The Mighty CEO Knelt Outside My Door After I Asked for a Divorce

"Time's about up. Still nothing from the kid's dad?"

The funeral staff in a black uniform asked quietly, their voice nearly drowned out by the low, mournful music.

Stella Hart lifted her swollen, red eyes and stared at the tiny, pale body surrounded by flowers. Sophie looked so cold and still.

Her phone screen showed nothing new-calls still going straight to voicemail.

Like a robot, Stella took a few slow steps forward, gently brushing her daughter's cheek with trembling fingers.

"Sophie, let's not wait for him anymore, okay?"

Even the staff, used to dealing with death, looked uncomfortable.

"If her father doesn't get a chance to say goodbye, he might regret it for the rest of his life. Are you sure we shouldn't wait just a little longer?"

"Regret?"

Stella suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

"While my daughter lay on that table, waiting for his bone marrow to save her, he was off playing happy family-with his mistress and her daughter at some amusement park. Do you really think a man like that has any regrets?"

A tear slipped and landed on Sophie's already stiffened face.

Panicked, Stella wiped it off right away.

Her precious girl had suffered too much in this life-she wouldn't let her take tears into the next one.

"Start it. We're not waiting anymore."

...

Stella picked the most beautiful Elsa-themed urn she could find, carefully painting little floral designs onto it herself.

Sophie was scared of the dark, so instead of the somber black cloth from the funeral home, Stella wrapped the urn up in her own coat.

The early winter wind cut like knives, but she didn't feel a thing. Numbly, she flagged down a taxi and gave the driver her address.

The car pulled away from the quiet outskirts and merged into the bustle of downtown. Glitzy displays flashed outside the windows, but all she felt was emptiness.

Her parents were gone. Her daughter too. There was nothing left in this world for her.

A burst of fireworks lit up the windshield, so bright it stung her eyes.

She flinched, turning away-only to catch sight of the massive LED screens lining the street, all showing the same birthday video.

A Disney-style palace glittered on-screen. Olivia Smith, done up in a white princess gown and diamond tiara, rode up in a pumpkin carriage. Charles Hart, the all-powerful CEO, actually bent down to help her off like it was some real fairytale.

He took her hand and walked to where Isabelle Smith waited, grinning. Together they lit ten tiers of a custom cake, and when Olivia made her wish, she kissed both their cheeks with a happy giggle.

The picture-perfect "family of three" practically oozed sweetness off the screen.

"Boom!"

Another round of fireworks exploded in the sky.

The driver let out a sigh. "Man, what a life. Being Mr. Hart's daughter must be a dream come true."

Stella's eyes burned red as she clutched Sophie's urn tighter, a sharp pain stabbing through her