Just because my six-year-old son, Leo, stumbled while walking through the garden and accidentally crushed a single rose, Liam Kingston flew into a rage. He ordered Leo locked in the garden and demanded he plant 999 roses to replace it. Liam didn’t notice Leo was stung by a bee, collapsing on the lawn, convulsing and struggling. I screamed and cried, knocking my head against the iron gate like a madwoman: “Liam, open your eyes and look! Leo was stung by a bee, he’s allergic to bees! Open the gate now, or he’ll go into shock and die!” Liam put his arm around his childhood sweetheart, Holly Chen, and looked down at me dismissively: “Clara, I told you before, this is a private garden I specifically made for Holly. No unauthorized person is allowed inside.” “You’ve indulged Leo time and time again. Now he gets stung a few times and can’t handle it? Stop with this ‘allergic’ nonsense—it’s all your fault for spoiling him!” Holly Chen rolled her eyes in disgust. “Look, sis, a loving mother often spoils her son. Your son has ruined so many of my flowers already. He deserves a lesson.” With that, they embraced and walked away. I could only swing the rusty iron shovel, continuously smashing the gate, but it was too late. I watched helplessly as the red, swollen rash on my son’s body spread, his struggling movements grew weaker, and finally, he went silent. I collapsed to my knees, desperately begging my son to wake up and call me ‘Mom’ one more time, but he never responded. An hour later, I finally smashed the gate open. At the same moment, Liam posted a picture of an ultrasound on social media. [One more precious life for me to protect in this world. Thanks for your hard work, @HollyChen] My heart was dead. I placed the signed divorce papers in the study and made arrangements with the funeral home. Then I liked his post and commented: [Wishing your little love child a safe journey to adulthood.] 1 The next second, Liam called. His furious voice instantly exploded in the solemn, silent funeral home: “Clara Vance, what is that comment supposed to mean!” “Holly and I are childhood sweethearts! It’s only right for me to take care of her when she accidentally gets pregnant with my child!” “And what the hell happened to the garden! You smashed the gate and took Leo—fine—but did you deliberately stomp up the lawn and leave those holes? You and your son are trying to destroy things on purpose, aren't you?” “Don’t think I’ll let you get away with it this time! You and Leo get your butts back here and plant all 999 roses, or don’t bother coming back into my Kingston house!” I lowered my eyes. My hands were red and swollen from smashing the gate with all my might, and my heart ached sympathetically. Not far away, the mortician was carefully removing the bee stinger that had taken my son’s life: “Liam, Leo is dead. And I will never step inside your house again.” The person on the other end paused, then seemed to laugh out of anger. “Clara Vance, you’re incredible. Got addicted to fighting for attention, did you? Now you’re even cursing your son to death?” Then, a woman’s soft gasp came through the line, instantly halting all my words. Remembering the ultrasound photo I had just seen—Liam and his mistress had a new baby coming—he truly didn't care if my son lived or died. I sighed deeply. “Liam, I signed the divorce papers and left them in the study. Sign them, and you can live happily ever after with your sweetheart.” The moment I finished speaking, two frail, stooped elderly people entered, leaning on canes. “Where’s my little Leo? How did something happen to him for no reason?” Seeing the two elders who genuinely loved my son, the tears I had been fighting back finally fell. I collapsed, sobbing, into Grandma Kingston’s arms: “Grandpa, Grandma, it’s my fault as a mother. I didn’t watch Leo properly, and he had to suffer so much when he left.” Grandma Kingston and I cried together. Grandpa Kingston forced himself to step forward to look, and two lines of clear tears finally ran down his face: “Didn’t I order all the beehives near the villa cleared? And arranged for dedicated patrols! Where did the bee come from that bit my Leo and caused his reaction!” “It must be that bastard’s private garden, isn’t it!” I managed a bitter smile. Liam wasn’t unaware of Leo’s bee allergy. He had even leveled the villa garden and poured cement on it once, just to prevent accidents. He became a different person after Holly Chen came back. Not only did he allow Holly to replant flowers and plants, but he also indulged her in keeping bees in the garden, calling it “returning to nature and coexisting.” When I tearfully confronted Liam, holding my son after he had another allergic reaction, Liam just lazily lifted an eyelid. “Oh, then I’ll have someone install a fence. Leo won’t be able to get in, so there’s no danger.” An iron fence might keep