Chapter 1Thieves of My Son's Mother's Love

"Daddy, I want to see Mommy," my son, Simon Lloyd, murmurs after he regains consciousness on the hospital bed.

I freeze for a moment and instinctively look toward the hospital room door. No one is there.

Yesterday, after Simon came out of the operating room, my wife, Selena Aston, held his hand and said, "Don't worry. I'll be right outside waiting for you. I'm not going anywhere."

Why is she nowhere in sight?

I begin to panic and pull out my phone to call her, but there's no answer.

Just then, I see a new photo posted on Instagram. Her male colleague, Joe Carter, is the one who posted it.

The caption reads, "I'd like to thank a certain someone for filling the role of a mother in my daughter's life."

In the photo, Selena is wearing matching outfits with Joe's daughter, Katy Carter. She holds Katy in her arms while smiling brightly the whole time.

They look like a happy family of three. That is, if Selena weren't my wife at all.

* * *

"Is Mommy busy?" My son, Simon Lloyd, asks.

I quickly locked my phone and held back my tears. "She's busy. Be good, Simon. Let's not bother her."

I hadn't slept a wink all night, and my voice was dry and hoarse.

"Daddy, it hurts."

"Let me make the pain go away."

Simon had undergone heart valve repair surgery. He was only five years old.

I bent down and gently blew on the spot where it hurt. Still, I couldn't help but tear up.

Simon had always been sensitive. He realized I was on the verge of a breakdown, so he did his best to change the subject.

He wanted to make me feel better. He was only five years old, yet he endured his own pain to comfort me.

Seeing how thoughtful he was broke my heart.

My resentment toward Selena Aston grew, and I sent her a message. "Where are you? Simon's awake. He keeps saying he's in pain and wants to see you."

There was no response from her.

I checked the post Selena's male colleague made on Instagram. The photo was taken at the city sports stadium. I heard that many elementary schools were holding their winter sports days today.

Selena was smiling so brightly. She seemed even happier than she had been on the day Simon was born.

Her male colleague stood next to her, wearing a tracksuit of the same color. He held two bottles of water in his hand, and he had a warm, refined smile.

They looked like a happy family of three, laughing and talking cheerfully. The sight was unbearable.

An hour later, Selena finally replied to my message. "I'm busy."

I stared at the screen, my fingers trembling. "Busy being someone else's mom?"

It showed "Typing…" for ages before Selena finally sent me a long voice message. It was a little noisy, with people cheering in the background.

"Eric Lloyd, can you stop being so sarcastic? Joe's daughter doesn't have a mother to participate in the parent-child event with her at her winter sports day.

"It's not easy for Joe to raise his daughter on his own, and they only have each other. I can't just stand by and ignore them, right?"

Joe Carter was Selena's colleague of five years and had just gotten divorced. He and his daughter were all each other had. It was pretty heartbreaking.

But what about me?

Simon had just narrowly escaped death. He even had to spend 24 hours under observation in the ICU before he was transferred out.

I replied, "Simon just had surgery."

"Simon has you, right? You're a stay-at-home father. Taking care of our child is your responsibility.

"Katy's competition is about to start. Let's talk later."

I sent another message, only to realize I had been blocked.

A wave of disbelief washed over me, and a bitter taste filled my throat.

I looked at Simon, who was in so much pain that he couldn't sleep. Still, he was being so brave and did not utter a cry.

"Daddy, Mommy's not busy, right?"

"Of course, she's busy." I forced a smile. "She went… to buy you the best toy ever."

"You're lying." Simon closed his eyes, and tears slipped from the corners of his eyes into his pillow.

"Mom's with Katy. I heard everything."

I froze.

Of course. How could Simon not know? Children saw the truth more clearly than anyone.