The Widower I Never Meant to Be

Luke replied sadly, "But Mommy promised we'd celebrate my birthday together."

Feeling sorry for him, I said, "Alright, we'll wait a while longer."

As if right on cue, the door lock clicked open. They arrived home full of shopping bags.

Luke immediately got up and rushed to the door.

Sarah had Nina in her arms. She smiled at Luke and said, "Luke, here's your birthday present."

"I knew you'd remember my birthday!" said Luke in awe. "This is the first time I've received a gift from you! I'm so happy!"

That made me feel some form of relief. At least Luke was happy. That way, he would not be so sad when I take him away.

However, halfway through opening his birthday present, Luke's smile stiffened.

It was a doll and a card. It looked like the type of free gift one got with a children's meal at a fast-food chain.

I could no longer hold back. "Is Grant Group doing so badly that they can't even afford a children's gift? You have to give him something from a children's meal?"

Sarah seemed to have realized how unsuitable it was. She immediately explained, "Nina wanted fast food today. It just so happens that they gave us a doll. I thought that all children liked it, which was why I brought it home for Luke as his present. If he doesn't like it, I'll go get something else for him tomorrow."

Which five-year-old boy would like a doll? The worst part was that it was a free gift. She did not even care about Luke.

I was just about to retort when Luke said understandingly, "It's fine. Thank you for the present, Mommy."

He handed Sarah the hazelnut cake that he had made. "Daddy and I made this cake together. Have some!"

The candle on the cake was lit once again.

Suddenly, Nina got down from Sarah. She tried to reach her hand out to grab the cake when Sarah reflexively smacked Nina's hand away, rebuking, "You can't eat that!"

The cake fell to the ground, smushed.

Luke and I froze on the spot, baffled.

Sarah's face paled a little. She said with furrowed brows, "I'm sorry. Nina is allergic to nuts. I was worried she'd grab it, so I had to act quickly. I'll buy you a bigger mango cake tomorrow, how about that?"

Tears fell from Luke's face, but he held back his sobs while biting his lower lip. He slowly bent down and picked up the birthday sign from the destroyed cake.

I clenched my fists and looked at Sarah disappointedly. "Sarah, don't you know Luke is allergic to mango?"

"Of course, I d-don't–Michael, I'm Stella. Of course I wouldn't know about that," said Sarah, her eyes not meeting mine. I knew she was lying.

She was Luke's mother. Luke had a mango once, and it was she who anxiously sent him to the hospital. How could she have forgotten what her son was allergic to?

Richard and Barbara stepped in to pacify the situation. "Michael, you're talking to Stella, not your wife, Sarah. What happened before, when we asked Stella to step in as his mother, was nothing but our own foolishness. Don't take it to heart."

Greg glared at me and chided, "Yeah, Michael. I know Sarah is dead, but you can't just try to steal Stella from me, right?"