I Saw My Daughter Beg Me Not to Die

After creating a social media account for my newborn daughter, Natalie Graham, I made her first post. "Welcome to the world, Nattie." Three minutes later, a notification pops up. "Mom, I miss you." I frown. It has to be one of my friends messing with me. Then, another comment appears. "Mom, why did you die when I was one month old? Aunt Wanda said it was because I was naughty. She said you jumped off a roof because you hated me. "I'm five now, and I've been really, really good. Aunt Wanda said I had to fall down the stairs one more time for Dad to come home. Will I get to see you too, Mom?" My mind goes blank. My fingers tremble so badly I can barely type. Wanda Levine is my husband Zane Graham's secretary. The first time he mentioned her was while he was peeling an orange for me. "Wanda was one of the students my family sponsored," he casually starts. "She's done well for herself. After graduating, she earned a spot in the executive office." The room is perfectly warm, yet a chill runs straight through me. Without thinking, I quickly fire off a reply. "Don't go anywhere near the stairs!" Her response leaves me speechless. Chapter 1 I sent Natalie a message, but I didn't get a reply right away. Feeling anxious, I sent her another one. "Nattie, answer me. Don't jump!" Natalie's feed was empty. The only things there were the few comments she had left. I had created this account with my phone number, and the only person on her friends list was my main account. There was no way that one of my friends had done this as a joke. I turned to look at the crib. Natalie had just finished feeding and rolled over. She clenched her tiny fists and smacked her lips. She was small and delicate. Her rosy face peeked out of the cloud-patterned blanket that I had picked out for her. Everyone said she was a little princess who had been born into a loving family. But someone was convincing her to throw herself down the stairs to get Zane's attention. There were only seven days left until she turned one month old. If the comments were true, then I had to act now. I immediately called my best friend, Yvonne Smith, who was a lawyer. "Yvonne, I need you to look into someone for me. Her name's Wanda Levine." Ten minutes later, my phone lit up. Yvonne's profile picture appeared on the screen. I answered the call. Before I could say a word, I could hear the anger in her voice. "Simone, Wanda's something else. I almost can't believe what I found. "She's one of the Graham Group's top scholarship recipients. They give her millions in funding every year, and every payment comes directly from Zane's personal account. None of it goes through the foundation." My face hardens. "What else?" "After she graduated, she got straight into the Graham Group's executive office. Zane also bought her a fully furnished apartment near the company. It cost 4.6 million dollars." "When did he buy it?" I asked, my grip tightening on the blanket. "Last March. When you were three months pregnant." Last March, I was curled up on the couch. I vomited all day. I even vomited bile. Back then, Zane sat beside me and gently rubbed my back. "You're going through so much, Simone. Once this project is finished, I'll spend more time with you." He kept his promise by buying another woman an apartment. I took a deep breath and ordered, "Keep the evidence. Draft me a divorce agreement, too." I hung up and stared at the comments on Natalie's profile. My fingertips ran cold. When Zane introduced Wanda to me, he made her sound innocent. However, the money from his private account, the special treatment at the company, and the apartment proved that his support for her had gone far beyond just kindness. With Natalie's comments replaying in my head, I called Dad. "Dad, I don't want to stay at the recovery center anymore. Can you have someone pick me up?" If everything was true, I needed to protect myself before I could protect Natalie. Chapter 2 While I was waiting for Dad, the doorbell rang. Wanda entered the room. She was holding a stack of printed proposals. The cover was embossed with the words "Nattie's Meet-the-Baby Celebration" in gold. "Mrs. Graham, Mr. Graham asked me to bring over a few proposals for Nattie's meet-the-baby celebration for you to review," she said in a professional tone. "He was worried the little details would tire you out, so I narrowed it down to a few options. Once you choose the one you like best, I'll finalize everything." She placed the proposals on the coffee table. Then, she began explaining every detail of the celebration. "Mr. Graham specifically requested this pink theme. He said Nattie is a girl, so we should use soft colors." My eyes were focused on the gold lettering on the cover, but all I could hear was a buzzing sound. "You jumped because you hated me. Aunt Wanda said that I had to fall down the stairs one more time for Dad to come home." I placed a hand over my pounding chest and raised the other to cut her off. "Cancel the celebration." Wanda's smile froze. "Is