people out, but how could it stop flying bees? In an instant, the image of my son struggling in pain before he died reappeared in my mind. I couldn’t smash that cursed iron gate open, only watch helplessly as my son convulsed wildly on the lawn until he stopped moving. When he died, his whole body was rigid, covered in red rashes and marks, and his large eyes were filled with lingering attachment to the world. Unwilling to accept it, I carried him to the mortician, begging him to conceal those awful scars. As if doing so could bring back the sweet boy who called me ‘Mom’ in his baby voice. As if he had never experienced such great pain. As if, the next second, he would wake up. But it was just wishful thinking. The mortician covered the last patch of red rash, put down his brush, and walked towards me with a look of sorrow: “Ma’am, the young master is ready. He can be on his way now.” It was then I realized the phone call hadn’t ended. Liam’s mocking voice rang out: “Clara Vance, are you addicted to playing the tragedy queen? Fine, rope my grandparents into your act, but now you’re getting people to say your son is ‘on his way?’ What, are you guys still at the funeral home?” Exhausted, I didn't want to waste another word on him. “Yes, Leo is at the funeral home. If you come now, you can see him one last time.” To my surprise, he sneered: “Clara Vance! Have some shame! He just got a bee sting! If he was really allergic, a trip to the hospital would fix it. You think I’m that easy to fool?” “Seriously, like mother, like son. No wonder Leo has been so whiny and prone to lying lately!” Unable to listen any longer, Grandpa Kingston snatched the phone and burst into curses. “You bastard! Are you still sticking with that fox right now? Get your butt over here immediately!” As soon as he finished, he clutched his chest and violently threw the phone. Grandma rushed over to help him, but Grandpa pushed her away, crying helplessly: “The family is cursed! Your grandson says even if Leo really died, it doesn't matter, because that fox has another one in her belly, and that one will surely be better behaved! You monster!” Grandma froze too, her cloudy eyes brimming with tears. She turned and pleaded with me sorrowfully: “Clara, please don’t listen to his nonsense. We only recognize the child you bore.” “Don’t worry. Your grandpa and I are going home right now to kick that fox out and make that bastard grovel and apologize to you!” A lump rose in my throat, and I shook my head. “Grandma, it’s alright. Since Liam’s heart has already strayed, I’ll just take Leo and leave.” “I’m tired after all these years. It’s time for me to go.” The two elders stared at me blankly, but in the end, said nothing more. The three of us stood mournfully before the crematorium oven all night until the staff handed me a small jar of ashes. I settled the urn and drove straight home. My son’s belongings were still in that cold house. I wouldn’t leave them for Liam, who didn’t love him at all. But as soon as I opened the door, a festive party atmosphere hit me: “Wow, Holly is amazing! She’s carrying a little princess for our big brother, Liam!” 2 The whole house was covered in pink. Liam and Holly’s friends were holding up wine glasses. One person disdainfully waved the divorce papers I had left. “Liam, your pathetic wife is quite gutsy, divorcing you and saying she’s leaving with nothing.” “She’s clearly crazy. A poor woman taking a child and leaving? Doesn’t she know her place?” “Honestly, if she wants to go, let her. What kind of brat did she give birth to? He reeks of poverty. It’s embarrassing for our Liam to take him anywhere!” “Exactly! Let’s encourage Holly to have a second one—a real Kingston young master!” The group burst into laughter. I pushed the door open and walked in, and everyone immediately went silent. Liam glanced at me casually, tightening his embrace around Holly Chen, acting as if he didn't see me: “No need for ‘young master, young master.’ My daughter can be brilliant and talented too.” “Holly and I started training her even before she was born.” With that, he placed a small model airplane on Holly Chen’s slightly bulging belly. I instantly recognized it as the toy my son loved most—the first model Liam had helped him assemble. Even though I bought him many more expensive and better-looking toys afterward, Leo stubbornly insisted on sleeping with this small plane, simply because it smelled like his dad. Now, his dearest dad was going to give it to another woman’s child. I could no longer suppress my emotions and rushed forward, crying out: “Liam, your son’s body isn’t even cold yet! How can you do this to him!” The temperature around Liam instantly dropped. He slapped me across the face. “Clara Vance, what’s this ‘body not even cold’ nonsense? Are you addicted to acting now?” I couldn’t dodge in time. The back of my head struck