Cora’s back slammed into the doorframe, and her vision swam.

When her head cleared, the first thing she saw was Kaelen holding Shauna, carefully wiping away her tears.

It was a gentleness her own daughter had never known.

Cora looked down at the floor, at the drawing Nell had made of their family of three, now crumpled and torn. The tears she’d been holding back finally broke free.

She slowly knelt, picking up the scattered items one by one.

A shard of a broken cup sliced her hand, but she didn’t seem to feel the pain.

Kaelen saw her state and strode over to stop her.

“If it’s broken, we’ll buy a new one. Who are you putting on this pathetic show for? Look at you! You’re scaring Shauna!”

Even now, he was worried about Shauna.

Cora violently shook off his hand. “Kaelen, don’t you know our daughter is…”

“Waaaah, Uncle Kaelen, there’s so much blood! I’m scared!”

Shauna’s screams cut Cora off.

Kaelen instantly turned and scooped the girl into his arms. “Don’t be scared. Uncle is here.”

Cora looked at the howling Shauna and finally noticed the pinwheel in her hand. It was Nell’s favorite.

She couldn’t hold back any longer. She strode forward and snatched the pinwheel. “Get out! Both of you, get out of my house!”

Kaelen had rarely seen Cora so completely unhinged. He instinctively shielded Shauna and backed out of the room.

Cora was left alone, slumping to the floor in defeat.

Seeing her pale, broken form, Kaelen felt a sharp, unexpected pang in his own chest.

Cheryl, who had been waiting outside, saw his expression and asked quickly, “Kaelen? Are you alright?”

Kaelen shook his head. “I’m fine.”

He looked around, then murmured, “But where did Nell go?”

Cora never let Nell out of her sight.

Just then, Shauna, still in his arms, pouted and whispered.

“Uncle Kaelen, I think Nell is playing outside. I saw her by the creek trying to catch fish a few times!”

Kaelen’s brow furrowed slightly. “Is that so? Well, I’ll have to have a serious talk with her then.”

The dead silence in the room and the cheerful chatter outside split the small yard into two different worlds.

It felt like an eternity before Cora managed to pull herself up and slowly start tidying the room.

Every item she picked up was another stab to her heart.

Kaelen thought Shauna was perfect, but he’d never seen the way she bullied Nell.

Shauna would pull Nell’s hair, feed her things she’d dropped on the ground, and even push her down the stairs.

Cora had wanted to confront Cheryl so many times, but Nell would always stop her, begging.

“Mommy, please don’t. I don’t want to make Daddy unhappy.”

The memory brought fresh tears to Cora’s eyes.

Just then, Kaelen appeared at the doorway, placing a cup of hot water on the dresser.

“Go call Nell back for dinner. Even if she can’t go to school yet, you can’t just let her run wild.”

Cora whipped her head around, her voice laced with a bitterness he’d never heard before.

“My Nell is the most well-behaved child there is. Kaelen, you’ve never known her at all!”

Kaelen was about to say more, but Shauna’s voice called from outside.

“Uncle Kaelen! Mommy and I are going home now!”

He turned to leave. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. I’ll walk them home. I’ll deal with Nell when she gets back.”

Cora watched him go, whispering to his retreating back.

“Kaelen, you can search heaven and earth, but you will never find our Nell again.”

Kaelen didn’t come back that night. And for the first time, Cora didn’t go looking for him.

The next morning, Cora headed into town.

She had ordered a batch of wood the day before, to build a coffin for Nell.

It was noon by the time she reached the carpenter’s shop.

“Mr. Henderson,” she said as she walked in, “has the wood I ordered yesterday arrived? When can you start work on it?”

A middle-aged man came out from the back, looking at her strangely.

“Ma’am, your husband, the Colonel, came by this morning for the wood. I gave him what you’d ordered. He loaded it into his Jeep. Didn’t you two talk?”

A terrible premonition seized Cora.

She didn’t have time to think. She hired a farmer’s cart and rushed back.

When she pushed open the gate, she saw Kaelen sitting in the yard.

At his feet, the wood—her daughter’s coffin—was chopped into small, square blocks.

Cora felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. She grabbed the doorframe for support, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

“Kaelen! What are you doing?”

He looked up at her, completely baffled.

“What’s wrong? Shauna’s birthday is coming up. I’m carving her a set of animal figurines as a gift. I’ll pay you back for the wood.”

For a moment, Cora’s mind went completely blank.

She walked toward him, each step like walking on knives, feeling her body shatter.

“Kaelen, do you have any idea what I ordered that wood for?”

He was silent for two seconds, then answered directly.

“Whatever it was for, it’s not as important as Shauna’s birthday.”

Cora couldn’t stop herself. She swung her hand and slapped him across the face.

“That was for our daughter’s coffin! Without it, she’ll have to be burned!”