All Chapters of My Husband's Picture: Perfect Betrayal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

"It appears she accidentally fell from a great height..." the police officer said, but his words felt like distant echoes to me.All I could see was my daughter, my precious, sweet girl. She was only five, as adorable as an angel. Her once-bright eyes were now closed, never to open again.I knelt beside her, cradling her tiny hands which were covered in bruises and cuts. Her smartwatch, the one I put on her, was nowhere to be found."Stella, can you open your eyes for Mommy? I got you your favorite doll. Remember, the one you wanted to hug every night?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "How could you fall asleep here all alone, sweetheart?"But no matter how much I called out to her, she never answered. I opened her little palm and found a crumpled family portrait she had drawn of our family. That was when my tears broke free, unstoppable.It was now 3 in the morning. An hour earlier, I found Stella's body at the foot of the mountain where she and her father, Cedric Fleetham, had

Laura stood right behind Cedric, looking at me with a pitiful expression."Rachel, Ced just got back from his business trip. Tina wanted to see him, so I invited him over for dinner. If you're mad at me, fine, but how could you curse my daughter like that?" Laura spoke through tears.Cedric's face twisted in pain, clearly distressed for her. "Don't cry, Laura. Retribution will come her way soon enough!" he comforted her.My face had gone numb from the pain, and my heart was dead and hollow. Laura's daughter was still alive, being fed and cared for by Cedric. But my daughter, my Stella, was gone. Marrying Cedric was my retribution."Rachel, it's your daughter who's mute, not you! Stop pretending to be pitiful! It's disgusting!" Cedric yelled.His words stabbed at my heart. He could say whatever he wanted about me, but not about Stella. In anger, I raised my hand and slapped him.Smack!Cedric froze, then his face twisted in anger. "You dare hit me?!""You can hit me, but I can't

At the funeral home, the mortician carefully dressed Stella in a new little dress that looked like Snow White's. She loved the story of Snow White. She once told me she envied Snow White for having seven good friends.Stella had been mute since she was born, and the other children did not like to play with her. Even their parents said her muteness might be "contagious" and forbade their kids from playing with her.My daughter had always been alone. And now, so was I.The first light of morning fell across Bella's pale little face as I brought her to her final resting place. Here, the ground was flat. There were no mountains, no cliffs, and no stray dogs.During the burial, I placed the doll in Bella's arms and spoke to her one last time. "Baby, in the next life, be a small creature with wings, alright? One that can fly so that you'll never fall again."As soon as my words faded, a pure white butterfly landed right over my heart. It was as if Stella had returned.The little winged

As I walked out of the station, my mind replayed everything the officer had just told me. The mountain Cedric and Stella had gone camping in was remote, with no surveillance cameras anywhere. Also, they were not the only ones camping there that day. Others had been present."Don't worry. We'll find the real culprit as soon as possible and give your daughter justice," the officer had said. Seeing my pitiful state after losing my daughter, he returned the watch to me, letting me keep it as a memento even though it was meant to be evidence.The sun beat down fiercely overhead, but I felt nothing as I wandered the streets like the undead. I was recalling Cedric's every word and action over the past few days, wondering if it had been him. Would he really have killed his own daughter just to be with Laura and Tina?The thought chilled me to the bone, sending shivers through my body. I decided to return home and confront him directly.As soon as I got to the front door, I was greeted by t

My heart started pounding as if it would leap out of my chest."Then why didn't you take Stella down to the foot of the mountain too? If you had brought her down, maybe someone would've seen them. She wouldn’t have...wouldn't have died." My eyes brimmed with tears.Cedric closed his eyes. "Because Stella said the butterflies on the mountain were beautiful, and she wanted to watch them a little longer."I thought back to the white butterfly at the cemetery.At that moment, there was another knock at the door, and Laura's anxious voice came through again. "Ced, you blocked me. I couldn't reach you. Can you open the door, please? I brought Tina to see you. From now on, you can treat her as your daughter. Haven't you always liked her?"I let out a cold laugh, and shame was written all over Cedric's face."Open the door," I commanded.Cedric did as I asked and opened the door. Laura immediately tried to dive into his arms, but he stopped her with a look of disgust."What are you doi