After I Left It Was Spring Again

The leaves picked up from the roadside, the flowers plucked along the way, or the simple stick-figure drawings from kindergarten. As long as he liked it, Ben would present it carefully to Wanda.

However, their loving mother and son's bond began to deteriorate ever since Wanda forbade him to eat sweets because Ben had a tooth decay problem.

As this thought went across her mind, Wanda choked back tears and began packing up all these items.

When the delivery man arrived, Wanda handed him the package and gave precise instructions, "Please send this to Villa No. 14 in Clear Water Bay exactly one week from now. The recipient’s name is Christina. Tell her she can have the husband and son now. After all, I’ve decided to discard this garbage heap of a father and son.”

"What are you discarding, Wanda?"

Just as the words fell, Eric held his son, Ben, in his arms as he walked towards her. The boy held a bouquet of vibrant red roses in his hands.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Ben ran eagerly toward Wanda. “Mommy, I picked these flowers just for you! Do you like them?”

He stood on his tiptoes and thrust the bouquet into her hands, his bright eyes were glistening with hope for getting her praise.

Eric glanced briefly at the departing delivery man. Suspicion flashed in his eyes as he asked, "What were you sending just now?

Wanda did not elaborate, she only said, "Nothing important., they were just some useless junks."

“You should’ve let the housekeeper handle that. You know you’re not in the best health and should be resting more,” Eric said disapprovingly, his brows furrowed. It seemed he was really concerned for Wanda, his wife.

“I’m not made of porcelain. A bit of housework won’t hurt me," Wanda refuted.

Eric shook his head helplessly. "You’re always like this. Leave such tasks to me from now on.”

He continued, "By the way, for our wedding anniversary tonight, Ben and I picked out a jade bracelet for you. Do you like it?”

He handed her a bag and his face was full of apology. “I had planned for us to have a nice dinner together in a restaurant, but something urgent came up at work. I had to take Ben with me to the office. How about we reschedule and celebrate the anniversary properly next week?”

Ben nodded his head enthusiastically and chimed in, "Daddy was super busy. I even fell asleep waiting for him at the office!”

Wanda studied Eric's face for a long time. Yet his expression only showed the love she used to see, there was not a trace of guilt there.

As for the supposed dinner at the restaurant, Eric had brough Ben along with him to see Christina. There was no way he could split his time to celebrate with Wanda, even if he wanted to.

Wanda only laughed as she looked briefly at the banquet in her hand and said carelessly, "I see. Let's go inside immediately. Look! Ben is freezing with cold."

In the past, Wanda would have immediately shielded Ben from the cold wind at the door. She would even offer him her scarf. Now, however, she didn’t bother. She simply used this as an excuse to change the subject.

Once inside, both father and son duo looked around the noticeably emptier living room with puzzled expressions.

Eric quickly realized that something was amiss. His lips tightened as he asked cautiously, “Wanda, did something go missing in the house?”

Ben also noted that the family portrait he had given his mother was gone. He hurriedly tugged the corner of Wanda's clothes and asked anxiously, "Mommy, where is my painting?"

Wanda calmly shook away her son's hand. She took a sip of water in the living room, then replied slowly, “Those things were taking up too much space. I sold them to the scrap collector."

When he heard this, Eric sighed a quiet sigh of relief. For him, as long as that matter remained concealed, everything was okay. Although he was cheating on his wife, inside his heart, Wanda was his one and only wife.

He relaxed his tense expression, leaned down and pinched Ben's dejected cheeks.