there something wrong with these proposals?" My expression darkened. It wouldn't matter if I jumped on my own or if someone pushed me. Either way, I'd end up dead on the day of the celebration. I had to make sure I was somewhere absolutely safe that day. I closed the proposal folder and handed it back to her. "I'm not feeling well. The doctor told me I needed rest. We're not holding a big celebration anymore. You can head back and tell Zane." Wanda stood where she was. Her eyes turned visibly red, and her voice softened to a whisper. "But Mr. Graham has been preparing for this celebration for a long time. We've already printed the invitations, and the guests…" "Cancel it." I looked her straight in the eyes. "You're Zane's secretary, not mine. Was I not clear enough?" Tears welled up in her eyes. She gathered the proposals, lowered her head, and murmured, "I understand." Then, she turned and left hurriedly, leaving the door open. The open doorway let in a breeze from the hallway, rustling one of the proposals she had left behind. It wasn't long before Zane called. "Wanda said you don't want to hold Nattie's meet-the-baby celebration?" I hummed a response. There was a two-second silence on the other end. When Zane spoke again, his voice carried restrained irritation. "Simone, I know you haven't fully recovered, but we talked about the celebration a long time ago. Wanda spent three nights working on those proposals. We've already settled on the guest list, venue, and catering. You can't just cancel everything on a whim." He paused, then softened his tone slightly. "How about this? You don't have to attend the celebration if you aren't feeling well that day. You can rest upstairs. But Nattie is my daughter. We can't cancel the celebration. Wanda can take care of her then." "I don't need to accommodate anyone just to keep up with appearances, and I certainly don't need to accept the proposal your secretary stayed up to work on," I spat. The call went silent. Before Zane could respond, I continued. "The celebration's off. Also, Zane, let's get a divorce." Chapter 3 The moment I hung up, my fingertips went numb. There were only seven days left until my death. If my fate was already sealed, then there were things I needed to do. One of them was making sure Natalie was as far away from Zane as possible. I was the only daughter of the Weber family. Once I took Natalie home, she'd be the apple of their eye. No one would ever lay a finger on her. I was still staring blankly at my phone when the door suddenly flew open. Mom rushed in. "Simone, why do you suddenly want to come home?" Dad followed close behind. His face was grim as he scanned the room. "Did someone upset you? Tell me. I'll handle it." The nurse who was standing beside me widened her eyes in shock. Everyone else lowered their heads as they were too afraid to say a word. "This has nothing to do with anyone else. I just felt like going home," I said, forcing a smile. He studied me for a moment. "Did that punk Zane do something again?" I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Zane burst through the door without even bothering to put on his suit jacket. His eyes were bloodshot as he reached for my arm. "Simone, tell me what's going on." He kept his voice low, but his whole body trembled. "It's fine if you don't want the celebration. But why would you bring up divorce?" Mom and Dad froze. Mom's face drained of color. "What are you talking about?" Zane kept his eyes locked on mine. He swallowed hard before stammering, "Why would you do that, Simone? Is it because I've been too busy lately? Or was it because of the celebration? Just tell me. I'll fix it." I stared at the man I had spent the last three years loving. This was the face I saw every night before falling asleep. Now, it was filled with panic and confusion. He acted like he had no idea what was happening, but he was the reason all of this was happening. The anger burning inside of me grew stronger. "Zane," I said sharply, "did you ever stop to think about Natalie when you bought Wanda that apartment?" Zane went stiff. His eyes widened, and his grip on my arm loosened. That expression lasted for a split second, but I caught it clear as day. Any hope I had left was shattered. "You funneled millions to her through your personal account every year, hand-picked her for a position in the executive office, and even bought her a 4.6-million-dollar apartment." I met his gaze. "Last March, I was so sick from my pregnancy that I couldn't stop throwing up. You told me you were busy with a project. Was buying another woman a house the project?" "Simone, let me explain—" "There's nothing to explain." I cut him off. My voice was so calm that it barely sounded like mine. "I've already instructed Yvonne to draft the divorce papers. I don't want a cent of your money. All I want is Natalie." Zane turned as white as a sheet. His hands trembled as he took a step toward me. "Simone, please listen. Wanda and I are just—" "Just what?" Dad strode forward, grabbed Zane by the