the corner of the table, and warm liquid began to trickle down. And my son’s most treasured toy plane was cruelly thrown to the floor and smashed under Liam’s foot: “It’s just a toy! What’s wrong with giving it to his little sister? Is this how you teach a child?” “You didn’t even plant one rose and left a bunch of holes. Now you and your son dare to challenge me, huh?” Seeing his face, the image of my son's painful death flashed through my mind. I wanted nothing more than to drag him to my son’s ashes and make him apologize. But my son’s comforting words, spoken that afternoon while he was holding the rose sapling, echoed in my ears: “Mom, don’t cry, don’t blame Dad. It’s Leo who should be punished. Leo can do it!” “But Dad was a little mean. He didn’t comfort me when I fell, and he scolded me. Next time, I won’t talk to him!” “Mom, let’s both ignore Dad next time, okay?” I closed my eyes, struggling to suppress the surging grief, and spoke slowly: “Yes, I don’t deserve to be a mother. And I don’t deserve to be your Kingston daughter-in-law. Sign the divorce papers, and from now on, we have no connection.” Liam looked at me, a cruel smile playing on his lips: “You want me to sign the divorce papers? Fine. You kneel over here, beg Holly Chen’s forgiveness, and apologize for spoiling your child and ruining her garden, and for interrupting today’s celebration party!” “The moment she’s satisfied, I’ll sign.” Hearing this, Holly Chen straightened her back and looked at me mockingly. The others also became interested, their eyes fixed on me. Some even started betting: “I bet a hundred bucks she won’t kneel. She really thought she could make Holly leave, and now she looks like a fool.” “She’ll probably end up sobbing and begging Liam to forgive her. That ‘dead’ son will probably come crawling back, and the mother and son will accept the punishment together.” The next moment, I pushed myself up and hit the ground with a loud thud. “I’m sorry! I was wrong!” A fragment of the toy plane plunged into my forehead, and blood streamed down. I seemed not to feel the pain, moving one knee, one step, one bow at a time, yet never reaching the end. Because every step I knelt forward, Holly Chen giggled and took one step back, leading me around the room like a dog on a leash. The surrounding voices slowly changed from spectacle to concern: “Liam, Holly, maybe that’s enough. Look how much blood she’s losing. Someone might actually get hurt.” “Yeah, look how pale her lips are. Is she actually in danger?” “She wants to leave anyway, so it works out. It’s about time you gave Holly a proper title, Liam.” I paused and looked back. The fluid flowing from my head had left a long, shocking trail of blood. I had no intention of stopping. As I prepared to knock my head again, Liam kicked me down. He flung the signed divorce papers in my face: “That’s enough! I signed it! Stop playing the victim here and fishing for sympathy! Don’t think I wouldn’t dare to divorce you!” “Take your child and get out! But you better remember, if you walk out that door today, your son won’t inherit a single cent!” “Don’t you dare try to make me acknowledge you or your son ever again!” 3 Having lost too much blood, I couldn't stand steadily. I barely picked up the agreement and got to my feet. Liam stared hard at me. I simply flipped to the last page, confirmed the signature, and smiled: “Fine. I’m going to pack Leo’s things and leave.” With that, I turned and entered my son’s room. When the door closed, all the noise outside instantly stopped. I leaned against the door, my eyes blurring with tears. My son’s small blanket wasn’t folded, and the fairy tale book he hadn’t finished last night was still on his bedside table. It was as if, any second, he would jump out of the closet in a ghost costume to scare me. I wiped my tears, dragged the suitcase out of the closet, and began packing my son’s things. Clothes, toys, books, little crafts he made at preschool—I cried and laughed as I carefully packed them one by one, until I found a palm-sized message in a bottle. Inside were yellowed slips of paper. I opened one in a daze, and it turned out to be IOUs written between him and his father. When Leo was three and wouldn’t leave my side, he constantly threw tantrums about sleeping with me. It annoyed Liam so much that he would sneak into the room every midnight and carry me back to our bedroom: “This is ridiculous! I gave birth to an inconsiderate love rival!” “Honey, I miss you too. Can you spend more time with me?” Before he could reach the room, the small ball of awakened flesh would chase after him, hitting and cursing Liam, calling him the thief who stole his mom. Left with no choice, the father and son agreed to alternate nights. Whoever wanted an extra night had to write an IOU to the other. Liam had a lot of tricks for coaxing his son, and slowly, he