Chapter 3

3

I stayed in the hospital for three days until my injuries began to heal.

During those three days, Jocelyn posted every single day, and Zachary and Leo were in every single picture.

On day one, they baked a custom cake together, and Leo fed the very first spoonful to Jocelyn.

On day two, they went glamping in the mountains, cuddling inside a tent under the starry night sky.

On day three, they attended Leo's art class where the prompt was "My Mother," and Leo painted Jocelyn.

On the day of my discharge, Zachary and Leo finally showed up, bringing Jocelyn along.

Looking at the lingering bruises on my body, Jocelyn gave an apologetic smile.

"Laurel, I'm so sorry. We've been so busy these past few days and only found time to visit today."

She paused, her eyes searching mine intently.

"Leo told me about the accident. How are you feeling?"

Zachary and Leo both looked noticeably tense.

I knew they were testing whether I had regained my memory.

"The doctor said I can go home today, but I still don't remember anything. Who are you?"

I kept my face utterly blank.

All three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Leo took Jocelyn's hand and proudly introduced her to me.

"Laurel, this is my mommy."

My hands paused as I packed my discharge paperwork.

Even though I already knew what he wanted, hearing him call another woman "Mommy" felt like a dagger to my chest.

The child I nearly died giving birth to called another woman his mother without a second thought.

I looked up at Zachary.

When his eyes met mine, a rare flash of guilt and unease flickered across his face.

He looked away, maintaining his silence.

A mocking sneer crept into my eyes.

My husband of seven years stood by, tacitly approving our son's cruelty.

How pathetic.

Swallowing the burning ache in my throat, I squeezed out a flat "Okay."

After finishing the paperwork, we all got into Zachary's car.

In the back seat, Leo chattered happily with Jocelyn about his favorite cartoons, looking just like a real mother and son.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I closed my eyes and pretended not to hear.

When the car stopped, I realized we weren't at home―we were at an amusement park.

Leo eagerly pulled Jocelyn out of the car, his little face flushed with excitement.

"Mommy, hurry! It's been forever since I went to the amusement park. I want to ride the bumper cars with you!"

A bitter smile touched my lips.

When Leo was three, I used to take him here all the time, and he would drag me onto every ride.

Back then, he would look up at me with starry eyes.

"I love coming to the park with Mommy the most! I'm the happiest kid in the whole world!"

Yet recently, whenever I brought up going to the amusement park, he would just whine.

"Amusement parks are so boring. I don't want to go."

I had thought he had simply outgrown the rides.

Now I realized he hadn't outgrown the park―he was just tired of going with me.