When Love Is Gone, The Past Stays

On our tenth wedding anniversary, my husband from the Brooks family suddenly canceled our family trip.

Not wanting to ruin my son Jason’s excitement, I decided to bring along my best friend, Grace Johnson.

To my shock, the countryside lodge owner turned out to be my husband Daniel Brooks’s childhood sweetheart, Chloe Miller. She warmly greeted us, took our luggage, and even upgraded us to a hillside villa for free.

But that night, several rattlesnakes slithered inside, and Jason was bitten into unconsciousness.

I begged Chloe to drive us to the hospital, but she refused, saying she was too tired.

Grace and I had no choice but to carry Jason on our backs and walk for eight hours straight until we finally reached the hospital. Watching my son being rushed into the ICU, I wrote a warning post online through tears.

The next second, Chloe spread a vicious rumor that we had been playing some twisted three–person game and that’s why we ended up in the hospital. Overnight, my comment section was flooded with curses and insults.

Meanwhile, the doctor told me there was only one type of serum that could save Jason—but the hospital had run out.

I called my CEO husband, begging him to use his connections to get the serum. Instead, his voice was cold as ice:

“Why are you slandering Chloe’s lodge online? Having Jason act out a sob story won’t work!”

I cried and pleaded,

“It’s all my fault. I’ll take the blame. But please, just get the serum and save our son!”

Daniel remained indifferent.

“If you want the serum, then get down on your knees and beg Chloe for it.”

He was about to hang up. Jason was wheeled out of the ICU, barely breathing. The attending doctor shook his head in regret.

“I want… to talk to Dad…” Jason’s voice was weak and hoarse.

Eyes brimming with tears, I quickly pressed the phone to his ear.

“Dad…”

Daniel paused, then sneered softly:

“Emma Carter, at least make your act convincing. Did you find some middle-aged man to pretend to be Jason and call me Dad?”

“Do you have no conscience at all? You still won’t apologize to Chloe, is that it?”

I snatched the phone back, sobbing:

“Daniel! Jason is dying! You can say whatever you want about me, but can’t you at least believe him?”

“He’s on his last breath, and you still insult him like this?”

Daniel chuckled.

“You think I’m a fool? There are no rattlesnakes near Chloe’s lodge. Who would just get bitten out of nowhere?”

“If you’re going to lie, at least do your homework. Delete that post right now. If anything happens to Chloe, you won’t escape the consequences!”

“I won’t delete it! Everything I wrote is true—Jason really was bitten!”

“Enough. You don’t deserve to be his mother if you’re teaching him to lie for you at such a young age. I’m swamped with company affairs—I don’t have time for your nonsense!”

My anger exploded.

“Daniel Brooks, you bastard! You’ll kill your own son like this!”

Even the doctor beside me couldn’t hold back and shouted,

“Sir, your son has indeed been poisoned. You can’t just let him die like this!”

But before the doctor could finish, Daniel hung up.

I collapsed by Jason’s bedside, sobbing his name over and over. Grace wrapped her arms around me, blaming herself while cursing Daniel:

“He’s an absolute monster! What kind of man does this?”

“If only I had paid more attention back then… maybe…”

I shook my head, knowing it wasn’t her fault.

Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine Daniel would abandon his own son’s life for another woman.

Jason, his tiny body covered with tubes, lifted a frail finger to respond to me—leaving behind two silent streams of tears.