My son’s girlfriend said their dog was in a bad mood. So my son canceled his trip home to see me. “Mom, I’m not coming back for the sixth either. If Snowball gets depressed, that’s serious.” I listened to the cheerful barking on the other end of the line. He had probably forgotten — this was the third year in a row he hadn’t come to see me. Including Chinese New Year. He had also forgotten that my doctor had just handed me a terminal cancer diagnosis. “Mom, why aren’t you saying anything? Never mind, I’m hanging up. I still need to take Snowball out to cheer her up.” In the dead silence after the call ended, I pulled the IV tube out of my arm. — **1** The nurse came rushing in, panicked, trying to put the needle back in. “Ms. Shen! You can’t do this! Your condition—” I pushed her hand away, my face cold. “Discharge me. Now.” The cancer had spread through my body. Every movement sent sharp pain shooting through me, but I stood up straight. I dialed my lawyer’s number. My voice was completely steady. “Have a car ready. Take me back to the estate.” The car moved smoothly along the road. Then Hayden’s call came through. I picked up. Through the speaker came the sound of Crystal putting on her baby voice. “Snowball, sweetie, just one bite — this is wagyu beef, flown in specially for you.” Then came Hayden’s impatient voice. “Mom, what is wrong with you? It’s the holidays and you’re deliberately making my life difficult? Ever since you got sick, Snowball’s been depressed because of you.” “Transfer fifty thousand dollars right now. I need to take Snowball to a pet therapist. If we wait any longer it’s going to get worse.” I said nothing. My stomach clenched in waves. This time last year, I had just finished a round of chemo. I had a fever that wouldn’t break. I had nearly lost half my life. And my wonderful son had been out skiing in Hokkaido with Crystal, posting a grid of smiling vacation photos on Instagram. He had sent me a two-hundred-dollar Venmo with the message: *Happy New Year, Mom. Stay warm, drink plenty of water.* I cut off the memory. I didn’t open my banking app the way I normally would have. I simply asked, calmly, “Hayden, do you know what today is?” There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then came an enraged outburst. “There you go again with the guilt trip! Is this fun for you? Let me tell you something — you better stay alive a good long time, because if you die, all that money is useless to you!” The call slammed dead. I looked out the window at the business empire I had built with my own hands. I thought of all those years, drinking at client dinners until my stomach bled just to close a deal. The only love that had kept me fighting — my love for my son — dissolved completely in that moment. I returned to the cold, empty estate. The living room was stacked with New Year gifts I had prepared for Hayden: the latest gaming console, limited-edition sneakers. Every one of them felt like it was mocking me. My chest tightened. The pain took my breath away. “Mr. Zhao.” I spoke. My voice came out rough. “Ms. Shen, shall we finalize the will now?” “No.” I shook my head. “Draft the first document. Notify all banks to freeze every supplementary credit card under Hayden’s name. Effective immediately.” The moment the words left my mouth, my phone began buzzing nonstop. A flood of voice messages from Hayden came through. *”Mom, have you lost it? Why won’t my card work?!”* *”Crystal and I are out right now! Do you know how embarrassing this is?!”* *”Are you insane?!”* I turned off my phone, walked to the study, and picked up the framed photo of my late husband. I traced his gentle smile with my fingertips and said quietly, “Gerald, it’s time to clean house.” I turned to my lawyer. “Put out word that my condition has improved, and that I plan to name a successor for the company this holiday season.” It was bait. I wanted to see with my own eyes exactly what kind of creature I had raised. Less than thirty minutes after the news broke, Hayden messaged me on Snapchat. A complete one-eighty. *”Mom, are you feeling better? Crystal and I are getting in the car right now! Please take care of yourself!”* *”Mom, what do you want to eat? I’ll bring it back for you.”* *”Mom, I know I’ve been a bad son. Don’t hold it against me.”* Reading those copy-pasted pleasantries, my stomach turned. Mr. Zhao and I sat in the living room. I was wrapped in a heavy blanket, sunk into my wheelchair, waiting quietly. Late that night, the door was thrown open. Crystal came in first, carrying Snowball. The moment she crossed the threshold, she started fanning the air in front of her face dramatically. “God, what is that smell? It reeks of old people and medicine in here.” Snowball leapt out of her arms and tore across the expensive rug, claws raking across the leather sofa. Hayden came in behind her. Not only did he not stop the dog, he laughed. “Mom, look — Snowball’s just bringing some energy into the place.” From the moment he walked in, he hadn’t once looked directly at my face — a face that had wasted away almost beyond recognition. Hayden dropped onto the sofa across from me and got straight to the point. “Mom, Mr. Zhao said the succession process has started. Has it actually been filed?” I gave a vague smile. “That depends on how you behave.” Hayden immediately slipped into a fawning expression and reached for the kettle on the coffee table. “Mom, you must be thirsty. Let me pour you some water.” He handed me a cup of