Dad Still Waiting for My Dead Mom to Apologize

Taking his coworker Chloe's advice, my dad instituted a "Saturday Blackout"—every Saturday, he's not a husband or a father, and my mom's number is set to auto-reject. For years, Mom obeyed. Until one Saturday night, she collapsed in agony. Ten calls from her phone were rejected. When I finally reached him, he told me to quit the performance. Mom died that night. Yet my dad still texts her to stop "playing dead"—while moving Chloe into our home.