When my son was rushed to the ICU after being kidnapped, he was crying, begging to see Ethan one last time. But when I called Ethan, his ex-girlfriend, Chloe, was the one who answered his phone. "Ethan is busy right now. If there's anything, you can just tell me." I didn’t care what they were doing. I could only scream in panic, "Leo is dying! Put him on the phone!" Finally, Ethan’s voice came through the receiver. He snapped impatiently, "I'm just helping Chloe take her dog to the vet. Do you really have to curse our own son just to get my attention?" With that, he hung up. When I tried to call back, his phone was already turned off. That was the day my son died in the emergency room. "Mommy, they all say Daddy doesn't want me anymore. Is it true?" "Am I going to die?" "I want to see Daddy..." Looking at my son lying on the hospital bed, covered in blood, I panicked. He was completely fine when he left for school this morning. How could he have been kidnapped and beaten so badly in just half a day? I hadn't even received a ransom call from the kidnappers. Why did they hurt him like this? Choking back my tears, I squeezed his cold little hand. My voice trembled as I promised, "Hold on, sweetie. Mommy is going to find Daddy, okay?" Leaning against the hospital wall, I called Ethan three times before the call finally went through. But it wasn't him. It was Chloe. Her voice was disgustingly sweet. "Ethan is busy right now. You can talk to me." I had no energy to care about what they were doing, nor did I have the patience for her petty provocations. "My son is dying! Let Ethan talk!" Ethan's voice finally came through, filled with annoyance. "I'm just at the vet with Chloe. Do you really have to curse our son like this?" I could hear Chloe whining in the background, "Ethan, your wife wants you home. You should go. Don't worry about me." She even squeezed out a couple of fake sobs. "Chloe, I don't have time to play games with you! Let Ethan talk to me! Leo is really dying!" Ethan let out a cold sneer. His next words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. "Isn't he your son too? What, can't you even buy a grave yourself?" That was his own flesh and blood! After saying that heartless line, he hung up again. When I redialed, his phone was off. I collapsed against the corridor wall, staring at the bright red "In Operation" sign. Tears streamed down my face. My mind kept replaying my son’s hopeful, pleading eyes. I slapped myself hard across the face, forcing myself to calm down. Chloe’s dog was an expensive, pampered breed. She only ever took it to one high-end pet hospital. They had to be there! Dragging my weak body up, I rushed to the pet clinic as fast as I could. And there they were. Chloe was leaning into Ethan’s chest, tears in her eyes. Ethan was gently wiping her face with a tissue. They looked so loving, as if they were the married couple, and the patient undergoing surgery inside was their own child. I didn't care about their display. I ran straight toward them.
Hearing my hurried footsteps, Chloe immediately wrapped her arms tightly around Ethan's shoulders. "Ethan, are you going to leave me?" When Ethan looked up, all the warmth in his eyes vanished. He stared at me with pure disgust and coldness. "Are you seriously throwing a tantrum here? Aren't you embarrassed?" His tone was so harsh, as if I were some pathetic stalker desperate for his attention. I didn't want to play the role of the jealous wife. My mind was filled with my dying son. In a frenzy, I grabbed his arm. "Come with me, now! Leo was kidnapped this morning. He's in the hospital. The doctor said he might not make—" Before I could finish, a sharp slap echoed through the hallway. Ethan shoved me away, his face twisted with rage. "I drove Leo to school myself this morning! Can you stop lying about everything? You're disgusting, do you know that?" My brain went numb. I couldn't even feel the burning pain on my cheek. Chloe stepped in, placing herself between Ethan and me. "Clara, he's your son. How could you say such horrible things about him just to get Ethan home?" Her words only fueled Ethan's hatred toward me. He put his arm around Chloe’s shoulders and glared at me. "Stop embarrassing me. Get the hell home and act like a proper wife." Tears blurred my vision. Thinking of Leo lying in that pool of blood, I lost all my pride. I fell to my knees, grabbing Ethan’s hand, crying hysterically. "Ethan, I can lie about anything, but how could I lie about our son? I beg you, please come and see him one last time!" Seeing him stand there