The intern my husband brings home feeds our son hard liquor. My husband merely says I'm making a mountain out of a molehill when he finds out. Ultimately, our son dies.

After his death, I leave the country to be with my parents. That's when my husband regrets everything.

On New Year's Day, my husband Jamie Fletcher brought home a company intern. To ensure that Tara Klein slept comfortably at our place, he made me and our eight-month-old, Andy, sleep on the couch.

While I was asleep, Tara even fed Andy a shot of vodka.

Once I found out about it, she threw herself into Jamie's arms with a piteous expression. "I just feel sorry for Noelle. She has to wake up many times in the middle of the night to take care of the baby. She's in her 20s but looks older than my mom!"

Shaking in anger, I tried to kick her out of my place, but Jamie cast me a stern look. "Tara is being considerate. It's one thing to ignore her kindness, but you should calm down about the incident. It's just a shot of vodka. The baby will be fine.

"Apologize to Tara, or I'll freeze your credit card."

In a hurry to get Andy to the hospital, I had no choice but to apologize to Tara. After that, I heard Jamie mumbling in a smug voice from behind me.

"She's been using my money these years. I was too nice to her, and she forgot her place."

At the hospital, I called my parents who were abroad in an act of despair. I announced, "Dad, Mom, I'll take over the family business."

…

Mom grew hesitant when she received a call from me and heard that I planned to come home. "Darling, have you thought it through?"

Staring at Andy, whose eyes were tightly shut in bed, I replied softly, "Yes."

Mom finally believed in my words after I reconfirmed a few times.

"When are you coming home? I'll pick you up."

"I'll be back in a month."

A month was more than enough for me to get a divorce from Jamie, I thought.

…

After hanging up the phone, I asked the nurse on duty to take care of my son. I went home to grab bottles and diapers.

By the time I got home, it was already 3:00 am.

As soon as I opened the door, the heavy smell of alcohol hit my nose, making me cough.

Jamie, who was cooking some soup in the kitchen, was startled by my arrival. He quickly came out and glanced at Tara, who was sleeping soundly on the couch.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he grabbed my wrist and started pushing me toward the door.

"What's with all the noise? Tara finally fell asleep after a while. Are you trying to wake her up?"

He frowned upon seeing my grim expression.

"Tara has never been a mother. How would she know that you can't feed alcohol to a baby? Why are you giving her that attitude? She already feels guilty enough. If she sees your sour face, she's going to feel so much worse!"

Even now, he hadn't noticed that I had come home alone. Perhaps he did, but he couldn't care enough to ask. All that mattered to him was to keep me from waking Tara.

Ever since Tara moved in, she had captured all of Jamie's attention and affection.

From then on, I had to take care of Andy and also Tara, a 20-something who was as hopeless as a baby.

When I subtly suggested that Tara should move into a hotel, Jamie erupted in anger, pointing a finger at my nose as he yelled, "What's wrong with you? What if something happens to a young girl living alone outside? Can't you bear with her for just a little?"

It didn't matter how much I explained my concerns.

In the past, I endured all this for the sake of this family. But now, I refused to take it anymore.

I no longer wanted Jamie either.

Seeing that I remained silent, Jamie's face darkened. He tightened his grip on my wrist.

"Did you hear me?"

Taking a deep breath, I forcefully shook off his hand. I walked into the house in silence and started packing the items Andy needed.

When I grabbed the diaper bag and picked up the tin of baby formula, I realized it felt unusually light.

My heart sank. A wave of unease washed over me. I had bought this formula from abroad as Andy wouldn't drink anything else.

I opened every tin of formula, only to find them all empty.

Just as I was wondering where the formula had gone, Tara, who had woken up at some point, explained, "Noelle, I'm so sorry. It's my grandma's death anniversary. The sight of the baby formula reminded me of her ashes, so I poured them all out. Don't worry, though. I'll pay you back."

Before I could respond, Jamie jumped in. "It's just a few tins of formula. Why do you need to pay Noelle back?"

