery.When I did not respond, Miranda stepped forward and linked her arm

This was ridiculous!A mocking smile curved on my lips as I looked at him.“You’re asking me to live under the same roof as her?”Sean avoided my gaze. He handed me a black card and said in an unusually gentle tone of voice, “Just for now… take Bonnie and move out. Once they leave, I’ll bring you back.”I let out a quiet laugh. I could not believe that a husband would say such things.He was asking his wife to move out so he could live with his first love. How was that even appropriate?The pain of my nails digging into my palm reminded me that those were indeed his words.When I did not reach for the card, Sean’s expression turned oddly strained.In the past, I would have taken any money he gave me without hesitation.Whether it was a few thousand or tens of millions of dollars, I never turned it down.He had always believed I was someone who could be dismissed with money.Little did he know that Bonnie’s treatments required imported medication. Each bottle cost tens of tho

Miranda glanced at the phone before looking at Sean with a shy smile.After only a moment’s hesitation, Sean scooped Kelsey into his arms and lifted her high into the air, drawing a fit of giggles from her.He did not answer, but his actions spoke clearly enough.I stared at the three figures on the screen as my heart broke apart, piece by piece.They were the perfect picture of a happy family. Where did that leave Bonnie and me?Tonight was supposed to be for Bonnie. He had promised one last birthday with her.But it seemed he was busy making happy memories with someone else’s child.I wondered if he even remembered Bonnie at all.I ended the call and lit the candles on the table.Maybe the food was too spicy, because I could only swallow each bite through my tears.At 9 p.m., I set up a fire pit in the yard.One by one, I began placing Bonnie’s favorite things into the flames: the clothes she wore as a newborn, her baby rattles, the outfits she wore just before she died, a

By the time I woke up, Sean had left the yard, and all that remained of the divorce agreement was ashes in the fire pit.I placed Bonnie’s urn into the backpack that I kept with me. I picked up my bags and left.Sean did not return that night.He did not dare return to the old family home, nor could he bear to go back to the villa that no longer had Bonnie and me waiting for him.Miranda and Kelsey’s presence there was a constant reminder of how deeply he had hurt and neglected his own wife and daughter for their sake.He drank himself into a stupor at the bar to numb his thoughts.Only then could he finally fall asleep.He convinced himself that it was all just a dream, that Bonnie and I were still waiting for him at the villa, just as we always had.But Miranda’s calls kept coming and shattered the illusion.He groggily opened his eyes. The name that had once occupied his every thought became irritating to look at on the screen. Even his voice carried a note of impatience.

The cleaning crew arrived not long after and cleared out everything that belonged to Miranda and Kelsey.Even the things they had used or touched were thrown away.Soon, the villa looked exactly as it had before.The only difference was that Bonnie and I were no longer there.I met Sean at the old family home the day before the divorce hearing.The man before me looked utterly worn down. His suit was wrinkled, stubble darkened his jaw, and his bloodshot eyes spoke of sleepless nights.He looked at me helplessly and spoke with obvious caution.“Phoebe, can we not do this? I still love you, and I don’t want to lose our family. I’m sorry for hurting you and Bonnie. I don’t want a divorce. Please, just give me one more chance.”A mocking smile curved at my lips. I turned away and wiped the tears from the corner of my eye.Over the past month, the same thought kept circling in my mind.If I had left him sooner, maybe Bonnie would still be alive.I hated Sean for how heartless he