racked up a huge stack of IOUs. When Leo asked him to repay them, Liam would use some crooked logic to appease him. However, after Holly Chen returned to the country, I spent more and more nights sleeping with my son. I thought he would be happy, but he became gloomier every day. “Mom, did you and Dad fight? Dad hasn’t come to see Leo for a long time.” He pulled me to the master bedroom, knocked on the door, and said he would write an IOU for Dad so Mom could sleep with Dad. Holly Chen was sprawled on the bed, her face flushed. The image of that breakdown rushed back. My heart gave a sudden, painful lurch. Not wanting to recall it, I trembling opened my son’s last note. It was written in wobbly, childish handwriting: [I want Mom and Dad to take me to Disneyland to see the fireworks!] My son had been asking for this wish since the beginning of the year, but Liam always canceled because of Holly Chen, and they never went. Now, he was gone, and he would never go. Suppressing the rising tide of regret, I booked a flight for the next afternoon and closed the suitcase. My body instinctively lay down on my son’s small bed, trying to capture his last scent. My exhausted mind involuntarily relaxed. I fell asleep, only to be awakened in the middle of the night by an abnormal shaking. I opened my eyes groggily. Right before me were Liam and Holly Chen, kissing! “Liam, didn’t we come here to see how to convert this room into a princess room? Why are you fooling around again?” I sat up abruptly. Liam glanced at me provocatively and didn't stop what he was doing. Holly Chen looked at me with seductive eyes. “Sis, don’t be mad. We just wanted Leo to get used to his little sister’s presence early. After all, they’ll be growing up together.” “After this, can’t the five of us just live together happily?” They were openly making love on my son’s bed. My stomach lurched violently, and a wave of nausea rushed to my head. Liam saw me shaking with rage. Instead of feeling guilty, he adopted an accusatory tone: “Clara, I looked into it. Leo didn’t go to the hospital for an allergic reaction that day. Where did you hide him?” “Enough is enough. If you keep making trouble, I really won’t want you or your son anymore.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I suddenly vomited all over both of them. Liam froze for a moment. Holly Chen’s face changed drastically. She suddenly clutched her stomach, looking distressed: “Liam, my tummy hurts so much… so much…” Liam anxiously picked up Holly Chen, knocking me over in the process. “If anything happens to the baby in Holly’s belly, I’ll make your son pay for it!” I was left alone in the room again. I quietly got up, pulled the suitcase, and staggered out. It was still dark outside, the streets were empty, and the cool night wind whistled into my collar, making me shiver. Dizzy from blood loss, I didn’t stop walking. Finally, at dawn, I reached the cemetery. The plot I bought for my son this morning held an empty coffin. I knelt beside it, opened the suitcase, and placed his favorite things inside one by one. I left only an empty space for the urn. I looked at the urn in my hand, feeling as if my son were in my arms: “Mommy will take you to see the world, and then we’ll come back to rest, okay?” 4 Liam took Holly Chen to the hospital for a full night of checks. Only after confirming the fetus was safe did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. He sat wearily in the waiting area outside the examination room, rubbing his temples. The vomit on his clothes had dried, but the foul odor lingered. Normally, he would have blown up and forced Clara to clean up, but at that moment, he was inexplicably afraid. He realized all of Leo’s things were packed up, and Clara’s expression had been so sorrowful. Just then, Butler Dong, who specifically cared for his grandparents, rushed over. Liam irritably waved him off. “Dong, if you’re also here to lie to me that my son is dead, just shut up. I won’t believe it.” Butler Dong’s eyes showed a look of complex distress, but he bowed respectfully. “Young Master, this time it’s not Young Master Leo. Your grandparents have been hospitalized with a heart attack. If you have time, please visit them.” Liam rushed to the intensive care unit. As soon as he pushed open the door, a glass cup instantly smashed against the doorframe, shattering. Grandpa, wearing an oxygen mask, looked like he wanted to tear Liam apart: “You monster who killed his own son! You have the audacity to come see me? Get out!” The monitoring equipment emitted a piercing alarm. Butler Dong quickly stepped forward to calm Grandpa. “Mister, the dead cannot be brought back. Please take care of yourself.” Liam was still confused, and the pent-up frustration of the past two days finally burst out: “Are you all sick? I already checked the hospital records! My son was never here, and