"Son, what's the matter?!" James's voice, thick with panic, cut through the door and into the room.

I opened the door with a steady hand.

The clock struck six o'clock on the dot—the same moment my son's tragedy unfolded in my previous life.

There he was, sprawled on the living room floor. The cake I had bought was missing a piece.

His complexion was ghostly, his hands clawing at his throat in a silent struggle for air.

An allergic reaction, no doubt about it.

James was tearing through drawers and cabinets in search of medication.

When he spotted me, his eyes brightened with hope. "Honey, our boy's having a reaction. You've got the meds, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've got them."

I nodded but stood still.

As my son's face started to turn a shade of blue, my mother-in-law's patience snapped, her voice laced with reproach. "If you've got the medicine, then for heaven's sake, bring it out!"

Even our friends were pressing me.

"Come on, can't you see how much he's suffering?"

"Joyce, where's the medicine? In your usual bag or your pocket? Think fast!"

The urgency was palpable, and everyone pitched in to search for the boy's life-saving pill.

The room was a whirlwind of activity, a mess of well-meaning chaos.

"Stop looking." My voice cut through the commotion, halting everyone in their tracks, "I have the medicine."

A pale blue pill lay in my open hand.

Relief washed over James's face. "That's it! Honey, hand it over quickly, I need to give it to our son."

James reached out, his face a picture of gratitude for his son's narrow escape.

However, I did something completely unexpected.

With a light laugh, I flicked the pill into the champagne tower. It fizzed, then sank.

Everyone froze.

James was livid. "What are you doing, Joyce?! That's our son's lifeline!"

James's hands shook as he tried to retrieve the then-dissolving pill.

Not wasting another second, he gripped my shoulders, his voice tight with urgency.

"Enough games, Joyce. You can joke any other time, but not now, not with our son's life. Get the medicine back! Now!"

All eyes bore into me expectantly.

I just shrugged. "It's gone, that was the last one we had."

"Why would you throw it away?" My mother-in-law gasped, clutching her heart in disbelief.

"It can't be." James shook his head, refusing to believe.

As our son's breaths grew fainter, I did not budge, just casually crossed my legs.

In a panic, my mother-in-law reached for her phone to dial emergency services.

However, the moment she connected, I snatched the phone and ended the call.

The screen went dark, mirroring the ashen pallor of our son's face.

"Joyce, what on earth are you thinking?!"

I offered no explanation.

James snapped out of his shock and redialed for an ambulance.

However, the precious minutes lost meant our son's breaths were then shallow and few.

My livid mother-in-law hissed through gritted teeth, "If anything happens to Brian, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, Joyce!"

"Mom, he'll pull through," James spoke up without thinking, coming to my defense.

He propped up our son, holding him in a half-sitting position to ease his breathing.

A quarter of an hour later, the doctor burst in.

We all stepped back, holding our breath, eyes wide with fear as the doctor rushed to save our boy.

However, Brian had already slipped away. His skin was a map of red welts, his little body barely twitching then—it was a bad sign.

I stood there, numb.

My lack of reaction drew sharp whispers from onlookers.

"Joyce, your son's fighting for his life, and you're just standing there?"

"Are you even his mother?"

Before I could muster a word, James was there, shielding me. "Sorry, Joyce is just in shock. She loves Brian more than anyone. Let's not do this now."

He shot me a look meant to comfort me, the same way he always had my back.

The doctor worked furiously, but time was not on our side. Brian's pupils were blown, the heart monitor flat.

The doctor let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head defeatedly. "I'm sorry, we've done all we can."

My mother-in-law's cry tore through the room as she begged, "There's got to be something more, doctor. Please, save our Brian!

"Brian, come back to us! Just open your eyes, look at me—I can't face this world without you."

My mother-in-law's tears flowed like rivers of sorrow, and James was shell-shocked by the news, frozen in place.

He shook his head, trying to shake off the disbelief. "No... this can't be happening. Brian's just a toddler, only three. It's just an allergy. He's got to pull through, right?"

James's eyes, brimming with tears, searched the faces around him for a glimmer of hope.

Someone looked away, the scene too painful to witness.

The doctor finished packing up the emergency gear and offered a gentle word. "Sir, try to find some peace."

