Chapter 1 The Food Smells Bad

"Dad, I don't want Mom to come. Can Aunt Alexis stay with me instead? I hate Mom. I don't want to see her!" I froze in place, my face turning deathly pale. When I learned that Charlie had been hospitalized with gastroenteritis, I rushed to the hospital in the pouring rain and ran three red lights along the way. I never expected to hear such heartbreaking words the moment I reached the door to his ward. William gently patted Charlie's head and said, "But your mom is already on her way. Since it's still raining outside, let's not have Aunt Alexis travel here. It's really cold. If she gets a cold, that won't be good." Charlie nodded obediently. "That's true. Colds are awful. Fine, let Mom come instead." After saying that, he gave a mischievous smile. My soaked clothes clung to my freezing skin as I lowered my head and stepped inside. "What happened to you?" Matthew stood up from his seat. "I was in a hurry and slipped." "Did you hurt yourself?" he asked. "No." "That's good. Be careful next time." He drew me into a warm embrace. Meanwhile, Charlie snorted coldly from the side. "You're such an idiot. How could you slip in the rain?" "Charlie, how can you speak to your mother that way?" William scolded him in a low tone. Charlie merely huffed, obviously not taking it seriously. An overwhelming sense of sorrow grew inside me as I watched his undisguised disdain and rejection. I didn't know if there was something wrong with my parenting or if there was another reason, but Charlie had been rebellious since he was young. People always claimed that when a couple had a loving relationship, their child would naturally grow up well-behaved and sensible. But Charlie seemed to be an exception. William and I had been together since high school. It had been almost eight years, and our love remained as strong as ever, and it became something that many people envied. Nonetheless, I had no choice but to teach him step by step. "Charlie, haven't I told you to always be nice no matter who you're speaking with?" He ignored me. I sighed. "I made you some delicious food." His little face scrunched up in disgust. "I'm not eating it. It's dirty." "It's not dirty. The thermal bag just got some mud on it." I swiftly unzipped the bag, revealing the clean lunchbox inside. A delicious aroma filled the air as I lifted the lid. "It's still warm, and it's all your favorites. There's shrimp and broccoli, and I even made you some soup." I softened my tone, trying to be patient. "The food smells really good. Just give it a try." "I'm not eating that. Take it away." Charlie turned his head aside and covered his nose. "It smells disgusting. Everything you cook stinks, and I don't want to eat it." His rejection and disdain ripped right through my heart. At the same time, my fury rose. "Charlie, that's too much." "I don't care. I want KFC!" "You have a weak stomach. You can't eat greasy foods. Did you know that when you were born—" "I don't want to hear it!" Charlie shoved the lunchbox, pushing it to the ground and spilling everything. I wasn't sure whether I was overthinking it, but ever since Alexis returned to Balerno and spent time with Charlie, his behavior had become more and more out of control. When he had tantrums previously, I could still reason with him. He would admit his mistake, apologize, and promise to change. But now, he had comebacks for every word I said, his expression was full of scorn, and his temper had become worse. "Aunt Alexis said it's all your fault. You never let me eat KFC or anything, and that's why my stomach is so weak!" Charlie's face turned red with rage. "Otherwise, how could I have ended up in the hospital just from eating two cones of ice cream today? It's all because of you! You did this to me!"