there are no medical records for him!” “He was only in the garden for a few hours! How could he possibly be dead? Did he really die from a bee sting?” Grandpa’s suddenly widened eyes were filled with disappointment. He then fell back onto the hospital bed, weakly ordering the butler: “Dong, you tell him.” The butler sighed. “Young Master Leo was indeed stung to death by a bee. But when the private doctor and the ambulance arrived, it was too late. So the Madam took him directly to the funeral home.” As if afraid Liam still wouldn’t believe it, the butler turned on the TV, playing the surveillance footage from two days ago. Liam finally saw Leo struggle to dig the first hole, then get stung on the calf by a bee. Strangely, Leo, who usually feared bees the most, didn't cry or fuss this time. After glancing at the wound with teary eyes, he gritted his teeth and continued digging the hole, planting the rose sapling crookedly, trying to bury the stinging pain. Liam remembered that was why he hadn’t believed Clara’s story—Leo didn’t cry or fuss. He thought Clara was just making a scene because she felt sorry for the child. Grandpa spoke heartbreakingly, “Leo didn’t even dare to cry to make you happy! Look at what kind of father you are!” Liam stumbled, leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to the screen. He saw the red rash on his son’s body spread wider, the allergic reaction worsening, until Leo suddenly collapsed and convulsed. He knew what that was—anaphylactic shock. The first time his son had a reaction, he was so scared he prayed all night in the ancestral hall for his son’s safety. And this time… Liam had been deaf to it all, embracing the aunt his son hated most, buying princess dresses for another unborn child. Only Clara was left, frantically smashing the iron gate. The surveillance video ended with Clara agonizingly holding her son’s body and weeping. Liam’s heart was also instantly clenched, tears streaming down his face helplessly: “What have I done? What have I done!” Grandpa was trembling with anger. “You monster! Even if Leo did something wrong, couldn’t you have just punished him simply? Why force him to plant 999 roses?” “He’s only six! Could he even plant them all?” “You destroyed your own family for a fox! Was it worth it?” Another glass cup was thrown, hitting Liam right on the nose. The pain forced him to bend over, but he still tried to defend Holly Chen: “Grandpa, Holly Chen did nothing wrong! And she’s pregnant with my child now! If you have to blame someone, blame me!” To his surprise, Grandpa got even angrier. “She did nothing wrong? She is the culprit who caused your son’s death!” The butler continued, “We investigated. Holly Chen kept her bees near the villa, and almost every window frame was smeared with honey.” “And Young Master Leo has already had to have the private doctor come over more than ten times in the last three months because of bee stings.” “I suspect Young Master Leo’s death was not an accident. We have already contacted the police to get involved.” Liam felt as if he had been struck by lightning, unable to believe what he was hearing. The door of the intensive care unit was suddenly pushed open. Several bodyguards dragged a fiercely struggling Holly Chen inside. Seeing Liam, she cried out as if he were her lifeline: “Liam! You have to help me! These people dragged me into the operating room without a word and poked my baby with a needle as long as my arm!” “What if something happens to the baby? I don’t want to live anymore!” Butler Dong looked down at her and sneered, “Holly Chen, we just invited you to cooperate with a paternity test to see if the child in your belly is a Kingston.” “The results? See for yourself!” A document was flung in front of Holly Chen. She panicked instantly. “I won’t look! I won’t look! It’s fake! Liam, don’t believe them! They are deliberately trying to break us up!” But Liam, who always listened to her, seemed like a different person. He bent down and picked up the report. The words were clearly printed on the paper: [Based on the results of this DNA test, there is no biological relationship between Liam Kingston and the sample.] Liam’s face turned deathly pale. Holly Chen broke free of her restraints, scrambled up to look, and saw the same line. She immediately dropped to her knees with a thud: “Liam, I swear I didn’t know this child wasn’t yours! It must have been the drink I had before I came back home!” “I’ll abort it right now, okay? Once I abort it, I’ll try again to have yours! Please, don’t leave me!” Holly Chen hugged his leg, crying hysterically, but Liam didn’t hear anything. All sorts of noises flooded his mind. After a long while, Liam finally spoke in a hoarse voice: “What about Leo? Where is he buried now?” “And Clara? Is she gone? Where did she go?”
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