My son’s bone marrow transplant failed. He had only three months left. His only wish was for our family to see the ocean on his birthday. I immediately called my wife, Seraphina, but her secretary answered. A cruel voice, pretending to be Seraphina’s, sneered through the phone: “Your mother already thinks you’re worthless. It’d be better if you just died. Don’t worry, the child in her belly will enjoy all the motherly love in your place.” Leo’s condition worsened instantly from the shock. That very night, a critical condition notice was issued. I frantically called Seraphina, but no one picked up. She only came home after Leo’s burial. “My new secretary, Brandon, is young and foolish. Please, Daniel, talk to our son. Tell him not to take it to heart.” “In my heart, no one can ever shake your place. It’s just… I’m pregnant, so you have to understand.” “If I have a daughter, she’ll inherit my company, but don’t worry, I would never treat our son badly.” I listened to her unyielding tone and merely nodded. She didn’t know I’d already agreed to the company’s overseas assignment. As soon as Leo’s funeral was over, I was leaving for Europe. If she and Brandon were so in love, I would simply grant their wish.
Seraphina finished speaking, and seeing my lack of refusal, she paused, surprised. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be so agreeable. After all, any mention of Brandon used to send me into a hysterical rage, leading to massive arguments with her. Seeing that I wasn’t pretending, she walked over and rubbed my shoulder. “Husband, you’re so good, so understanding. I promise I’ll never let Brandon surpass you.” “It’s just, Brandon is quiet and introverted, he needs a lot of looking after. So, I’ll be dedicating my time to him, but *you*, Daniel, you’ll always be my husband.” I forced a smile. Did she think I cherished this “husband” title she so graciously offered? After Brandon came back from overseas, we had countless fights, and whatever affection we once shared had completely vanished amidst the shouting. I’d endured it all, hoping to maintain a façade of a happy family for our son. I thought this would give Leo some happiness in his final days. But before he died, his eyes were filled with sorrow, and he clutched my hand tightly. “Dad, Mom doesn’t love us anymore, does she? Leo wants you to be happy. Please, separate from Mom.” Remembering Leo’s dying words, my eyes welled up. “Seraphina, our son is dead. Do you know that?” Seraphina froze instantly. She quickly glanced around. Normally, every time she came home, Leo would happily run out to greet her. This time, there was no sign of him. But after a moment of panic, she suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh. “Daniel, I thought you were mature enough to stop playing these pathetic little games. Leo’s at the hospital, isn’t he? We’ve been married for six years, the novelty wore off. Isn’t it normal for me to find something to amuse myself? If you want me to spend time with you, just say so, and I’ll agree. But don’t curse our son!” “You know perfectly well he’s my son too! I carried him for nine months!” With that, she angrily flung her hand away and stormed off. Watching her retreating figure, I twisted my lips into a self-deprecating smile. “Seraphina, you’re free.” Five years ago, Seraphina and I were the envy of everyone, a model couple. Our careers were just starting, we lived in a rundown rented apartment that often lost power at night. She would call me, crying, in the dead of night when the electricity went out. I would drop everything at work, no matter how busy, and rush back to her. Our proposal was incredibly simple, just a ring made from a pull-tab. And that cheap ring, I’ve kept it carefully to this day. She had said: “I’ll be good to you for a lifetime.” Later, she gave birth to Leo, but he was diagnosed with congenital leukemia. Our world collapsed. While she was in post-natal recovery, I put all my work aside, repeatedly rushed to the hospital, and asked doctors countless times what we could do to save our child. We poured all the little money we’d made from starting our business into Leo’s treatment. Thankfully, our efforts weren’t in vain, and we finally saw Leo grow up healthy. Our family of three had always been close, until Brandon returned from overseas, and Seraphina’s time at home gradually diminished. And Brandon, secretly, always mocked me. “If it weren’t for that ailing child, Ms. Montgomery would have left you ages ago.” “If you ask me, you should cut your losses while she still has *some* affection for you. File for divorce yourself. Who knows, you might even manage to squeeze some money out of her because of your son’s condition. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing everything – both your marriage and your wealth.” But Leo’s leukemia was due to a hereditary condition in Seraphina’s family. While Leo was alive, I fought for a complete marriage, for my child’s mother, desperately maintaining the illusion of our family’s happiness. But after Leo’s death, neither a wife nor a marriage mattered anymore. If Brandon wanted it, he could have it. In the days immediately following the devastating loss of my son, I chose to work overtime at the office, numbing myself with work. However, as I worked late into the night, an unwelcome guest arrived in my office. Seraphina found me, looking utterly haggard, and immediately launched into a barrage of questions. “Why are you still working late? You never used to stay out all night! Look how many times I’ve called you! Don’t you know I have an emergency?” I checked my phone. Sure enough, there were over twenty missed calls. But my phone is always on silent when I’m working. Putting my phone down, I continued typing on the keyboard, expressionless: “We’re both adults. Do I really need to report to you whether I come home or not? I have a lot of work. As a senior leader, isn’t it normal for me to stay and work late?” Seraphina opened her mouth, then realized she had no counter-argument. She impatiently ran a hand through her hair: “I went for a check-up, and the doctor said the baby isn’t getting enough nutrition; I might have a premature birth. Doesn’t your company have a partnership with a top-tier birthing center? Can you get me an internal slot? That way, after the baby is born, it’ll get the best possible care.” My fingers froze on the keyboard. So, her twenty urgent calls late at night, her anxious face rushing to the company, were just to pre-book a spot at a luxury post-natal care facility. I wanted to throw the keyboard at her face. I wanted to ask if, while she was eagerly anticipating the birth of this new child, she had given even a single thought to our son who had just died. But I opened my mouth, then closed it, dismissing the thought. She didn’t believe Leo was dead. She only thought I was trying to use our son to keep her. What was the point in saying more? I simply told her there were no internal slots. On the way home, Seraphina’s face was grim. She frowned, chatting on her phone, seemingly with Brandon. Sure enough, as soon as we arrived home, Brandon came out to greet us. “Ms. Montgomery, Daniel, you’re back.” He put a faux-sympathetic arm around my shoulder: “Daniel, no offense, but we’re both fathers. I don’t want the baby in Ms. Montgomery’s belly to suffer even a little, which is why I want her to go to the most exclusive birthing center for her recovery.” “Ms. Montgomery told me you even claimed Leo was gone a few days ago, just to keep her. Daniel, isn’t that a bit much? Leo’s health is already delicate; words like that can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’re his father; you should be kind to your son.” I violently shook off his hand and walked into the house, expressionless. Brandon saw I was ignoring him, clenched his teeth, and bent his knees as if to drop to the floor. “If Daniel has an issue with me, I can get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness. But as a fellow father, I hope you can understand me.” “Your son was born with leukemia. Do you really want my son to be born inherently weak too?” He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, as if he truly were a doting father worried sick about his child. Seeing this, Seraphina immediately stepped forward to support him, then coldly reprimanded me. “Daniel, Brandon is humbling himself like this for the sake of our child, what more do you want? You’re a father too, wouldn’t it be good to help us? Why are you being so heartless?” In the past, their intimacy would have stung my eyes. But now, they just looked like a pair of ridiculous clowns. “Did you two graduate from a drama school? I haven’t said a single word, and you’re still putting on this act.” “Moreover, Brandon knew Leo’s body was weak and couldn’t handle stress, yet he mocked him as worthless on his birthday. And you still expect me to get you an internal slot? In your next life, maybe.” Seraphina’s face darkened slightly, as if she suddenly remembered that she hadn’t visited Leo since his birthday. She looked at me, a hint of guilt in her eyes. “What Brandon said last time was wrong. I’ve already chewed him out for it. Leo is absolutely not worthless; he’s my child. I’ve been negligent lately. I’ll go to the hospital to see Leo later and bring him a birthday cake to make up for his missed birthday.” Make up for it? Leo’s birthday was his death day. How could she make it up? I fought back the redness in my eyes, my heart aching as if it were tearing apart. “No need. Leo… he’ll never eat your cake again.” Seraphina thought I was just throwing a tantrum and spoke impatiently. “I told you, what happened that day wasn’t intentional. You always dwell on things. Now you’ve taught our son to be as childish as you.” I looked up at her, speaking each word distinctly: “Our son is gone. I’ve already told you, haven’t I? He’ll never eat your strawberry cake again.”