unmoved, I bowed my head to the floor. "If you come with me, I’ll agree to anything. Divorce, no alimony, nothing! I’ll sign whatever you want! Ethan, he is your son!" Maybe my sheer desperation finally shook him a little. Ethan’s expression softened for a split second. But just as hope flickered in my chest, Chloe extinguished it with a few soft words. "Clara, your acting is getting too realistic. If your son were really dying in the hospital, wouldn't the doctors have called Ethan directly?" "I know you hate me, and I don't want to ruin your marriage. Ethan is just staying with me for the dog's surgery. Is that really so hard for you to accept?" "Why do you have to be so selfish?" She picked up her purse, pretending she was about to leave. "Ethan, don't worry about me. Just go with her." "It's all my fault. I don't want to cause trouble between you two." What a manipulative bitch. She sighed and shook her head, making me look like a hysterical, pathological liar. The image of my son's pleading face flashed in my mind. I lost control and screamed at her, "Shut the hell up!" Hearing this, Chloe immediately burst into tears and hid in Ethan's chest. "She's yelling at me... Even you've never raised your voice at me." Ethan's face darkened instantly. "Have you had enough? Get the hell out of here before I lose my mind." Then, he kicked me. He kicked me away like I was a piece of trash. The physical pain in my chest was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. His voice was freezing. "Clara, I am done with you. We are getting a divorce the moment I get back." He walked away with Chloe. No matter how loudly I screamed and begged, he never looked back. Their figures disappeared around the corner. I collapsed on the floor, my heart feeling like it was being ripped out of my chest. Just then, my phone rang. It was the hospital. "Ms. Clara, you need to come back right now! Your son... he isn't going to make it. Come say your last goodbyes." I shook violently. I tried to stand, but my legs gave out, and I fell again. Somehow, I dragged myself back to the hospital. Leo was hooked up to countless tubes, his tiny body looking so fragile on the massive hospital bed. I was so useless. I couldn't even fulfill his very last wish. I wanted to apologize, but when I opened my mouth, no sound came out. Leo’s tiny fingers weakly curled around mine. "It's okay, Mommy..." "Don't... don't forget me..." "I know... Daddy doesn't love me... but having Mommy... is enough."
My son’s breathing slowed down, then stopped completely. I threw myself over his little body, crying until I couldn't breathe. Eventually, darkness took over, and I passed out. When I woke up, he was already lying in the cold morgue. I called Ethan again. As expected, his phone was still off. So, his own son couldn't even compare to his ex-girlfriend. Maybe it was for the best they didn't meet. He had barely cared about Leo all these years anyway. Ethan and I were college classmates. At first, we were like parallel lines. He was the rich, handsome campus heartthrob, while I was just an ordinary girl who faded into the background. But during our junior year, I was severely bullied. A group of girls cornered me in an alley, kicking and punching me. I was too terrified to even scream for help. That was when Ethan appeared. To me, he was the light that saved my life. I knew I wasn't good enough for him, but he pursued me relentlessly. Naturally, I fell hard. I loved him with everything I had and married him right after graduation. It was only when Chloe returned to the country that I realized why he had chosen me. I looked remarkably like Chloe. I was nothing but a placeholder. But back then, I was too foolish. I thought, *So what if I'm a substitute? We have a child and a family now. I can endure it.* But as time went on, everything crumbled. He was no longer the gentle Ethan I knew. He would stay out all night just because Chloe couldn't sleep. He would abandon our son at his parent-teacher conference because Chloe wanted to try a new restaurant. Nothing could stop him from running to Chloe. I could have endured it forever for the sake of our son. But now, my boy was gone. Tears soaked my collar once again. Staring at my son's pale, lifeless face, I forced myself to stand. I had to handle his funeral arrangements alone. I made one last call to Ethan. Still turned off. I had done everything I could. Whether he would regret it or not had nothing to do with me anymore. When I walked out of the crematorium, my son was reduced to a small, heavy box in my arms.