Clenching my fists tightly, I gritted my teeth and snarled, "Don't you know that Andy throws up whenever he drinks other types of formula?"

"Well, that's a good opportunity for him to break that bad habit. A boy shouldn't be so fussy."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh in the face of his indifference and said no more.

I thought, "Oh, Noelle. When will you wake up? You know that even with you and your son combined, you're no match for Tara in Jamie's heart. Why endure this humiliation any longer?

After packing Andy's belongings, I took a deep breath and left.

After returning to the hospital, I found Andy awake. The moment he saw me, he pouted and started crying.

I quickly asked the nurse to look after him again and rushed to prepare some formula for him.

But when I came back, I was shocked to see Jamie, who was supposed to be with Tara.

Jamie's shoulders slumped as he silently took the bottle from my hands and began feeding the baby.

The atmosphere grew so tense I could hear a pin drop.

Unable to stand it any longer, I broke the silence. "Why are you here? Aren't you worried about leaving Tara alone at home?"

He froze for a moment. Looking a little guilty, he said, "I was worried about you and the baby being in the hospital."

He hesitated before continuing, "Look, I really just see Tara as my little sister who died an untimely death. Don't overthink it, and please don't make things hard for her. Just do me this favor, okay?"

"Oh, do you see her as your late little sister? She certainly doesn't see it that way," I retorted mockingly.

Hearing my tone, Jamie turned to look at me, his hand unintentionally lifting the bottle. Andy choked and started coughing violently.

My face darkened. I instinctively rushed forward, snatching my son away and comforting him.

Realizing his mistake, Jamie looked regretful and was about to say something to me when his phone rang.

Perhaps irritated or driven by some other intent, Jamie answered the call on speaker right in front of me.

As soon as the call connected, an unfamiliar voice spoke in exasperation, "Hello, are you a relative of Ms. Klein? She's been in a car accident. No matter how much I tried to convince her, she refuses to go to the hospital and insists on waiting for you to pick her up…"

Before the person could finish, Tara's aggrieved voice came through.

"Jamie, I'm so sorry. I only went out because I heard Andy was hospitalized and thought I could help take care of him. But look at me. I'm so useless. I can't even go out without getting hit by a car…"

Right after that, the line went silent.

When Jamie tried calling back, Tara had turned off her phone.

Utterly panicked, he immediately turned to leave.

I, on the other hand, was secretly delighted. But just as I set my son down, Jamie stormed back in and grabbed my arm forcefully.

"Tara's in trouble. Are you seriously gonna just stand there doing nothing?" he said angrily.

"Hurry up and come with me to find her. If Andy wasn't in the hospital, she wouldn't have left the house late at night!"

I slapped him hard across the face. "She clearly left the house to look for you! Is she shifting the blame onto me and my son? You blind, heartless fool!"

In the end, I couldn't shake him off, and he dragged me out of the hospital and into his car.

Before getting in, Jamie hurled a caustic remark at me. "Don't bother coming back if we don't find Tara. And if I find out you were half-heartedly helping out, or if something bad happens to Tara, I'll make Andy pay for it with his life."

I was trembling all over, but I had no idea whether it was from anger or the cold.

Whether or not Jamie meant it, I couldn't risk my son's safety.

I called the hospital to ask the nurse to take care of my son. Then, I began searching street after street.

By the next day at noon, I was completely exhausted. Just as I was about to give up, my phone rang.

I wanted to hang up upon seeing Jamie's number, but my hand slipped, and I accidentally answered the call.

"Tara said she wants some of your homemade soup. Hurry back and make some," Jamie said.

In the background, I could hear Tara whining coyly, "Jamie, you've been by my side for hours. Go home and rest!"

"How can I rest when you're in this state?" Jamie replied gently.

Listening to the two of them flirt, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the nearby glass window.

My hair was a mess, my lips were cracked and peeling, and I hadn't had a sip of water in hours. The sudden break in my search efforts made me feel dizzy.

I barely made it home before collapsing onto the couch.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. Opening my eyes, I saw Jamie had already answered it.

