My son Aaron Walker's last birthday wish was for us three to go to Disneyland.

But Chris Walker, my husband, never liked me or our son.

I begged him endlessly, and he finally agreed.

The night before our departure, Chris vanished. Aaron passed away with his wish unfulfilled.

After handling the funeral alone, I discovered Chris in a photo on my sister Sharon Norris' Instagram post.

The caption read: ["I said I wanted to see the snow, and you took me thousands of miles just to find it."]

I maintained my composure, packing my belongings without a tear or outburst.

Then Chris cried, begging me not to go.

——

It wasn't surprising that Chris would drop everything for Sharon.

I was never the exception with him.

He labeled me as someone who would do anything to climb the social ladder.

How could I compare to his eternal beloved?

I returned from the cemetery to the villa, our supposed marital home.

Yet, Chris rarely set foot here. It was more of a shared residence with Aaron.

Aaron's presence was evident everywhere. I wept as I began clearing away the traces of our life together.

Every remembrance of Aaron and me had to go.

Dragging my suitcase downstairs, I ran into Chris.

He was carrying Sharon into the house.

His face was etched with concern. He brushed past me, treating me like a stranger under the same roof.

His eyes never even glanced my way.

I had grown accustomed to this. With Sharon around, I was invisible to him.

Sensing the suitcase at my feet, Chris stopped in his tracks.

His voice was devoid of emotion. "Amber Norris, another one of your dramatic stunts?"

Sharon, clinging affectionately to Chris' neck, looked up at me. "Amber, I twisted my ankle, and since Chris said it's close by, he brought me here to take care of it. You don't mind, do you?"

It was just a twisted ankle.

I watched as Chris gently settled her on the sofa and then fetched an ice pack to soothe her foot. He treated her as if she were made of glass.

Once, when a car accident left me with a broken leg, requiring a family member's signature for surgery, I reached out to him.

His response was cold and detached, "A broken leg isn't life or death. Why bother me?"

Yet, he was the only family I had left.

He refused to sign the papers, so I had to drag things out. I troubled a friend who had the time.

Love and its absence were always evident.

I finally said, "Chris, as you wish, we're done... broken up."

I almost slipped and mentioned divorce.

After all, we only had a hurried wedding ceremony.

We didn't even get a marriage license.

Chris thought I was jealous of Sharon and didn't even look up. "What now? Do you change your tactics?

"You think you can't threaten me with your son, so now you're using yourself as leverage?"

A year ago, Aaron was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since then, he has received countless critical illness notices.

He desperately called, longing for a glimpse of Chris.

But Chris never visited him.

So he thought I was using Aaron to gain sympathy and manipulate him.

After a decade of shared life, this was how little he thought of me.

I wiped away my tears. "Think what you want. I'm leaving."

I started to leave with my luggage.

Sharon interjected, "Chris, I heard you planned to take Aaron to Disneyland. You didn't cancel that for the mountain trip with me, did you? Amber is upset..."

Chris soothingly replied, "Don't worry, there are priorities. We can go to Disneyland anytime, but once the snow melts, we won't be able to see it like this."

Hearing this, I scoffed coldly.

Ignoring them, I dragged my suitcase out.

Chris seemed to sense something was off.

He rushed forward and grabbed my hand, his voice laced with frustration. "It's the middle of the night, and you insist on..."

He saw my swollen eyes and paused. "Is missing a trip to Disneyland really worth crying over like this?"

My eyes must have been crying themselves raw, for I saw a hint of pity in his gaze.

"Let me clear my schedule next month, and I'll take Aaron then, okay?"

Next month?

What next month did Aaron have?

If only he cared a bit more about our son, he wouldn't say such foolish things.

I pulled my hand away. "No need!"

Chris stared at his empty palm, momentarily stunned.

He never expected the person who used to cling to him would now avoid him like the plague.

Snapping back to reality, he tried to catch up, but Sharon grabbed his arm.

"Chris, it's all my fault. Even though I knew Aaron was faking his illness, I shouldn't have competed with a child for your attention. Now it's made Amber angry at me."

Faking... faking illness?

My mind went blank.

By the time I snapped back to reality, I had already slapped Sharon across the face!

Chris' face, initially tinged with guilt, shifted instantly.

Positioning Sharon protectively behind him, he eyed me warily. "Amber, what are you doing? She is your sister!"

I glared at Sharon. "You'd better watch your mouth."

Sharon, looking hurt, pleaded, "Chris, don't let me come between you two. If my sister won't admit that Aaron is faking his illness, I'll just drop it."

My brow furrowed as I turned to Chris. "You think Aaron is faking it too?"

He remained silent.

Looking around, Aaron was nowhere to be seen.

With a calm tone, Chris asked, "Where did you whisk him off to again?"

He clearly didn't believe me.

If only he would come home, he'd see the table covered in medications and medical records.

Yet, he never returned.

I remember when Aaron knew he didn't have much time left. He wanted one last family trip to Disneyland.

I had begged Chris, even going so far as to kneel before him.

In the end, I clung to his pants, promising that this would be the last time I would ever bother him.

I was willing to set him free.

At that moment, he looked down at me, slightly stunned.

His eyes filled with both joy and complexity. "You mean that?"

"Yes," I murmured, closing my eyes as tears streamed down.

Chris was the child I found by the riverbank when we were little. I pleaded with my parents to adopt him.

He became my brother.

When I was in junior high school, my parents divorced, and Sharon was awarded custody of my father.

Since I had always followed Chris around, I clung to his sleeve and begged him to come with me and my mother.

This one act of mine earned me Chris' resentment for many years.

He had wanted to go with Sharon.

Because of me, he could only watch as Sharon went abroad.

Later, my mother entrusted me to Chris, saying that only by handing me over to him could she rest in peace.

Chris was forced to have a makeshift wedding with me.

There were no relatives, no friends, no marriage certificate.

He said that this was all I deserved.

On her deathbed, my mother even asked us when we would get our marriage certificate.

Chris evaded the question.

Once out of the hospital room, he lost all his patience. "Wasn't it enough that your mother threatened me into marrying you? Now you want to make it official?"

I was about to defend myself.

He cut me off. "Don't even think about things you shouldn't. Sharon is coming back."

"She won't want someone who's been married before," he added.

The most important place should be reserved for the most precious person.

Sharon, because of me and Aaron, has been hesitant to accept Chris' proposal.

I was even ready to let him go.

Why won't he spend one last moment with Aaron?

It was one thing for him not to love me, but Aaron was his son too.

How could he be so heartless towards Aaron...