---- Chapter 9 Behind them, my mom let out a twisted laugh. She had been watching Pauline's demeanor with a kind of grim satisfaction. She spoke softly, barely above a whisper, " Chandler, did you see the little one Mariah carried? "The other coffin... that was for her. "There was even a set of clothes in there," she paused, a mocking tone creeping into her words. " Oh, wait. The clothes were ruined when you threw the dirty napkin at them. So they were tossed out. "your daughter died with nothing to wear." Chandler stood frozen, his gaze fixed ahead. "Chandler..." Pauline's voice trembled with fear as she spoke cautiously, "Don't ignore me. Say something... ---- "you know how much effort we poured into getting that drug to the clinical trial stage," she continued, her voice turning steely, her gaze hardening. "When I noticed an unusual reaction in Mariah, I worried that we'd have even bigger problems when the drug went public. So I thought we should continue with the trials." She took a slow breath, her eyes growing colder as she added, "Her sacrifice could mean life for countless others. It's something worth praising. "After all, she already had cancer. Her time was limited." Chandler looked up sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief and bitter disappointment as they settled on her. He gazed at her brokenly. "How could you say that?" he asked. ---- Pauline clung to his arm, her eyes widening in panic, "Chandler... Are you blaming me for this? "Pm just stating the truth! She wasn't going to live much longer anyway!" Pauline protested, her voice rising defensively. Chandler pulled his arm free from her grip. "But the only reason she joined the clinical trial in the first place was because the drug was supposed to be the only treatment left that could have saved her." He shook his head slowly, his voice trailing off. "I never wanted her to die." Hovering in the space around them, I couldn't hold back any longer. A bitter, mocking laugh broke out of me. How dare you, Chandler? You say you never wanted me dead yet every action you took, every word you spoke, made me suffer more than death