"Has your passport expired?" he asked.

My heart sank. I snatched the phone from him immediately.

After finishing the call, I turned to see Jamie staring at me, expecting an explanation.

"A friend's passport expired. She's abroad and asked me to handle it for her," I quickly said.

Jamie nodded, grabbed a set of Tara's clothes, and walked out without another word.

I caught a whiff of my own sweat and decided to take a shower before picking up my son.

But I never expected Jamie to burst into the bathroom while I was showering. Without a word, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me out, saying, "Tara is suffering from internal bleeding and needs a blood transfusion. You have the same blood type as hers. Hurry up. Come with me to save her."

I clutched my robe tightly around myself, only to meet his disdainful gaze.

"I've seen every part of your body. Drop that act."

I struggled against him, but he shoved me into his car and sped to the hospital.

As soon as we arrived, Jamie pulled me toward the operating room while shouting, "Doctor, take her blood! She's O-negative!"

I tried to run, but Jamie's next words froze me in place.

"If I were you, I would listen and donate your blood to see Andy again."

"What did you do to Andy?" My voice trembled. "He's your son! Are you willing to harm your son for an outsider? How dare you call yourself his father?"

Tears began streaming down my face as I spoke.

In the three years we'd been married, this was the first time I had cried in front of him.

Seeing me like this, Jamie softened his tone . He stepped forward to embrace me. "Noelle, I don't want to do this either. But if I don't, you won't donate your blood.

"And Tara only got into the car accident because she was on her way to visit Andy in the hospital. We're responsible. I'll agree to whatever you ask as long as you save Tara, okay?"

Just as I was about to respond, the doctor emerged from the operating room.

"Have the blood bags not arrived yet?"

A look of anxiety crossed Jamie's face as he pushed me toward the doctor. "My wife is O-negative. You can draw her blood first."

I felt like a puppet as I extended my arm.

The doctor frowned at my dazed expression. "Ma'am, do you consent to donate your blood?"

It wasn't like I had a choice.

I forced a smile and replied, "Yes."

After my blood was drawn, dizziness swept over me. My vision was dotted, and I felt like I was about to collapse.

I instinctively grabbed Jamie's sleeve.

He frowned. Stepping back, he snapped coldly, "What's this? Are you pretending to faint after giving a little blood?

"Tara is in critical condition. I don't have time for your theatrics."

Those were the last words I heard from him before everything went black.

I was unconscious for an entire day. When I woke up, an IV needle was attached to my hand.

Without hesitation, I pulled out the needle. Blood trickled down the back of my hand as I forced myself up to look for Jamie.

After searching several rooms, I finally found Jamie with Tara. He was gently feeding her some soup.

The sight stung. I couldn't hold back anymore. "Where's Andy?"

Jamie froze for a moment before hastily looking for his car keys.

"He's in the trunk."

The trunk? My teeth chattered as I glared at him.

"Did you put Andy in the trunk? Jamie, you're worse than an animal."

Jamie didn't argue back.

Suddenly, he turned to Tara and asked, "Tara, where's my jacket?"

Tara looked innocent as she replied, "I'm sorry, Jamie. I noticed it hadn't been washed in a while, so I got it delivered to the dry cleaners. Did I cause you trouble again?"

Hearing this, I snapped. I lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck. "What did you just say? If anything happens to my son, I'll kill you!"

Jamie yanked me off her and slapped me across the face. Then, he stood protectively in front of Tara like some sort of guardian angel.

"Have you come to your senses? Tara didn't mean to do it. She's injured too. Stop bullying her."

"Andy will be fine. I'll go home with you to get the spare key."

I shot Jamie a cold look and fell silent.

Just as we turned to leave, we heard Tara cry out in pain.

Jamie paused and said apologetically, "Noelle, why don't you go home first? Tara can't be left alone right now."

Saying nothing, I rushed home. There, I grabbed the spare key and sped back to the hospital parking lot.

When I opened the trunk, I saw Andy's little face turning blue.

He wasn't breathing anymore.