Thrown in the Oven, Burned by Regret

...

Carrie opened the door to see two police officers and my dad, Stefan Obrien, whom she hadn't seen in a while.

Stefan rushed up to her, demanding, "What were you saying in the parents' group? And the preschool says Ava hasn't shown up for days. What did you do to her?"

The sight of him reignited all her old and new grudges. She barked, "You have the nerve to call the police? You two heartless scumbags teaming up to humiliate me, huh?"

The lead officer cut her off, his expression serious. "Ms. Compton, we need to ask about your daughter's disappearance. When was the last time you saw her?"

Carrie stormed inside, yelling toward the kitchen, "Ava, are you done throwing your fit? Get out here now! Let your dad and everyone see what a joke I've become. Happy now?"

"Mom, I'm not hiding," I muttered desperately.

The officers exchanged looks and started searching the house. They checked every corner but found nothing. Finally, only the kitchen was left.

Carrie crossed her arms, her tone dripping with disgust. "I told you she's hiding in the kitchen. If she's got the guts, she can stay there forever."

A female officer was about to step into the kitchen when Cecily timidly tugged at her sleeve. "Ava might've gone to a friend's house to play. My mom has been so upset these days. Could you not stimulate her further?"

She subtly shifted to block the path, but the officer was insistent. "Little one, please step aside."

She moved Cecily out of the way and went straight into the kitchen. A moment later, a muffled scream came out. "Captain, there is something in the oven!"

Color drained from Carrie's face, but she yelled in denial, "No way! She made a total mess in there. She must've snuck out ages ago."

Her voice started trembling, her eyes darting around. "Or she would have long..."

The word "died" stuck in her throat. She refused to believe I was dead.

The officer studied her face. "We need to check every possible hiding spot."

The officers moved to handle the oven, and a spark of hope stirred in my dead, silent heart. "Finally, they're getting me out?"

Carrie suddenly rushed over and slammed the oven hard onto the floor. With a loud crash, its door popped open from the impact. The blackened, mangled mass mixed with murky body fluids splattered out from the jolt.

Carrie's face twisted into a victorious smirk. "I told you she wasn't in there. Otherwise, she'd have come out by now."

Even at this point, she stubbornly refused to accept the truth.

Just then, something round rolled slowly to her feet. Stefan and the officers looked down, all freezing in shock.