A Son's Death: Nothing More Between Us

"Don't be scared, Benji. I've already called an ambulance. Someone will be here to save you soon. Just hold on for a little longer, okay?"

There was a trail of blood leading all the way to a cubicle inside the toilet. Just the sight was enough to sting my eyes.

Benji had left the blood trail when he fled into the toilet earlier. I couldn't imagine just how scared he was, nor how much pain he had been suffering from…

My body trembled as I clutched at Benji's forehead wound. But blood kept seeping through the gaps of my fingers. I couldn't stem the blood flow at all.

I could hear an ambulance's sirens blaring from outside the window.

"Benji, the ambulance is here! Help's coming for you!"

But at that moment, Joshua Tucker ran past the window while cradling a boy in his arms. He headed for the ambulance right away.

"Kenny, don't be scared! I won't let anything happen to you!"

The ambulance left just as quickly as it had come. I could barely believe what I just witnessed.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Don't go! I was the one who called the ambulance! Joshua, Benji is dying! Come back!

"Joshua, please…"

No one noticed that the actual victim was already on the brink of death.

I called Joshua's number hurriedly. Heck, I even called him twice, yet he never picked up my calls.

When I called him for the third time, Benji grasped my wrist with a bloodied hand. "Mom, stop calling him… Dad will never come back to us…"

Tears rolled down my cheeks at that moment.

"I'm not calling him. I'll call 911 again. Another ambulance will be here soon…"

"Mom, I… I can't breathe…"

Benji's hand felt so cold. It was even colder than the tiled floor beneath us.

"I'm sorry, Mom… I can't protect you anymore in the future… Will you still choose to become my mother in my next life? But I don't want Dad anymore…"

Before Benji could finish his sentence, his hand hung limply.

My heart stopped beating for a moment. Intense pain finally flared from my chest a few seconds later.

I couldn't care less about the blood that flowed out of Benji's wound continuously. Soon, I carried him on my back and stumbled out of the bathroom alongside the crimson trail.

Benji's blood flowed down my neck. It felt warm, yet it continued trickling down silently.

"Don't worry, Benji. Since the ambulance refuses to stop for you, I'll take you to the hospital myself."

Thank goodness I ran into a good Samaritan, who drove us to the hospital immediately.

I sank down on my knees in front of the doctor while begging him to save Benji's life. All he could do was shake his head as he sighed heavily.

"Your son has already been dead for quite some time… My condolences to you, madam."

"Nonsense! How could he be dead? He was still talking to me earlier! Please, doctor! Save him!"

My vision was blurry with tears. My heart was in so much pain that I thought it was going to burst.

Bright sunlight poured through the window, yet all I could see was darkness before my eyes.

…

I called Joshua during Benji's funeral.

I had tried to reach out to him for the past three days. The call finally went through this time.

"Joshua, Benji's—"

"Don't you dare bring that name up in front of me! That bastard almost broke Kenny's arm! How can he continue playing the piano from now on? Rosalind cried so much that she almost fainted several times! This is all your fault for being such a failure of a mother…"

I couldn't hear the rest of Joshua's indignant words, for I had already ended the call.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

I vowed to make those who had bullied Benji pay ten times the price for making him suffer.

As for Joshua… It was time for our ridiculous and pathetic marriage to come to an end.