Cold Spring Ghosts

Chapter 5 The Broken Pendant

I looked up at Mommy on the bed, then dropped to the floor in a panic to pick up the pieces.

Daddy didn't care. He just watched me, disgusted.

"Clean up your daughter. After the wedding, I'll have you removed from here."

With that, he walked out without looking back.

A cold draft came through and blew away whatever was left of Daddy in the foyer.

My little fingers picked and picked at the floor until I finally gathered all the broken pieces.

I tried to fit them back together, but they wouldn't go.

I saw my hand shaking. I heard my own voice, cracking. "When Mommy wakes up and sees the pendant like this, she'll be so sad."

Pendant, oh pendant, can you put yourself back together?

I didn't want Mommy to be sad. She really loved you.

I remembered — once, Mommy was really mad at Daddy. She threw a lot of things. But the pendant on her chest, she protected it with her hand.

That day, Mommy took me home from Spence preschool, and we caught Daddy in bed with another woman, half-dressed.

Mommy covered my eyes right away.

I couldn't see what Daddy and that woman were doing, but I could feel Mommy shaking. The hand over my eyes was as cold as it is now.

I didn't understand. Why was there another woman in Mommy and Daddy's bed?

After that, the woman left.

Mommy put me in the foyer with the TV on, and went to the bedroom to fight with Daddy.

I don't know what they said.

I just know Mommy was shaking all over. "Edward, as long as I'm alive, you're not seeing anyone else. Unless I die."

That time, they fought bad.

And from that day on, Daddy never came home again.

Mommy wanted to leave. But I was her chain.

"Emma, Mommy can't bear to leave you." Mommy would hold me and kiss my forehead, over and over.

Once I secretly called Daddy. He was rare and gentle with me. "Has your mommy cooled down?"

I didn't know what to say. I just wanted to teach Daddy a lesson on Mommy's behalf.

"Daddy, you promised Mommy you'd only love her forever. You can't break your word."

And love Emma too, I added in my head.

The three of us, all together, always.

Daddy was annoyed. He snapped at me over the phone. "Kids don't understand adult things. Go find your mother."

I was mad too. I yelled back. "Don't be with that bad woman! The kids at preschool only have one mommy!"

"If you give Emma a new mommy, my mommy will be taken away by a bad man, and Emma will go with her."

"Then you'll never see us again!"

My yelling didn't make Daddy care.

He yelled back. "The hell you are! You little brat, talking nonsense. You want me to smack you?"

And that was the day.

Daddy picked me up from preschool, brought me home, and never let me go back.

He put bodyguards at the estate gates. Mommy and I weren't allowed out.

The world outside was so big, but all I could see was the patch of sky over the estate.