Chapter 2 I Wish Aunt Alexis Was My Mom

"Charlie, that's enough." Wiliam shot Charlie a look before shaking his head. Seeing this, Charlie reluctantly shut his mouth. I was stunned to know that Charlie ended up in the hospital with gastroenteritis after eating ice cream. "Who bought him ice cream?" I turned to William, my eyes red from panicking. "You went out with Alexis behind my back again, didn't you? You've always known that Charlie had a weak stomach since birth. I've been carefully following the doctor's dietary recommendations all these years, trying to nurse his digestive system back to health. " "He's been craving it badly because of how strict you are with him. He kept begging for it, and Alexis felt bad for him, so she bought him two cones." It was Alexis again. Ever since she returned, William and I had been arguing more regularly. "Alexis doesn't know any better, but do you not know either? Do you think giving him ice cream is loving him? You're only hurting him! Alexis will only spoil him further. And why didn't you tell me you were going out with her? Didn't you say you were taking Charlie to the library?" My voice trembled as I questioned William, and my thoughts grew more jumbled. I know I shouldn't overthink. But sometimes, a woman's intuition was terrifyingly accurate. William didn't answer me directly. "That's enough. It's only ice cream and not anything serious. Our son is right here. Let's not fight in front of him." "I'm not trying to fight with you, but can you stop ignoring everything I say? I'm only doing this for his own good!" My chest tightened with anger, but I swallowed it all down as my lips trembled. "He's a child, so he doesn't understand how serious the matter is. But you should know better! It's freezing outside, close to zero degrees. His stomach is already weak to begin with." Before I could continue, Charlie suddenly clutched his head and screamed, then swung his fist at my face. "Can you stop arguing? Why do you start yelling at me the moment you walk in? Isn't scolding me enough? Why do you have to argue with Dad too?" A piercing ache ripped through my heart, and my throat burned. "Charlie, I'm not scolding you. How could I ever scold you?" I forced myself to hold back my tears. "I'm just worried about you. I—" "Then shut up!" "Charlie…" He covered his ears with his tiny hands, and his eyes were filled with wrath. The child I had cared for with all my heart was staring at me with such disgust. A lump formed in my throat. I silently bent down and took a tissue to clean the spilled food off the floor. William squatted beside me and gently patted the back of my head. "You should go home first. Don't irritate him any longer. He's still sick. We can talk about whatever it is later." I stood up and left without saying anything, my eyes burning with tears. The instant I left the hospital ward, I heard Charlie's voice from inside. "Dad, how did you even fall in love with Mom? Don't you think she's crazy for constantly picking fights? Why don't you just divorce her?" Upon hearing this, I froze on the spot and felt suffocated. "What? She's your biological mother." "So what? Aunt Alexis said she's more terrible than a stepmother. I like Aunt Alexis. She always takes me to eat whatever I want, buys me video games, and never forces me to do homework. I can watch cartoons for as long as I want, and she never stops me. Do you know that I had a dream last night where she was my real mom? I was so happy!"