My Daughter Got a 99, and My Husband Made Her Pay

My daughter only scored a 99 on a test, and my husband punished her for it all night. He made her stand for hours, and it triggered a heart attack. When she called him for help, he was busy tutoring his old flame’s son and hung up, telling her to “drop dead” if she was gonna be so dramatic. She died on the first day of her winter break.

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My daughter died on the first day of winter break. It was also her birthday.

I was out of town for work. The day before, I'd called her, promising I'd be back for her birthday.

On the phone, her voice was so soft, “Mom, I didn’t do so well on my test. Maybe we should skip my birthday.”

I was about to reassure her when I heard my husband, Mark, yelling. “Who are you trying to impress? What, are we all supposed to feel sorry for you? You’re gonna turn into a criminal with this kind of drama. How did I get stuck with such a loser?”

Then he hung up. I was furious, planning to have a serious talk with Mark about how he treated our daughter.

But that interrupted call was the last time I ever spoke to her. The next day, my calls went straight to voicemail.

Panicked, I rushed home, only to hear that my daughter, Lily, was left back at school. I begged them to help me search.

I flew back, only to be greeted with the news of her death.

The cause was a sudden heart attack.

Lily had a weak heart from birth. I’d been so careful all these years, and she had never had an attack. But now she was dead in a cold, damp storage room at school.

My whole body went numb. I lifted the sheet, saw her purple face. Her once-rosy cheeks were stained with dried tears, her expression full of pain. The medical examiner had closed her eyes, but my little girl didn’t die peacefully.

I collapsed, grabbing her cold hands, my heart breaking. The birthday gift I’d bought her was still in the trunk of my car. She’d never get to see it.

The school staff told me that Mark, her own father, was the one who forced Lily to stay after the parent-teacher conferences. Then he'd just vanished.

I was trembling as I kept calling Mark. He finally picked up after about a dozen tries.

“What is your problem, Sarah? Why are you calling me so much? Don’t you know Jake is studying?”

Jake was Lily's classmate, someone Mark always favored. I never understood it until I found out he was the son of Mark’s high school sweetheart, Beth.

I demanded an explanation, but Mark had a response. “Jake just transferred, and I’m his teacher, so yeah, I’m gonna keep an eye on him. Don't be so freaking judgmental, Sarah!”

Jake wasn't a great student. Mark tutored him every day, showering him with encouragement while he had nothing but criticism for Lily.

I tried to talk to him about it. He snapped, "I'm the teacher here. My daughter is a mess, I have to keep her in line. Otherwise, she'll grow up to be some useless piece of trash."

"Look at Jake, he's improving, but look at Lily. It's embarrassing."

And now, even now, he’s still talking about Jake!

I yelled, “Mar...