Ashes of Betrayal

On my son’s birthday, my husband had asked his first love to pick our son up from our home.

While I stubbornly refused to let him go, a huge fire broke out in the hallway during our standoff.

I was struck by falling debris, and blood started streaming from my head. However, my son was unharmed as he lay beneath me.

My husband, who was a firefighter, came forward to rescue us. But he handed the only gas mask he had to his first love.

“Miss Leia has a weaker constitution. Dad, please get her out first. Mom, wait for the other firefighters to save you!”

I watched them leave with a faint, bitter smile.

It appeared that they had both forgotten about my severe asthma and the fact that I would die without a gas mask.

…

Through the blaze, I watched helplessly as my husband ran outside with another woman in his arms.

My son, whom I had risked my life to bring into the world, was so attentive toward Leia Scott. He would support her from time to time because he was worried that she might fall.

They never looked back at me.

I was engulfed in profound sadness. I was family, but they abandoned me without a second thought in that life-and-death situation.

Just half an hour ago, Leia had knocked on our door to take my son out for his birthday.

I rejected her offer, but James heard of the commotion while he was doing his homework. He stormed out of his room and knocked me out of his way. He then took her hand and headed toward the door blissfully.

I was deeply hurt, and I tried to stop them.

However, my son bit me on the arm and looked at me with resentment.

“Why can’t I go with Miss Leia?

“If it weren’t for you, Miss Leia would’ve been my mom. How I wish that you were dead!”

He must have hated me so much that he left a bleeding bite wound on my arm.

During the standoff, a fire broke out in the hallway.

We were trapped and waiting anxiously to be rescued.

My son did not even look at me. Instead, he stayed by Leia’s side and comforted her like an adult. “Miss Leia, don’t be scared. You’re important to Dad, so he’ll come to your rescue right away.”

My heart shattered. It had been seven years—this amount of time should have been enough to make even the most stubborn of people develop feelings for someone else.

Yet, he never did; all he had for me was hatred.

On top of that, his reasons for hating me were ridiculous. It was because I would not buy him expensive toys or let him play on his phone without finishing his homework.

The biggest reason was my refusal to allow Leia to be his mother.

Even so, when I noticed the slab that was about to fall, I rushed forward without hesitation to shield him with my arms.

The slab struck me on my head and left a gaping wound. But he pushed me away and grabbed Leia’s hand. He asked her with a concerned look on his face if she was scared.

Williams Taylor burst in with a gas mask, and he was the first to rush over. He got hold of the only gas mask and handed it to Leia.

“Dad, please save Miss Leia first, she’s not well. Mom can wait for the other firefighters.”

Tears streamed down my face, and I wore a bitter smile. I raised the medicine bottle in my hand and said, "My medicine’s almost out. I won’t be able to hold out much longer in this smoke."

On the exact same day seven years ago, I had suffered from severe complications during childbirth; I was on the verge of death.

I had grabbed Williams’s hand and asked him to save the baby at all costs before blacking out.

If it came to that, he had to choose to save the baby.

I had fought so hard to birth him. Yet, this child was holding on to Williams’s hand and begging him to save someone else today.

With Leia in his arms, Williams glanced at me and spoke coldly. “Christelle, you owe Leia this. Just wait for a bit, and my colleagues will be here soon.”

I instinctively grabbed his sleeves out of the desire to live and pleaded desperately, “Williams, I’m pregnant! You can hate me, but you can’t leave the little one!”

Williams was shocked. He had not been home much lately, and there had been no chance to tell him.

James saw his dad hesitating, and he pried my fingers off in anger.

“Mom, you can’t be so selfish! How can you lie to Dad like this?”

Leia was crying uncontrollably in his arms too.

Williams’s expression changed. Then, he shoved me aside and rushed out with Leia.

The thick smoke engulfed me, and my breathing became labored.

The inhaler in my hand was nearly empty.

I took one last deep breath and closed my eyes in despair.

A wave of bitterness washed over me.

I should not have started this ill-fated relationship.