I didn't know how to respond to Marie's question. My resentment over Zachary's lack of trust in me intensified.

Mustering a forced smile, I replied, "Zachary's working, Mom. He can't get away."

I wasn't sure if Marie believed me. Her smile seemed to have faded slightly. She gestured for me to come closer. Doing so, I noticed that her eyes were red.

"I know Zachary has done you wrong, Annie. I know what's going on. He has never been home whenever I've gone over to your house recently. How can a person be that busy?" Marie said.

She spoke with strength, and her cheeks looked flushed. My heart clenched at the sight of that. I knew patients often showed signs of improvement before taking their last breath. Seeing this now, I felt even more anguished.

Marie noticed my sorrow. She used her hand, which felt extremely cold to the touch, to wipe my tears away.

"Once I'm gone, there won't be anyone to help you teach him a lesson. You're a lovely person, Annie. You should be happy. Stop allowing yourself to be hurt like this. You should get a divorce," Marie said. "I'm to blame too. I never thought he would end up like his father…"

A tear rolled out of the corner of Marie's eye, and her hand slowly collapsed onto the bed.

I tried not to cry, but it didn't work. I couldn't stop myself from sobbing.

"Mom!"

The heart rate monitor flatlined.

I was never going to get to eat her handmade pastries anymore.

…

When I went over to Marie's house to go through her belongings, I saw a letter on her desk. I didn't know when she had written it, but it was addressed to me. It was only after reading the letter that I found out Zachary's father had cheated on her.

She had suffered a lot in her early years. Life only improved once Zachary was older.

Marie hated unfaithful people the most. Who would've thought that Zachary, the son she adored and raised on her own, would become one such person too?

Marie's relatives and I organized her funeral. Perhaps I had cried my eyes dry already, for even when I saw the large grayscale portrait of her, I couldn't shed any more tears.

During the funeral, some of the relatives asked me why Zachary wasn't in attendance. This time, I didn't cover up for him. I told everyone that he was busy helping Gigi, his beloved first love.

John Palmer, Marie's younger brother and Zachary's uncle, was so outraged that he called up Zachary and questioned, "Where are you, Zachary? Why aren't you here after what happened to your mother?"

After a long silence, Zachary finally asked, "Uncle John, is Annette with you?"

John glanced at me before humming in acknowledgment.

"Can you pass the phone to her?" Zachary requested.

John hesitated for a moment before handing me his phone. I accepted it with a frown as I wanted to hear what Zachary had to say.

"Yes?"

Immediately, Zachary lashed out at me.

"Can you get any more shameless, Annette? You paid my uncle to put on a show with you, didn't you? Your mom can die for all I care, but my mom has been nothing but good to you! How dare you curse her by pretending something has happened to her? When did you become like this? You can't even begin to compare to Gigi!

"If not because I know Mom wouldn't agree to it, I would be filing for divorce right this instant! Stop calling me. Gigi's situation is serious. I have no time for your games!"

Having said everything he wanted to say, Zachary ended the call. He had no clue that John had put the call on speaker mode. All of the relatives present heard what he said to me.

John was so furious that he nearly got a heart attack. He couldn't stop berating Zachary for being an ingrate.

All along, all of Zachary's relatives thought of him as a decent young man and a wonderful son. He was handsome, well-educated, and had a good job. Yet, he was behaving this way when Marie had passed away. He had no conscience to speak of!

Staying silent as the others rebuked Zachary, I stared at the photo of Marie in the center of the funeral parlor. She had a warm smile on her face. I had taken that photo of her back when Zachary and I first got married.

I could still recall the way she had taken my hand after that. With all the earnestness in the world, she told us to be good to each other, even giving Zachary a double reminder to do so. She also said that I was to tell her if Zachary ever treated me badly. She promised to teach him a lesson on my behalf.

At the time, Zachary protested, saying, "What are you talking about, Mom? Why would I ever treat her badly?"

"There are no guarantees in life. Who knows what might happen in the future?" Marie retorted.

None of us expected her words to act like a prophecy.

I was still caught up in my memories when someone asked, "Why didn't the culprit show up either?"