Tommy, my stepson, was being held hostage by drug dealers. They demanded to negotiate only with my wife. Meanwhile, she was at an amusement park with Daniel, her crush who had just returned from abroad, and his daughter. She accused me of putting on an act. “Chuck, I finally got a day off after cracking a big case. I’m at the amusement park with Daniel and Lila. Can you stop this act? Using our son to threaten me? Are you even a man?”Kara hung up before I could explain. When I called again, her phone was switched off. That day, my stepson was held by a drug dealer who jumped off a building with him. Tommy died on the spot. … “Chuck, the situation is critical. Contact Captain Thompson immediately! The drug dealer is unstable and could harm the hostage at any moment!” Officer Mike shouted desperately from the doorway, his gun aimed at the drug dealer. “Ask the captain where she is. If she doesn’t come to negotiate soon, it’ll be too late!” Panicking, I quickly dialed my wifeKara’s number. Fortunately, she picked up this time. “Chuck, aren’t you tired of this? I finally get a day off, and you won’t stop bothering me?” I hurriedly explained, “Tommy’s been taken hostage. They say they’ll only negotiate with you…” Before I could finish, the line went dead. I tried calling again, but her phone was off. My eyes turned bloodshot as I frantically dialed her number over and over. Off. Still off. Tommy is my wife’s biological son and my stepson. In the years since our marriage, I’ve always treated Tommy as my own. I couldn’t bear to see his life threatened. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. The pain forced me to stay calm. My wife had mentioned that Daniel, her crush, lived in M District, and there was an amusement park nearby. When I arrived, I found my wife and Daniel playing with his daughter. They sat side by side, with Daniel’s daughter on their laps, looking like a happy family of three. The situation was dire, so I had no time to dwell on it. I rushed over in a few quick strides. Emma’s face darkened when she saw me approach. “Chuck, are you stalking me?” “Don’t you know what I do for a living?” She scolded me harshly, her eyes full of disgust. It was as if I shouldn’t have appeared here, interrupting their family time. “Our son is being held hostage by drug dealers. Come with me quickly. The dealers specifically asked to negotiate with you. Otherwise, our son will die!” She blocked my hand and looked at me with contempt and impatience. “I dropped our son off at kindergarten half an hour ago. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” Emma didn’t believe me at all and thought I was making a fool of myself. Daniel smiled and stood betweenKara and me, chuckling lightly: “Emma, it’s okay. It’s normal that Chuck doesn’t want you to accompany my daughter. After all, we’re just outsiders.” “You should go back. I’ll comfort Lila later.” Emma frowned, glaring at me coldly. “There’s no need. I’m here for Lila. Even if she’s not my daughter, what’s wrong with using my day off to provide psychological counseling for a child I saved?” She glanced at me and continued: “Chuck, you’re beyond help. How dare you use our son’s life as a prop for your act. Get out of here right now!” I didn’t care how my wife saw me. I just wanted to save our son. “Every word I’ve said is true. Our son was taken hostage right after you left. He’s on the rooftop now, in a standoff with your colleagues! If you don’t believe me, call Officer Mike and you’ll know!” Thinking of our son crying out, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. I just wanted to dragKara to the scene. Daniel frowned and pretended to persuade me: “Chuck, I’ve been there. It’s normal for couples to have conflicts, but it’s going too far to joke about a child’s life. Even if Tommy isn’t your biological son, there’s no need for this, right?” “Listen to me, talk it out withKara properly. Any conflict can be resolved through communication, rightKara?” As he spoke, he took my wife’s hand and patted it gently. Seeing this, I almost exploded with anger and finally couldn’t hold back: “Let go of her, you bastard! Say that again if you dare!” Daniel retreated a step, hiding behind my wife. “I’m just telling the truth. There’s no need to react like this, is there? Look, being selfish is one thing, but there should be limits. What if something really happens to Tommy?” Emma’s face darkened, and she slapped me hard. “What are you trying to do? Are you jealous of Daniel and have to drag our child into this? Is there no end to this? Have you lost all sense of decency?” My voice was hoarse as I clenched my fists without retaliating. “Emma Thompson, think carefully. Tommy is your flesh and blood. He’s in the hands of drug dealers right now, his life hanging by a thread. Only you can save him!” “Are you really going to ignore your own son’s life just to play with someone else’s daughter at an amusement park?” Emma’s face turned cold. She was about to say something when Daniel suddenly spoke up: “Emma, it’s our turn for the next activity. Didn’t you say you wanted to do the parent-child game with Lila? Leave the observation to me. I’m her father, so I’m more attentive to these things.” My wife’s fleeting doubt instantly vanished. She said decisively: “No need to pay attention to him. Let’s go find Lila. I’ll observe the child’s psychological state myself.” I grew desperate and grabbed my wife’s arm, begging, “Emma, I’m begging you. Our son’s life is really in danger. He’s the child you carried for ten months. You can’t just watch him die…” Daniel pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes mocking as he said: “Looks like Chuck is determined to see this act through. We don’t need to expose him.Kara, you should go back with him. I’ll be fine here.” I was so angry I nearly ground my teeth to dust. Thinking of our son’s life hanging by a thread, I made up my mind and fell to my knees with a thud. “Emma Thompson! Come with me! I’m begging you! If you don’t go, our son will die. He’ll really die!” Emma was stunned, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. Seeing this, Daniel became truly anxious. “A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold. I can’t believe I called you ‘Chuck’. How embarrassing!” “It’s one thing to lose face for the sake of an act, but