collar, and shoved him away from me. "You'd better tell me who Wanda is." Mom's knees nearly gave out, but she caught herself on the bed. Tears started streaming down her face. She pointed at Zane. "I didn't say a thing when you showed up four hours late while Simone was giving birth. Yet now, when she's at her most vulnerable while recovering from childbirth, you've gone and found yourself another woman? I was completely wrong about you." "That's not what happened—" Mom refused to let him finish. Desperate, Zane turned back to me. "Simone, please. I can explain everything. Natalie isn't even a month old. Don't leave." I held Natalie close and took a step back to meet his gaze. "Explain what? That you wanted to be a good father?" Zane went completely still. He looked as if he had just been slapped. Dad shot him a glare before turning to me. "Simone, let's go. It's time to head home." Chapter 4 I held Natalie in my arms while sitting on the couch at my parents' house. Mom had placed a soft cushion behind my back, but my hands were still cold. Dad placed a cup of coffee next to me and said, "Stay here. I'd like to see if anyone tries to mess with you now." I nodded. I spent the next seven days marking each passing day on the calendar. When Natalie's meet-the-baby celebration arrived, I insisted that we keep it simple and just have dinner as a family. After the meal, my parents gave Natalie so many gifts that their hands were practically full. They even brought out a pair of emerald pendants. "These were passed down from your great-grandmother. Only the eldest daughter in the Weber family gets to have them." Natalie grabbed onto them happily and refused to let go. Zane showed up too. He stood outside the Weber residence, but everyone inside ignored him. Just after midnight, my phone screen lit up. My heart pounded. A new comment appeared on Natalie's account. "Mom, it hurts. Dad didn't come see me." I felt a chill run down my spine. My fingers started shaking uncontrollably. I stared at the comment. My breathing became frantic, as if someone had their hand around my throat. Natalie had fallen down the stairs when she turned five. I immediately called Zane. He picked up after three rings. The sound of men and women laughing in the background had barely faded when he answered. "Hello?" "Meet me at the city county tomorrow at 9:00 am. If you don't show up, you'll never see Nattie again." "Simone, you're—" I hung up and gasped for air. I didn't sleep that night. … At 9:00 am the next morning, I stood on the steps outside the city council with the divorce agreement in my hand. A breeze slipped through my collar, leaving my entire body cold. Zane's car pulled over by the roadside. The door opened. He stepped out of the car. Wanda followed behind him in heels. Her eyes were red. It looked as if she had been crying. Zane looked exhausted. He reached for my wrist. "Simone, please let me explain." I broke free from his grip and took a step back. "Did you bring the agreement?" Before he could answer, Wanda rushed over. Tears immediately spilled down her face. "Mrs. Graham, this is just a misunderstanding. Mr. Graham and I aren't what you think," she stammered. "I'm just a student his family sponsored. He helped me because he felt sorry for me…" Her shoulders shook as she cried. She reached out as if she wanted to grab my arm. I looked at her face and recalled the comment on Natalie's account. "Aunt Wanda said I had to fall down the stairs one more time for Dad to come home." My nails dug into my palm. "Mrs. Graham, please don't divorce Mr. Graham because of me. Nattie is still so young." She wiped her tears away and choked out, "I'll resign from the company and return the apartment. I truly don't want to ruin your family." Zane stood beside her. He looked at me with a conflicted expression. "Simone, she already explained everything. Can you just—" "Can I just what?" I retorted, staring straight into his eyes. "You brought her to the city council to explain what you've done. Do you really think I'll believe you?" His face turned grim. After several seconds of silence, he finally broke the silence. "Fine. I'll give you what you want." He grabbed the pen and signed the agreement. He used so much force that it nearly tore the paper. I signed my name as well. I felt a wave of relief wash through me the moment I was handed the divorce certificate. The celebration was over. I had ended the marriage. I had also gotten custody of Natalie. I had even prepared a will stating that if I died unexpectedly, my parents would automatically get custody of her. Zane wouldn't be able to claim her. I had thought of everything. Had I saved Natalie? When I left the city council, Zane turned to me. "Are you satisfied now?" I didn't answer. Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The moment I pulled it out and saw the message, my blood ran hot. I threw the phone at Zane. "I'm going to kill you, Zane!" Confused, he picked up the phone. The second he saw the message, his face turned deathly pale.