The Letter He Found After I Was Gone

The day Liam Roscente's family was destroyed, I walked away without looking back.

When he made his comeback, I came knocking on his door every year.

The first year, I held our baby daughter in my arms. He threw fifty thousand in cash at me and told me to get as far away as possible.

The second year, I clutched my late-stage cancer diagnosis. He didn't even glance at it before tossing me a hundred thousand and ordering me to disappear forever.

The third and fourth years, I did exactly as he wished—vanished from this world completely.

Then came the fifth year, when he received a call from our daughter.

"Mommy, when are you bringing food? My tummy is so hungry."

...

"Mommy, I'm really hungry."

Emma had sneaked out of Sunshine Orphanage and found my old phone. She charged it and dialed the number, mimicking what she'd seen me do.

Back when I was too sick to get out of bed, I'd order takeout. The delivery guys always put my order last.

Whenever she was hungry, I'd call to hurry them along.

So Emma thought that if she called, food would come.

Now, she kept redialing that number.

The faint glow of the screen lit up her small, innocent face.

I tried to stop her, but my hand passed right through her.

I sighed.

Three years, and I still kept forgetting I was just a ghost.

"Emma, stop calling. He won't answer."

He probably still believed I was just some gold-digging woman.

"Open the metal box on the table. There's money inside that Mommy left for you."

Most of the money I'd gotten from Liam went into a trust fund for Emma's education.

The box held a few hundred in cash for emergencies.

As if sensing my thoughts, Emma picked up the metal box.

Just then, a cold male voice came through the phone.

"Ava Sullivan?"

I froze, realizing the call had connected a full minute ago.

"Didn't I tell you to stay dead?"

His tone was calm, as ruthlessly indifferent as ever.

I bit my lip, embarrassed that our daughter had to hear her father speak to me like that—even if neither of them knew who the other was.

His voice dripped with mockery. "Need money again? Fine. Come beg me."

Emma's eyes lit up. "Mister! When will you bring food? I'm hungry!"

Silence.

Then, sharply: "Put Ava on the phone."

"You mean Mommy?"

Emma's face fell. "But she can't answer the phone."

Liam's voice darkened. "What's wrong with her?"

"Mommy said she has to sleep for a long, long time."