Page 122 of The Widower
But what lit the fuse for that final fight was her demand that the kids stay with her, allowing me only five days a month. That was it. I lost it. I told her, “You’ll only get that over my dead body.”
And she replied, “Then so be it.”
Of course, I never imagined she’d actually try to do something about it. I thought it was just another heated argument—part of our routine by then. Even though we werestill living under the same roof, we’d been sleeping in separate rooms for months.
But a month later…
The fights kept coming—mostly about custody. Then Jeniffer did something reckless. She grabbed Maddison and left the house. She was supposed to pick up Joshua from soccer practice afterward, but she never made it there.
The crash happened on the highway, just two kilometers from the mansion. Both of them died instantly.
At first, I thought it was just a tragic mistake—that she’d been upset after our argument and lost control.I blamed myself every single day. I fell into a deep depression. I had nothing left in me, but I had to keep going—for Joshua.
He was devastated. In therapy. Every time he got into a car after the accident, he’d break down, screaming, sobbing uncontrollably. I spent countless nights sleeping in his room, only to wake up to his screams. The nightmare was always the same—he was in a car, falling off a cliff.
I didn’t know how to help him anymore.But the worst part came three months later, when I finally learned the truth about the accident.
It was him. Kurt.
He’d planned everything—rigged the car—never realizing Jeniffer would be the one behind the wheel that day.
Yes, she knew—and that’s what makes it worse, at least from where I stand.
An official inquiry was opened, and the investigation was thorough. It was proven that the two of them had planned my death together. The audio recordings between them didn’t lie.
Jeniffer’s fatal mistake was going two hours without checking her phone. There was an unheard voice message from Kurt—one where he explained which car in the mansion’s garage he’d tampered with. In that same message, he told her to make sure I used the car, since lately, she’d been the one driving it instead of me.
That was Jeniffer’s fatal error.We had five cars in the garage, and all of us used them interchangeably. None of them belonged to a specific person.
“You two planned my death for almost a month,” I said through gritted teeth, “and in the end, you killed my daughter—an innocent child who had nothing to do with any of this. You ripped a piece of my heart out.”
The rage in my voice was so strong that I didn’t even realize tears were falling—just from one eye—as I stared at the man who had destroyed my life.
“I’m paying for what I did,” he muttered.
“No... you haven’t paid anything yet. And I’ll make damn sure you remember every single day why you’re here.”
“I can’t take the beatings anymore. Please, stop this! I’m begging you!”
“We’re done talking for today.”
I stood up. My head was spinning, my chest tight.I needed air—fresh air—before I lost it completely.
CHAPTER 28
“The past shapes who we are today, and our future depends entirely on the choices we make.”
COLIN ADAMS
A week went by, and things between Isabelle and me were still unresolved. She barely looked at me, only spoke when necessary, and even then, it was strictly about work.
I couldn’t understand why, after all this time, she’d pushed so hard to ask about the tragedy in my family. But no—Iwasn’t about to open up about something I’d spent years trying to bury.
“Do you want some tea?”
“I’d love some.” I smiled.
Yeah… I was playing house with Hanna.Or whatever that’s supposed to be called. Basically, it meant sitting there doing absolutely nothing while pretending to drink tea and eat snacks with her dolls. It had been ages since I’d done this—back when I used to play with Maddison. Back then, it was either this or going to the park.
