Chapter 2

Staring at that silver-gray bank card, my mind instantly flashed back to five years ago.

That day, James's mother Eleanor Carter had done the same thing, sliding a card across the table to me. "It's not that I don't dislike you, I just can't accept your family.

"If you marry James, your family will drag him down sooner or later."

Like mother, like son, both of them could deliver the most brutal truths with a polite smile.

Back then, I'd pushed Eleanor's card away with stubborn pride. But this time, I reached out and took it.

The love I once cherished, pure and untainted, had long since been crushed to dust by the grind of reality.

With so little time left, and with Oliver still so young, my pride didn't mean a damn thing anymore.

I kept my head down, too ashamed to look up. "Okay."

James looked away, stood up, and walked out without another word.

As his footsteps faded into the distance, my lips and fingers wouldn't stop trembling.

With a faint splatter, a glaring red spot bloomed across the table.

I fumbled for a tissue, pressing it to my nose, not even realizing my face was already streaked with hot tears.

I stumbled back to my old, run-down apartment, barely aware of what I was doing.

After dropping Oliver off at the daycare, I headed to the fresh produce delivery station I'd agreed to work at the day before.

I wanted to save up as much as I could for Oliver while I still had the strength.

But after I finished my last delivery and was about to go pick up Oliver, something happened.

An SUV suddenly swerved right and sideswiped me, knocking me off my tricycle and sending me crashing to the ground.

My arms and knees were scraped raw, the pain making me suck in a sharp breath.

Before I could even get up, the driver stuck his head out and yelled, "Are you blind or what? You think the road's your personal playground?"

I gritted my teeth, got to my feet, and instinctively bowed my head in apology. "I'm sorry, really, I'm so sorry."

Before I could finish, a cold, deep voice suddenly cut me off.

"One hundred thousand dollars a year isn't enough for you? You still have to run deliveries; and now look at you."

I whipped around, stunned, and saw James standing next to a military SUV.

He radiated a quiet authority, the kind that only came from years at the top.

My eyes burned with tears as I forced a bitter smile. "I'm just scared things might change, so I want to stash away a bit more for my kid."

For a split second, I almost blurted out about Oliver, but I swallowed the words back down.

Just then, my phone rang; it was Oliver's daycare teacher.

As soon as I picked up, her anxious voice came through. "Mrs. Summers, something's happened to Oliver. You need to get to the hospital right now."

My legs went weak the moment I heard that.

I shot a panicked glance at my wrecked tricycle, then rushed over and grabbed James by the arm just as he was about to get in his car, sobbing as I pleaded, "James, please, take me to the hospital."

Seeing the broken look in my eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

After a few seconds of silence, he turned away and gestured for me to get in the car.

The car pulled up to the hospital, and before it even stopped, I threw open the door and rushed out like a madwoman.

By the time I found the room after asking the nurse, I was so out of breath I could barely straighten up, my chest throbbing with pain.

But I didn't care about anything else. I grabbed the doctor as he stepped out of the room and blurted, "Doctor, is my son alright?"

The doctor quickly reassured me, "He's allergic to seafood, but luckily he didn't eat much. We'll give him an IV and keep him overnight for observation. If everything looks good, he can go home tomorrow."

Hearing that, all the tension finally melted away, and I felt every bit of strength drain out of me.

When James walked over, he saw me with red, swollen eyes, looking like I'd barely made it through hell.

He glanced into the hospital room.

His gaze froze for a moment when he spotted the tiny head on the bed. After a few seconds of silence, he asked in a rough voice, "You got married? And you have a kid?"

I opened my mouth, but all I could do was mumble a quiet "Yeah."

He pressed, "When did that happen?"

The draft in the hallway made my pale face feel even colder, and my voice was numb, deadened. "That was a long time ago. I got divorced ages ago."

I was in a haze, not even sure when I'd learned to lie so straight-faced, without a flicker of emotion.

Silence stretched between us.

After a long pause, he said quietly, "I had your tricycle towed to a nearby repair shop. They'll call you when it's fixed."

I froze for a moment, but before I could even say thank you, he'd already turned and walked away.

As James walked away, his silhouette growing smaller, the bitterness inside me crashed over me all at once.

*****

The morning mist clung to the city, the dampness hanging in the air until noon, when it finally started to lift.

After the doctor checked Oliver over, he was fine.

Once we finished the discharge paperwork, I took him to the nearby shopping district.

After settling Oliver in the kids' play area, I headed into a café, the pain in my body getting harder and harder to ignore.

I knew I didn't have much time left.