Who could have imagined a birthday celebration turning into a wake?

My mother-in-law's heart raced as she realized it was because I had discarded the medicine.

She held her grandson's lifeless body close, her face contorted with rage as she screamed at me, "Joyce! This is on you, you're to blame for Brian's death!

"Why would you toss out his meds? Why?"

Her glare was piercing.

The crowd's eyes on me were filled with judgment.

"Yeah, that was the medicine that could've saved him."

"If Joyce had just gotten the medicine out sooner, Brian might still be here."

"The worst part is she threw it away. What kind of mother isn't frantic when her child's in danger? This isn't a game, it feels like cold-blooded murder!"

Accusations swirled around me.

James stepped in front of me again. "Enough. Joyce... Joyce had her reasons.

"The medicine was past its prime."

James tried to defend me, his hand in mine, forcing a smile that was more pained-looking than any tears.

"Honey, I know how much you adored Brian, and you're hurting too. This isn't on you."

However, the doctor's presence cast doubt on James's defense.

The doctor, with a furrowed brow, corrected him. "'Expired' just means it's less potent, not that it's unusable. If there's any doubt, I can get it tested..."

"Doctor!"

James's voice suddenly spiked, but he quickly regained his composure to explain, "My wife doesn't know much about meds, so it's totally normal for her to be confused.

"Plus, the meds got mixed with booze. Who in their right mind would give that to a toddler? What if it made things even worse?

"Joyce didn't have any other choice."

James's defense was strong.

As I watched the skeptical looks fade away, I blurted, "The meds weren't expired. I threw them out on purpose."

No one expected me to say that.

The room went dead silent.

Staring at my son's body, covered in red spots, I frowned as if repulsed. "Of all the days to die, he had to pick my birthday. Talk about a jinx."

The people around me shot me furious looks.

"Joyce, that's your flesh and blood! How can you be so heartless?"

"Your little boy is just three! He was so excited about sharing cake with you, and this is what you do?"

"Joyce, I can't believe I was ever friends with someone as vile as you."

Their anger was palpable, their insults hitting me like bricks.

James grabbed my wrist in disbelief, his grip tight. "Honey, stop spouting crazy talk!

"I know losing Brian is tearing you apart. However, no matter how much you blame yourself, it won't bring him back. If Brian could see you now, he wouldn't want you hurting yourself for him!"

James's words were sincere. It was as if he got that my harsh words came from a place of desperate love.

I just laughed.

I shot back, every word deliberate. "I chose not to give Brian the medicine on purpose."

I did not bother to hide my glee.

My mother-in-law, looking like she had lost her mind, charged at me. "Joyce! You monster, you'll get what's coming to you!

"You killer!

"Post her photo on social media! Let everyone see the monster behind that smile."

Echoes of agreement, fueled by a collective rage, rose in a chorus.

They grabbed their phones, pointing them at me, their flashes knitting a tight net of light around me.

It did not take long for the tide of public opinion to surge.

Insults flooded in.

[She's pure evil, she's going to burn in the inferno!]

[How can she dare wear white, thinking it makes her innocent? You can't hide the filth that clings to you!]

[She killed her own son! What a monster, a worthless woman.]

I was torn apart on social media, slapped with every vile label imaginable.

However, none of that changed the fact that Brian was gone.

My mother-in-law crumpled to the ground, her wails tearing through the air, "Brian! My poor, poor Brian… You're gone, and I don't want to live without you."

"Poor old woman."

"Such a decent family, cursed with a woman like that. The world just isn't fair."

"It's heartbreaking."

Her grief was contagious, pulling in the crowd.

The hushed murmurs around me were relentless, but James suddenly came back to himself.

"No, this isn't right."

James balled his fists, swallowing his sorrow as he looked at me and said, "Joyce, you carried Brian for ten months. You loved him more than life itself. How could you hurt him?

"When Brian disappeared last year, you kept vigil in front of the sacred statues for five long nights, praying for his safe return.

"I can't believe you'd want to harm him! Tell me you had a reason, any reason. Just speak, and I'll believe you!"

James's voice broke as he shouted at me.

His eyes were red with a desperate need for a different truth.

All eyes were on me.

I locked eyes with James, my voice steady and challenging. "Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself?

"You're the one who killed Brian, after all."