"Emily is six. She should be independent. If she can't even do this, what's the point of raising her?" Jeffrey retorted, his tone filled with justification.
Just then, I heard Louise's laughter in the background.
"Rose, it's all my fault. I suddenly craved that milkshake, and if I don't get it, I can't sleep at night.
"Jeffrey was just worried about me going out in the heat, so he asked Emily to get it for me," Louise added.
Her words ignited the fury within me.
"Jeffrey, you care about Louise, a thirty-year-old woman, but you sent our six-year-old daughter out in scorching weather to get her a milkshake? You don't deserve to be Emily's father."
Jeffrey immediately defended Louise.
"Rose, it was just a milkshake. Do you have to blow it out of proportion? You're becoming more and more petty. Emily is just like you, making a big deal out of nothing. She could've called if she had trouble. We waited for her at home for a long time."
"Yes, Rose. You really need to teach Emily better. She took over an hour to get a milkshake and didn't even call. If Jeffrey hadn't taken me to Blido to get a cake, I don't know how much longer we would've waited," Louise chimed in.
Their words shattered my heart, filling it with cold hatred.
Holding Emily's urn, I closed my eyes in despair.
"Jeffrey, let's get a divorce. The papers are ready. Just sign, and we'll be done."
Jeffrey exploded at the mention of divorce.
"Rose, I've tolerated your nonsense over and over. Are you really going to be this unreasonable? It was just a milkshake! I can take her to the kindergarten graduation to make it up to her."
I scoffed, tears silently streaming down my face, landing on Emily's black urn.
"There's no need. Emily won't be able to go. She'll never be able to go."
"Rose, you're disgusting. Are you cursing our daughter just to spite me? Are you even human?" Jeffrey spat angrily.
"Emily couldn't go because when she was on her way to buy..."
I couldn't finish before a scream interrupted me from the other end of the line.
"Jeffrey, I'm so clumsy! I cut myself while peeling an apple."
"Louise is hurt. I need to take her to the hospital. Stop causing trouble," Jeffrey said hastily before hanging up.
After Emily's burial, I went to the hospital to obtain her death certificate.
The moment I received the death certificate, I truly realized that my child was gone.