I held Amelia close, stepping back to put distance between them.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your mother.”
His eyes widened, Instantly filling with tears.
But I didn’t care.
Amelia, still shaken, clung to me tightly. I sighed, softening my voice as I whispered reassurances to her,
Just then, William appeared, his gaze locking onto me.
+15 Bonus
1 turned on my heel, ready to walk away.
But before I could, he grabbed my wrist.
His voice was hoarse, desperate. “Susie, I finally found you. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through all this time?”
I yanked my arm free, my patience wearing thin. “Mr. Larson, please have some respect.”
His face darkened. “Are you still angry because of Luna? She tricked me, but I know the truth now–I kicked her out ages ago.”
“Let’s start over. Let’s be a family again.
As if to prove his sincerity, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small ceramic figurines.
My breath caught for half a second.
Those were the keepsakes we had gotten years ago–the ones we had taken as a symbol of our love.
“You left without taking these,” William murmured. “That means you still care. Right? We can fix this.”
His eyes lit up as I reached for them.
For a brief second, I saw hope flicker across his face.
Then I threw them to the floor.
The ceramic shattered instantly, sharp shards scattering in all directions.
A piece of the broken porcelain cut his arm. Another nicked Caleb’s cheek, making him wail in pain.
But that had nothing to do with me.
He wasn’t my child anymore.
And William? He had never once been a father to him.
Now, he was finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be left behind.
The last glimmer of hope in William’s eyes shattered completely..
I glanced down at the broken ceramic figurines, then back at him. “It was trash. Of course, I wouldn’t take it with me.”
Fixing him with a calm, unwavering stare, I continued, “William, we’re adults. We chose to get divorced, so let’s leave it at that. Stop pretending this is some tragic love story–It’s pathetic.”
With that, I turned and walked away, not even sparing them a glance.
But William wasn’t done.
He grabbed my arm, his grip desperate. “Susie, do eight years together mean nothing to you?”
“And what about Caleb? Can you really abandon him like this? Do you want him to grow up without a mother?”
I looked at him, his expression full of sorrow and disbelief.
And I felt nothing.
Not an ounce of regret. Not a flicker of hesitation.
If anything, I found it laughable.
Without a word, I placed a protective hand over Amelia’s ear, shielding her from this ugly mess.
Then, voice steady and firm, I said the last thing I would ever say to him.
“If I could go back in time, I’d make sure I never met either of you.”
