Chapter 8

At the school gate, my own son repeatedly denied that I was his mother in front of so many parents. Zachary emphasized time and again that Jessica was his mother. Even though my heart was already shattered and bleeding, I still tried to convince myself that he was just a child and didn't understand the consequences of his words. "Zachary, I'll give you one more chance to choose! Take a good look at me, calm down, and think carefully. Who are you choosing between her and me?" Everyone's eyes were on Zachary. He hid behind Jessica, pressing his forehead against her back. "I choose my mommy, of course!" As soon as he finished speaking, Jessica cast a strange glance at me, then tried to carry Zachary away. "What a lunatic!" I certainly couldn't let her leave. I hurried after them to block their way. But someone stood in front of me. I lost control. "I need to go after my son! You can't stop me!" A flurry of voices chimed in, all expressing their disdain for me. "Has the trick of human traffickers evolved to this point?" "Yeah, look at how anxious she is. If we didn't know better, we'd think she was the kid's mother." "Exactly!" "We need to be more careful in the future!" Their disdainful gazes fell upon me, but I didn't have the energy to respond. I desperately wanted to catch up with Zachary. But no matter how I ran, someone would always block my way. When the police arrived, Jessica had vanished without a trace. Only then did the crowd part in front of me. Well-meaning bystanders rushed to the police. "Officer, you wouldn't believe how rampant human traffickers have become. "She came to the kindergarten, trying to snatch the child from his mother. His mother ran away with the kid, and she still tried to go after them. If we hadn't stopped her, she might've really succeeded!" I never imagined that Zachary would actually leave with Jessica right in front of me, especially after I had come to the kindergarten to pick him up. I stood frozen, dumbfounded. The police approached me. "Someone reported you as a human trafficker. Please come with us to the station." Since I couldn't catch up, I had no choice but to cooperate. "Okay." … At the police station, the officers verified my identity and quickly found out that Steven was my husband and Zachary was my son. They clearly hadn't anticipated this outcome and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry. We misunderstood you." "It's not really your fault." As I talked, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. "Even I didn't expect..." Zachary, the child I had poured my heart and soul into raising, had just called another woman "Mommy" in front of me at the kindergarten and left with her. Upon seeing me cry, one of the officers tried to comfort me. "Kids just don't understand the consequences of lying." They didn't know how to console me after that. They had seen many misbehaving kids, but one like Zachary, who wouldn't even acknowledge his mother, was a first. I felt completely lost and wanted to leave. Noticing my state, an officer stepped forward. "Do you need us to take you home?" "It's fine. Thank you." … I didn't know where Jessica lived. I could only contact Steven to get Zachary back. Besides, I wanted to ask him why didn't the teachers at the kindergarten recognize me but knew Jessica. Steven's company wasn't far from the police station. It was just over ten minutes away. I flagged a cab and told the driver Steven's company address, then sat quietly in the back, gazing out the window. I initially thought that this ten-minute journey would be enough to help me calm down, but the more I thought, the worse I felt. The tears that I had fought so hard to stop began to fall again. Did Zachary really like Jessica that much? So much so that he was willing to abandon me, his real mother? When I arrived at Steven's company, I didn't linger but headed straight to his office. Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard people inside discussing me. "Annalise is now old and ugly. She's like an old hag. Besides having a good temper and loving you, she has nothing going for her." "Right? Just look at Jessica. She's the same age but dresses like a young lady in her 20s." "And look at their personalities. Annalise stays home all day, only thinking about chores. She's so boring and dull. But Jessica is completely different. She's lively and full of energy! If I were you, I'd definitely divorce Annalise and be with Jessica." At once, I froze in my steps. Was I such a worthless person in the eyes of Steven's friends? Someone seemed to lean closer to Steven, asking, "What do you really think, dude? If you really don't have feelings for Jessica anymore, we're ready to move in." Their tone was filled with eager anticipation, making it clear that even if Jessica were divorced with a child, she still had her charm. Steven suddenly scoffed. Everyone fell silent, waiting for his answer. Steven's voice sounded unusually cold. "I only dated Annalise back then because Jessica left me, but Annalise was willing to come all the way here to find me out of love. "In my darkest moments, she was like a lifeline when I felt like I was drowning—a light guiding me when I was lost in the dark. I'm truly grateful to her. Before Jessica came back, I really thought I would spend my life with Annalise." The office fell silent. I could even hear everyone's breathing. So, Steven chose to be with me not because he loved me, but because he was rejected by Jessica at that time? And I just happened to be there? My already wounded heart suffered a deeper, heavier injury from his words. The pain was nearly unbearable. "Tell you what." Steven's voice sounded rational yet cold. "I always thought I had moved on from Jessica after all these years, though I've loved her deeply. "I even wrote her letters before my wedding, begging her to take me back. When she refused, I called her, too. "Back then, I would've called off the wedding if she had just said the word. But when she came back into my life, I realized I hadn't forgotten her. I still loved her." All my doubts were suddenly clarified by his words. It turned out that despite all the years we'd been married and the sacrifices I made behind his back, the one he loved was still Jessica. How foolish I was to think that as long as I didn't dwell on the past, our lives would return to how they used to be. I hurriedly wiped my tears. Just then, someone asked, "Then, why don't you divorce Annalise?"