“Daniel!” Seraphina’s voice rose. Looking at my desperate expression, an inexplicable panic stirred within her. She could only raise her voice to mask the fear in her heart. “You’re truly insane, cursing your own son like that! He has leukemia; we can’t say such things in our family. Why can’t you wish him well?” Yes, why? For the sake of another man, she could go half a month without seeing her critically ill son. Brandon chimed in from the side. “Daniel, I admit I misspoke on the phone that day. Please, don’t keep acting out. I apologize to you. Ms. Montgomery has always been very worried about Leo, so please don’t upset her.” Seeing Brandon’s hypocritical, pretentious face, something inside me snapped. I raised my hand and slapped him clean across the face. “Shut your mouth. You’re the last person on earth who deserves to mention my son. Get out of here right now, or I’m calling the police.” Brandon stumbled to the ground from the slap. His words were directed at me, but his face was turned towards Seraphina. “If hitting me makes Daniel feel better, then go ahead and hit me.” I glared at him, about to say something, when Seraphina shoved me away. “Daniel, he’s the father of the child in my belly, do you understand? Do you believe I’ll call the police and say you assaulted me? Assaulting a pregnant woman sends you to jail!” “I know,” I said, my arms crossed, fearless. “Then call the police.” Leo’s funeral wasn’t even over. I didn’t want to curse the mother my son loved most. Seraphina was furious. She dialed the police right in front of me, accusing me of maliciously assaulting a pregnant woman. She looked at me: “I’m giving you one last chance. Apologize to Brandon, and we’ll drop this. Otherwise, if you go to jail, you have no family in this city besides me. Only I can bail you out. In the end, you’ll still have to beg me.” Looking at her accusing me, I suddenly laughed. “Do whatever you want. Make me apologize? Only over my dead body.” She was beyond furious. “You’re utterly unreasonable! Then rot in that police station!” And Brandon, behind Seraphina, flashed a provocative smile. As a man, I understood the meaning behind that smile all too well. It was saying: See? You’ll never be better than me. Seraphina watched as the police took me away. She said she wanted to grind down my stubbornness, waiting for me to apologize. My boss heard about the incident and bailed me out. Heartbroken by my ordeal, he decided to send me overseas ahead of schedule. I had no objections. A marriage reduced to this point had long lost any affection. During the few days Daniel was held at the police station, Seraphina felt a persistent unease. Every hour, she checked her phone several times. She just needed Daniel to admit he was wrong, and she would immediately get him out. Brandon, beside her, said, “Ms. Montgomery, how about we go shopping now? I really want that Armani suit you promised to buy me.” Seraphina irritably rubbed her brow: “Fine.” She really wanted to go get Daniel out, but she didn’t know how to face his stubborn expression. So, she settled for accompanying Brandon shopping. As they passed a bakery, Seraphina immediately spotted a strawberry cake. A brilliant idea suddenly struck her. “You can take a cab back by yourself later. I’m going to the hospital to see my son.” With that, she ignored Brandon’s exasperated look behind her and sped off to the hospital with the strawberry cake. First, she’d appease Leo, then take him to pick up Daniel. They would surely be touched, and all the unpleasantness would be forgotten. After all, that’s how Seraphina had always handled things. No matter how angry Daniel got, as long as he saw her and Leo getting along, he would eventually cheer up. Seraphina thought, this time would be no different. Arriving at the familiar hospital room, Seraphina pulled back the curtain, holding the cake high. “Mommy’s little darling, guess what I brought?” But the bed was empty; there was no sign of her son. The bed was neatly made, as if no one had ever stayed there. A sudden panic gripped her heart. Daniel’s words echoed in her mind: “Leo will never eat your cake again, because he’s gone.” Seraphina grabbed a passing nurse and asked, “The little boy in bed 17, Leo, did he change rooms? I’m his mother, I…” The nurse interrupted her, confused: “That little boy was cremated seven days ago. You, his mother, didn’t know?”
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