The Moment of No Return

No one expected me to say that.

The room went dead silent.

Staring at my son's body, covered in red spots, I frowned as if repulsed. "Of all the days to die, he had to pick my birthday. Talk about a jinx."

The people around me shot me furious looks.

"Joyce, that's your flesh and blood! How can you be so heartless?"

"Your little boy is just three! He was so excited about sharing cake with you, and this is what you do?"

"Joyce, I can't believe I was ever friends with someone as vile as you."

Their anger was palpable, their insults hitting me like bricks.

James grabbed my wrist in disbelief, his grip tight. "Honey, stop spouting crazy talk!

"I know losing Brian is tearing you apart. However, no matter how much you blame yourself, it won't bring him back. If Brian could see you now, he wouldn't want you hurting yourself for him!"

James's words were sincere. It was as if he got that my harsh words came from a place of desperate love.

I just laughed.

I shot back, every word deliberate. "I chose not to give Brian the medicine on purpose."

I did not bother to hide my glee.

My mother-in-law, looking like she had lost her mind, charged at me. "Joyce! You monster, you'll get what's coming to you!

"You killer!

"Post her photo on social media! Let everyone see the monster behind that smile."

Echoes of agreement, fueled by a collective rage, rose in a chorus.

They grabbed their phones, pointing them at me, their flashes knitting a tight net of light around me.

It did not take long for the tide of public opinion to surge.

Insults flooded in.

[She's pure evil, she's going to burn in the inferno!]

[How can she dare wear white, thinking it makes her innocent? You can't hide the filth that clings to you!]

[She killed her own son! What a monster, a worthless woman.]

I was torn apart on social media, slapped with every vile label imaginable.

However, none of that changed the fact that Brian was gone.

My mother-in-law crumpled to the ground, her wails tearing through the air, "Brian! My poor, poor Brian… You're gone, and I don't want to live without you."

"Poor old woman."

"Such a decent family, cursed with a woman like that. The world just isn't fair."

"It's heartbreaking."

Her grief was contagious, pulling in the crowd.

The hushed murmurs around me were relentless, but James suddenly came back to himself.

"No, this isn't right."

James balled his fists, swallowing his sorrow as he looked at me and said, "Joyce, you carried Brian for ten months. You loved him more than life itself. How could you hurt him?

"When Brian disappeared last year, you kept vigil in front of the sacred statues for five long nights, praying for his safe return.

"I can't believe you'd want to harm him! Tell me you had a reason, any reason. Just speak, and I'll believe you!"

James's voice broke as he shouted at me.

His eyes were red with a desperate need for a different truth.

All eyes were on me.

I locked eyes with James, my voice steady and challenging. "Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself?

"You're the one who killed Brian, after all."