A Cursed Celebration

As I pushed the door open, a shocking scene greeted me—the living room was brightly lit and filled with laughter and cheer. A round table was laden with a lavish Thanksgiving feast, the air heavy with the sweet aroma of pumpkin pie. My heart sank, and a chill ran through my body. My husband, Ethan Parker, and his first love, Mandy Sanchez, sat side by side on the couch, cuddling intimately, their faces adorned with content smiles. Meanwhile, my mother-in-law, Janet Wright, sat across from them.Janet was cradling Mandy's son, Timothy Blake. She was spoon-feeding him pumpkin puree, his little face covered in crumbs as he giggled. He looked just like Heidi did at that age.I stared at the pumpkin pie and remembered Heidi, my daughter, and my heart instantly clenched. Immediately after, I felt my vision blurred, and I nearly fainted on the spot."Well, if it isn't Amelia! Why the long face on such a festive day?" Mandy caught me standing in the doorway, her voice dripping with mocker

I immediately recognized that although the voice sounded like Heidi's, it was not her. There was definitely something suspicious about the voice messages.I stared intently at Ethan, saying slowly, "Ethan, there's something off about Heidi's voice messages. Listen closely. Doesn't it sound different from usual?"However, Ethan refused to believe me. He frowned impatiently and said, "Amelia, what are you trying to say? Are you still making up lies even now?"I took a deep breath, struggling to control my emotions. "I'm not lying! Please, believe me! Heidi really is..."...Before I could finish, Mandy cut in sharply, "Amelia, have you no shame? Your lies have been exposed, and now you're making a scene. What more do you want? Do you think Ethan's a fool?"Ethan stormed out of the room with Mandy, slamming the door hard as if mocking me for overestimating my place. I collapsed onto the cold floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, letting despair consume me. Ethan had changed so

In the days that followed, I numbly handled Heidi's funeral arrangements. Each step I took was heavy, and I felt like I was living in a hell on earth.The funeral was a sad affair with only me in attendance. There were no relatives or friends, laughter or tears—just endless grief and despair.Regret and guilt gnawed at me, and I truly wished I were dead. I even considered joining Heidi after everything was settled, imagining how lonely she must be on her journey to the afterlife. Just when I had hit rock bottom, I received messages from Ethan that jolted me like a bucket of ice water.[Ethan: Are you done with your tantrum? Where's Heidi? Where have you taken her?][Ethan: Come back immediately. Apologize to Mandy, and we can put this behind us.]His tone was as presumptuous and condescending as ever, as if I were the one who had done something wrong. As I read his messages, my heart turned cold.Ethan had not realized that his precious Mandy had caused the death of his own dau

Ethan remained motionless under my blows, even grabbing my hand to slap his own face. "Amelia, hit me harder. If it makes you feel better, you can even take my life..."His eyes were filled with desperation and a plea for redemption, like a lost child begging for forgiveness."Do you remember this?" I asked coldly, my voice dripping with mockery.Ethan stared blankly at the pumpkin pie in my hand, clearly confused."Heidi made this herself. She was planning to give it to you during the Thanksgiving dinner," I explained, trembling with emotion. "But she never got the chance..."I hurled the pie at him. It hit his chest and fell to the floor, covered in dust."You don't deserve it! You don't deserve Heidi's love!" I shouted, pointing at him angrily.With shaking hands, Ethan picked up the pie from the floor. It was smeared with a trace of blood and dirt. He stared at it vacantly as if his soul had left his body. Then, as if something inside had snapped, he shoved the pie into his