scalding water. My body was weak, my hands were shaking. I couldn’t hold it. The cup hit the floor. The boiling water splashed across my hand — and a few drops landed on Snowball’s fur nearby. “Ah!” Crystal let out a piercing scream. Not for me. For her dog. She lunged forward, pulled out tissues, and dabbed frantically at the few drops of water on Snowball’s coat. “My baby! Are you burned? Does it hurt?” She didn’t look at me once. Even as my hand began to swell and redden. — **2** I stared down at my burned hand, and suddenly thought of the time Hayden had a high fever as a little boy. I had held him all night, wiping down his body with rubbing alcohol, not sleeping for a single moment. Crystal finished comforting her dog and turned to me with a performance of concern. “Aunt Helen, honestly, with your health being what it is, maybe you should consider a care facility. They have professionals there. It would be better for you.” She paused, then added pointedly, “And it would be a shame to leave this estate sitting empty. I think it would make a lovely place for a wedding.” Hayden jumped in right on cue. “Exactly, Mom! The energy here is great, it’s perfect for us young people. You’d be much better off at a nice facility, and we’d feel so much more at peace.” I nodded. “Alright. I’ll think about it.” Right in front of them, I pulled out my phone and texted Mr. Zhao. *Inventory all antiques and artwork in the estate. Prepare for transfer.* At dinner, the table was full of Hayden’s favorites — braised pork ribs, sweet-and-sour fish. The chemo had destroyed my appetite. All I could manage was a bowl of plain congee. Between bites, Hayden complained, “Mom, VP Reynolds at the company is getting completely out of line with me. You need to hand over full authority soon.” The next morning, I was woken by the clattering and banging from downstairs. I pushed myself out of bed and made my way to the top of the staircase. Below, Crystal was standing with her hands on her hips, directing a team of movers to rearrange the furniture. She was pointing at my most treasured piece — the rosewood bookcase. The one my husband had loved most. “This thing — it’s old, it’s ugly, throw it out. Just looking at it brings bad luck.” “Stop.” My voice came out sharp. “Don’t touch that.” Crystal looked up at me. Not a trace of guilt on her face. She smiled, sarcastic and sweet. “Oh, Aunt Helen, you’re up! I figured out with the old, in with the new — I’m refreshing the place a little, for good luck.” “And this space would be perfect for a luxury play area for our Snowball.” Hayden stood to the side and didn’t say a word against it. In fact, he played along. “Mom, that bookcase is so dark, it gives off bad energy. It’s affecting our luck.” I was shaking with fury. I gripped the banister and made my way down the stairs, one step at a time. I spread my arms wide and stood in front of the bookcase. Snowball suddenly charged at me, barking furiously, snapping at the hem of my trousers. Crystal stood off to the side with her arms crossed, watching, amused. “Look how smart Snowball is — she knows quality when she sees it. She’s just not a fan of these old things.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I swatted at the dog hard. “Get away from me!” Snowball startled, yelped, and scrambled backward — straight into the display cabinet behind her. *Crash—* The sound of something shattering cut through the entire room. The blue-and-white porcelain urn that had been sitting on the top shelf of the cabinet tumbled to the floor and broke into pieces. It had contained my husband’s ashes. The only urn. A roar went through my head. My body went rigid. Hayden’s first reaction was to point his finger in my face and scream at me. “What is wrong with you! Why did you have to yell that loud? If something happened to Snowball, you’re paying for it!” He was worried about the dog. Not his father’s ashes. Crystal rushed over too, scooping up the dog, checking her over from head to toe for scratches. She kept muttering under her breath, “God, this is so morbid, dead people’s things should’ve been thrown out a long time ago, keeping them in the house is terrible luck.” My legs gave out beneath me. I sank to the floor. My hands shaking, I reached out to gather the broken pieces. A shard sliced into my finger. Blood fell, drop by drop, onto the pale gray dust. Hayden looked at me on the floor and grew even more impatient. He grabbed my arm roughly. “Alright, enough of the pity show! Get up and sign the will, don’t make us late for Snowball’s grooming appointment!” I wrenched my arm away from him. I raised my head. Whatever emotion had been in my eyes was gone. Only ice remained. I pulled myself up off the floor. Hayden took a step back. Something in my gaze had shaken him. But the thought of the money steadied his nerve. He reached for the coffee table, picked up a document he had obviously prepared in advance, and slammed it down. His voice was thick with greed and urgency. “This is an unconditional power of attorney over the company’s shares. For the sake of stability, you need to sign this right now.” Crystal hugged Snowball and chimed in from behind him. “That’s right, Aunt Helen. You’re not thinking clearly anymore. Hayden is the only one who can protect this family’s legacy.” I looked at the document — it was practically a mugging dressed up in legal language — and the corner of my mouth moved slightly.
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