After My Son Died, I Took Revenge Crazily!

The guilt on Daniel's face vanished in an instant.

He stepped in front of Claire, shielding her as he shot me a suspicious look. "Grace, did you hit her?"

I fixed my stare on Claire, my voice icy. "You have no right to judge my son."

Claire's eyes welled up with tears. "I know you've always looked down on me, but Daniel is a good man and capable. I don't want him to be kept in the dark.

"Oliver's so young, and he's already faking medical records. Who knows what he'll do when he grows up?"

I frowned, turning to Daniel. "Do you really think Oliver did that?"

Daniel fell silent, his gaze sweeping the room before a bitter laugh escaped him. "What else? Oliver's as strong as an ox. How could he be dead?"

I bit back a bitter smile, my heart heavy.

If he'd just read my messages or answered my calls, he would have known Oliver was gone.

But I was just a nuisance to him. He blocked my number and told me not to lose it.

In his eyes, Oliver's cries of exhaustion were laziness, and my illness was just me slacking off.

To Daniel, my son and I were like wound-up clocks, expected to tick along to his rigid schedule, every second mapped out by his rules.

But I was never one for rules, or I wouldn't have been the one to save him back then.

The year we graduated, while everyone else was hunting for jobs, I was off exploring the world.

One night by the river, I found Daniel ready to end it all. He said his father's pressure was crushing him, depression gnawing at him, and he just wanted to escape.

I stayed with him, night after night and helped him go from nothing to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Daniel's eyes bore into mine now, his voice dripping with accusation.

"Do you have any idea how exhausted I am every day? If it weren't for our son, do you think I'd bother with these relentless investors, this endless grind?

"And here you are, stirring up trouble instead of helping. If you were half as smart and driven as Claire, I wouldn't have to work so hard."

Claire was smart, all right. I knew that the moment I first laid eyes on her.

I was just passing through a remote village when I first met Claire. Her parents were trying to marry her off to an old bachelor right after she finished middle school.

I couldn't just stand by, so I stepped in and saved her, promising to help her get through college.

Back then, she was so grateful.

After I got married, I worried she might be struggling at school, so I often invited her over for meals, bought her clothes, and even got her a phone.

Then, in her sophomore year, I found out she was pregnant.

I panicked and urged her to get an abortion.

But Claire was stubborn. She said she'd never had a real family, and she was determined to raise the baby while continuing her studies.

I was furious and cut ties with her, but Daniel secretly supported her.

When she finally gave birth, I couldn't stay angry. I ended up taking care of her and even helped with the baby while she finished school.

When she had nowhere to stay, I let her live in our home.

It wasn't until Oliver started complaining that Daniel kept giving his toys to Lily and the neighbors began warning me to keep an eye out that I finally asked her to move out.

By then, she was more than capable of handling things on her own.

After that, Daniel seemed to get busier with work, staying late, working longer hours, and growing colder toward me.

I even thought about divorce.

But every time I saw how Oliver reacted when his classmates' parents divorced or when he eagerly awaited those rare moments Daniel spent with him, I hesitated.

I grew up an orphan. I didn't have much to begin with, so love or no love, it shouldn't matter to me.

I told myself that, but I couldn't stop the lump in my throat or the ache in my heart.

I was ready to let go as I had bought a small house by the sea, found a good school for Oliver, and was all set to live out the rest of our lives in peace, surrounded by nature.

So why, when Daniel couldn't even find the time to take Oliver to the doctor, did he rush to catch a flight to accompany Claire overseas?

I glanced at Daniel, disappointment heavy in my heart.

Oliver had asked me time and again after being let down by his father. "Mom, why doesn't Dad like me?"

I never knew how to explain it to him. Daniel had fallen out of love with me, and gradually, that extended to Oliver too.

They said love begot love, but I guessed hate worked the same way.

Just as Daniel was about to speak, Claire's shrill scream pierced the air.