Chapter 2The Son I Could Never Save

“Abby, relax. Gabe’s a bright kid; tomorrow’s SATs will be a breeze. I bet he’ll get into Harvard without breaking a sweat.”

Lauren, my sister, patted my back with a warm smile, offering kind words.

I froze for a moment. The phantom pain of ten stab wounds in my abdomen lingered, making my head spin. The shock of Gabriel’s broken body and the agony of being murdered left my vision bloodshot.

Lauren pulled me into a hug. “You’re so stressed out. Just stay home and rest. You’ll only distract him if you go over there.”

“Trust me, Abby. Tomorrow, you’ll see that all your hard work will pay off. Gabe’s going to make you proud.”

Her words, full of confidence, left me trembling. The surreal feeling of déjà vu was overwhelming.

Lauren was my only family left. We had always been close, so I could never have imagined that in my past life, she would stand by Gabriel’s shattered body and accuse me of abuse.

I pushed her away gently, my eyes red but my smile firm. “Fine. We’ll wait and see.”

I swore I would save my son and uncover the truth.

In my previous life, I had listened to Lauren’s advice. To avoid distracting Gabe, I stayed home. I even bought him a Lego set and Universal Studios tickets as a surprise for when the exams were over.

I had poured years of careful attention and boundless love into raising Gabe. As a full-time mom, I devoted my every moment to him. With Nathan always busy with work, I took it upon myself to manage everything for our son.

I never let Gabe do chores, encouraging him to exercise while I handled everything at home. I cooked him balanced, nutritious meals, tailoring them to his tastes. I even studied various subjects to help him whenever he struggled.

I raised him as a kind, moral, and brilliant young man—every parent’s dream child.

On the day of the SATs, I was full of hope, waiting outside the exam hall. Instead of my smiling son, I was met with his broken body, unrecognizable after the fall.

I collapsed, heartbroken. Lauren wailed beside me, accusing me, “Abby, why did you push Gabe so hard? Did his grades matter more than his happiness?”

“You hit him and stressed him out so much that he killed someone and jumped off a building. Are you happy now?”

I crumpled to the ground, pale and speechless. Around us, the parents of other students murmured harshly:

“So that’s how her kid was so perfect. She must’ve been ruthless. No wonder he jumped.”

“Poor boy. And what about the classmate he killed? What a tragedy.”

Their cruel words were unbearable. My son’s success had already drawn jealousy, but now their malice was like a tidal wave.

Nathan arrived, furious. He shoved me to the ground and, in front of everyone, played a video from our home cameras. In it, I was sternly telling Gabe to finish his homework before playing video games.

That single clip unleashed a storm of hatred online. People branded me a tyrant who had robbed Gabe of his freedom.

Driven by blind rage, strangers found my address. They stabbed me repeatedly. The physical pain paled in comparison to the agony of losing my son and being betrayed by those I loved most.

I couldn’t comprehend why my cheerful, kind-hearted son had done such terrible things before taking his own life.

I had to stop this from happening. I needed to go to Ashwood High School and prevent him from killing Logan.

I needed to rewrite this tragedy.