I took him to the cemetery I had chosen. But at the entrance, I ran straight into Ethan and Chloe. When Ethan saw me, a flash of guilt crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by anger. "I can't believe you're this petty. It's one thing to lie about our son's death, but to stalk me all the way here?" "Chloe's dog didn't survive the surgery. I'm here to help her bury it. Grow up, Clara." Ethan grabbed my arm roughly. "Stop throwing tantrums." "Go home. Stop ruining my day." I stood frozen, letting him drag my arm, my face completely expressionless. Chloe walked over, playing the saint again. She took Ethan's hand. "Ethan, let's just bury my dog first." She threw me a triumphant smirk, looking like a victorious peacock. In the past, I would have been furious. I would have argued and screamed. But now, I didn't even want to speak to him. Ignoring them, I turned and walked toward the cemetery. For the first time, I walked away from him without a single trace of hesitation. Ethan was stunned. He probably thought I was still playing games. He caught up in three long strides, his face red with anger. "I told you to go home! Did you not hear me?" Just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting the black cloth covering the urn. Ethan’s voice stopped abruptly. His pupils contracted as he stared at the box in my hands. "What is that?" When I didn't answer, he grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "I asked you, what is that!" I let out a cold laugh. "It's your own son. Can't you recognize him?" For some reason, saying those words gave me a sick sense of satisfaction. Ethan's eyes widened in horror. He took a massive step back, but his gaze remained glued to the urn. The only sound around us was the chirping of the birds. Chloe’s face turned pale behind him. After a long silence, Ethan seemed to snap out of it. He glared at me, refusing to believe it. "Stop lying to me! You've gone too far this time. I only stayed out for a few days, and you're pulling a sick stunt like this? You bought a fake urn?" "If you want to curse yourself with bad luck, leave me out of it!" He still thought I was lying. If he had cared even a little bit, if he had called the hospital or even his secretary, he would have known the truth. But he didn't. He lived in his own selfish world. I felt a dark anticipation for the moment he finally realized the truth. I shouldn't be the only one suffering the pain of losing a child.
I looked at him blankly. "Let's divorce, Ethan." Ethan gave me a bizarre look. "You're insane." "I'm going to call Leo right now and let him know how his mother is using him to lie to me." "Let's see if he still wants you as his mother after this." To prove his point, Ethan pulled out his phone and dialed the number to Leo's smartwatch. His fingers were shaking. I knew there would only be silence on the other end. No one was going to answer and call him "Daddy" ever again. The sweet little boy who used to jump into his arms was now a pile of ashes in my hands. As the call kept ringing with no answer, panic finally crept onto Ethan's face. He looked up at me, then at the box. He muttered, "No... that's impossible. How could my son be dead?" Ethan lunged forward to grab the urn. I held onto it tightly, refusing to let him touch it. In the struggle, the urn slipped. *Smash.* The box hit the concrete floor and shattered. The gray-white ashes spilled out across the ground. My mind went entirely blank. Instinctively, I dropped to my knees, desperately trying to scoop the ashes back up. But God was cruel. A gust of wind swept through the courtyard. The ashes scattered into the air, flying away. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I screamed on the ground, "No! No! Please, no!" The ashes slipped through my fingers. I watched them disappear into the wind, just like how my son had died in my arms. I looked up at Ethan, who was standing there, paralyzed. Our eyes met. His face was ghostly pale, his voice trembling. "You're lying to me... where is Leo?" Even now, he was in denial. He was the accomplice who killed our son, and now, he wouldn't even let him rest in peace. A raging fire consumed my chest. I lost all sanity. I wanted to kill this monster. I grabbed Ethan's collar, raised my hand, and slapped him across the face over and over again. Ethan was too dazed to even fight back. "He's right here, Ethan! Are you blind? Can't you see him?" I kicked him hard in the chest. "You scattered your own son's ashes!" I screamed until my throat bled. Ethan finally seemed to realize what he had done. His body stiffened, and he began to shake violently.
"No... no... I don't believe you. You're still tricking me." Looking at his pathetic, terrified face, my anger boiled over. "Call the nanny! Call his school! Call your secretary! Anyone can give you the answer!" I had never yelled at him like this before. He was so terrified that he couldn't even hold his phone. He fumbled with it until Chloe finally helped him dial the number to Leo's teacher. Ethan opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It took several prompts from the other end before he could squeak, "Hi, this is Leo's father. Did Leo make it to school today?" The teacher went silent for a moment. Then, her voice came through, heavy with grief. "Mr. Ethan... please accept my deepest condolences." "No! That's not true!" Ethan shook his head violently, refusing to accept it. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Ethan. Please stay strong." The confirmation drained all the color from his face. The phone slipped from his hand, shattering on the ground. Ethan looked down at the scattered ashes on the floor, his voice cracking. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't even get to see him one last time!" Even at this moment, he was blaming me. He was still deflecting. My eyes pierced through him. "Stop acting, Ethan. To you, Chloe is a hundred times more important than your own son." "I might be an outsider, but Leo was your own flesh and blood!" Ethan was the one who killed him. If he had just come to the hospital, or even picked up a FaceTime call, Leo wouldn't have died thinking his father hated him. Ethan bent over, falling to his knees in agony. Who was this performance for? I grabbed him by the throat, forcing him to look into my eyes. I whispered every word like poison. "When your son needed you most, you were with Chloe and her dog."
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