He Chose His Comrade’s Widow Over Our Child’s Birthday Chapter 06
Julian drove home like a man possessed.
He didn’t even bother closing the car door before sprinting into the building.
The elevator couldn’t move fast enough.
The moment it reached his floor, he rushed out, punched in the security code, and shoved open the
front door.
Then he stopped cold.
The house was empty.
Mia’s tiny slippers were gone from the entryway.
The matching mother-daughter tumblers that always sat on the coffee table were gone.
The flowers Chloe had cared for on the balcony had been thrown away.
The master closet stood open.
Every piece of Chloe’s clothing was gone.
Every piece of Mia’s clothing was gone.
They hadn’t left anything behind.
Not a single trace.
Julian stood in the middle of the living room, breathing hard.
Then he started walking.
One slow step after another.
Toward Mia’s bedroom.
He pushed open the door.
The room was nearly empty.
The furniture was gone.
The decorations were gone.
Only the bed frame remained.
And one other thing.
On the hardwood floor, in the spot where Mia’s piano used to stand, sat a thin notebook.
Julian’s heart stopped.
He rushed forward and snatched it up.
Written across the cover in neat pencil lettering were four words.
[Dad’s Death Record.]
His hands began shaking.
He opened the first page.
[Day One
Ms. Rhodes called Dad away again.
He didn’t watch my ballet recital.
Dad died today.]
Julian’s vision blurred.
He remembered his anger.
Remembered throwing away Mia’s ballet shoes.
Remembered walking out without looking back.
His fingers trembled as he turned the
page.
[Day Five
Family Day at school.
Everyone else’s dad came.
I waited for a long time.
Dad died at Ms. Rhodes’s house.]
Julian sucked in a ragged breath.
He turned another page.
[Day Ten
The piano disappeared from Dad’s study.
Mom worked so hard to buy it for me.
Dad’s love disappeared with it.]
Julian’s hand cramped around the notebook.
Still, he kept reading.
Page after page.
Every entry was a wound.
Every sentence another knife he had driven into his own daughter’s heart.
Then he reached the final entry.
The ink had run in places.
Water droplets had clearly fallen onto the page.
Tears.
[The fire was so big.
Dad told me to wait.
He went to save Leo.
I watched him carry someone else’s child away.
Today Dad finally turned to ashes.
Ghosts don’t come back to save people.]
Something inside Julian shattered.
A metallic taste flooded his mouth.
The crushing force of regret hit him all at once.
He doubled over and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The notebook slipped from his hands.
He dropped to his knees in the empty room, clutching his chest as tears streamed down his face.
For a long time, he couldn’t breathe.
Then he grabbed his phone.
Call after call.
Desperate.
Frantic.
He called Chloe’s coworkers.
Her relatives.
Anyone who might know where she had gone.
His first call was to her former hospital director.
“Dr. Sterling.”
Julian’s voice cracked.
“Please. Please tell me where Chloe went.”
A long silence answered him.
Finally, Dr. Reginald Sterling spoke.
“Mr. Thorne, Ms. Davenport accepted a transfer.”
Julian shot to his feet.
“Where?”
“I’m sorry.”
The older man’s voice remained firm.
“Before she left, she specifically asked me not to disclose that information.”
The call ended.
Julian immediately dialed another number.
Adeline Grey.
Chloe’s closest friend since college.
The second she answered, she exploded.
“Get lost, you piece of trash!”
Julian flinched.
“Mia is mute because of you! Do you understand that?”
Her voice broke with fury.
“If you ever harass Chloe again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
The line went dead.
Hours later, Julian stormed into the airport and pulled security footage from the overnight departures.
The surveillance video played on a monitor.
There I was.
One arm wrapped around Mia.
A suitcase rolling behind me.
We walked through the boarding gate.
Mia never looked back once.
Not once.
The two of us disappeared into the terminal without hesitation.
Without regret.
Without any intention of returning.
Julian stared at the screen long after we were gone.
Then he slowly collapsed into a chair.
Only then did he finally understand.
He had lost us forever.
That evening, Julian returned to the hollow shell that used to be his home.
The silence was unbearable.
He had barely sunk onto the couch when the electronic lock beeped.
Someone was entering.
The front door opened.
Vivian stepped inside carrying a thermal food container.
She smiled softly.
“Julian, I made your favorite chicken noodle soup.”
She walked toward him.
“I’m here to take care of you.”
Julian lifted his head.
His gaze landed on Vivian’s face.
Once upon a time, he’d seen a vulnerable woman who needed protection.
A woman worthy of sympathy.
But now?
Looking at her made his stomach turn.
For the first time, all he felt was disgust.