Chapter 1

Daisy's memorial service was a blur of hushed voices and sad eyes.

I stood there, a hollow shell, the scent of lilies thick in the air, just like Daisy used to love.

My little girl, gone.

Casey, my wife, stood a little apart, her expression smooth, almost serene.

Friends came up, squeezed my arm, murmured condolences.

"She's coping differently," one whispered, nodding towards Casey.

Differently. That was one word for it.

Later, the house felt too big, too quiet. I needed to talk to Casey about Daisy's things, the little treasures I couldn't bear to think of anyone else touching.

I found her in the study, on a video call. Her voice was animated, a tone I hadn't heard in months.

"...reconnected with Ethan Holloway," she was saying to someone on screen, Maya, her childhood friend. "He needs support, just went through a tough business deal."

My blood ran cold. Ethan. Her old college flame.

Then Casey's voice dropped, confidential, "And Maya, between us... that specialized clinic in Switzerland for Daisy? I authorized something more aggressive. Unproven. It just... it hastened things."

I leaned against the doorframe, the wood suddenly the only thing holding me up.

"Daisy's care was so draining," Casey continued, her voice flat now. "It complicated everything. My desire to move on. Ethan doesn't need to be burdened with all that, you know?"

The world tilted. Betrayal. Not just me, but Daisy. Our Daisy.

The Thornes, Casey's parents, had already made my life hell, accusing me of mismanaging money.

Money I'd poured into legitimate, experimental treatments for Daisy in the US, treatments Casey had initially agreed to, then conveniently forgot when her parents started questioning the bills. They' d even restricted my access to our joint accounts because of it.

And all along, this was the truth of Daisy's "specialized treatment."