kneeling in public? Who are you trying to pressure? Don’t you care aboutKara’s reputation? Even I, an outsider, can’t stand to watch this!” He pointed at me self-righteously and continued to rebuke me, “We’re both men. I understand you might not care for your stepson, but that’s no reason to use a child’s life as an excuse to deceive people!” Daniel spoke with such conviction that people around us started to look over. Seeing the gazes of onlookers, my wife’s eyes filled with disappointment and disgust. “Chuck Wilson, get out of here. I don’t want to see you again. This is an amusement park. Don’t scare the children.” With that,Kara took Daniel’s hand in one hand and his daughter’s in the other, turning to walk deeper into the amusement park. My heart sank, and I felt my vision darken. Before I could catch my breath, Officer Mike called. “Chuck, where’s Captain Thompson? The drug dealer is losing patience. Where are you guys?!” My hands and feet turned ice-cold. I scrambled to my feet and drove straight to the scene. Just as I arrived at the building, I heard a gunshot. The drug dealer fell from the building, holding my son. I rushed over like a madman, kneeling in the pool of blood and holding my son. “Tommy, you’ll be okay. Daddy’s here, daddy’s here.” Tommy raised his small hand, his face pale, breaking my heart. “Daddy, don’t blame mommy. Mommy is a great hero. She must be catching other bad guys. Tommy won’t cry. Tommy is the bravest.” I watched his little hand fall lifelessly and held my son tightly, opening my mouth in a silent roar, unable to make a sound. Blood stained my chest red. I was like a walking corpse, my body convulsing from the immense pain. I was taken to the hospital by other police officers, then went to the funeral home in a daze with the death certificate. When I came out of the funeral home holding my son’s urn, the once lively and talkative Tommy was now contained in this small box. I didn’t know how to explain to Tommy why his mother hadn’t come. I couldn’t forgiveKara, nor could I forgive myself. I took the urn home and sat on the sofa all night. For the entire night,Kara didn’t come back. I silently got up and changed into a black suit. Tommy died at the age of five. According to our hometown customs, he should be buried in the southeast direction. I needed to find a burial plot. Just as I went downstairs, I saw Daniel’s car parked at the entrance. Emma got out of the car. Seeing me standing there, she walked towards me with a cold face. “Chuck, you…” She was about to scold me when she saw the urn in my hands. “What is that?” I looked at my wife’s face, my vision blurring. I seemed to see the person she once was. We were middle school classmates, then happened to be in the same class in high school. You could say we went from school uniforms to wedding dresses. Back then, my family had an accident. My parents died in a car crash. I couldn’t accept it and became withdrawn.Kara was always there to help me. I felt the world had no meaning, and she told me to make her my reason for living. I took it seriously, and she told me she would definitely try to be my reason for living. Even when we met again after college graduation and she had a child, I still chose to stay with her without hesitation and married her. I thought our family of three would live happily ever after, but everything changed when her crush Daniel returned from abroad. She often didn’t come home at night, saying she was too busy with work. But I knew it was because Daniel was in a bad mood and drinking, so she kept him company. She couldn’t make it to our wedding anniversary because Daniel wanted to watch the sunrise on a mountain. I didn’t confront her, but she became even more blatant. Because ofKara’s indulgence, Daniel even dared to call my wife in front of me, asking her to leave. No matter what she was doing, she would drop everything and rush over. I still didn’t say anything, just became more and more disappointed in her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak up, but because of our son Tommy, I kept enduring. Even though Tommy wasn’t my biological son, I always treated him as my own. I thought that as long as Tommy was here,Kara would eventually come to her senses. I even thoughtKara’s existence was to lead me into this family, to make Tommy and me father and son without blood ties. After marriage,Kara was no longer my only reason for living. Tommy was too. As long as Tommy was here, we had a home. Now, Tommy, who wasn’t my biological son but was as good as one, had died. She had destroyed my other reason for living with her own hands. I came back to my senses and looked at her face, feeling waves of hatred surging in my heart. I raised the urn and sneered: “Emma Thompson, how can such a capable police captain not recognize this? How can you not guess?” She was stunned for a moment, then stared intently at the urn in my hands. Her gaze then fell on my face, as if observing those criminals, trying to see any flaws or traces of lying on me. Unfortunately, I disappointed her. The expression on my face was as still as the air around us, like a dead pond without a single ripple. After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, her expression angry: “Chuck Wilson, even if I didn’t come home last night, you shouldn’t use our son’s life to make a point. You’re getting more and more disgusting. How dare you bring out an urn to curse our son!” Emma pushed me aside and hurried towards our son’s room. “Tommy, Tommy…” Her calls were met with dead silence. Of course, Tommy wouldn’t run out laughing and hug her, calling her mom anymore. Our son had become this small box in my hands. WhenKara didn’t hear Tommy respond, she simply pushed the door open and rushed in to search. But what could she find? A moment later, she finally panicked, grabbing my arm and shaking it, demanding: “Chuck Wilson, where’s our son? Tell me, did you send him to play in the park?” I didn’t want to answer her self-deceptive questions. Thinking that our son was indirectly killed by her, the anger in my heart couldn’t be suppressed. I directly raised the urn and shouted: “Our son?Kara Thompson, are you blind or is your heart blind? Our son is right here, open your eyes and look carefully! Can’t you really see?”
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