The house felt eerily quiet without Rocco.

Looking at the scattered toys around my feet, I wished more than anything that I could hear him call out just one more time.

"Dad."

But it was over. My son would never open his eyes again.

As I sat there, holding one of his toys, tears streaming down my face, I suddenly heard the sharp click of the front door opening.

The sound was echoing through the living room.

Reyna stormed in, tossing her bag onto the couch with an irritated huff, scanning the room for any sign of Rocco.

With obvious impatience, she snapped at me.

"Where's your son? Where the hell is he? His tutor called me several times today, asking where he was. He's gotten so bold, skipping class like that! Doesn't he realize he only came in second on the last test?"

Her barrage of insults hammered into my head.

Even as an adult, hearing those words stung deeply. How much worse must it have been for Rocco, who was only an elementary school kid?

When I didn't respond, her anger flared even more.

She pointed a finger at me, shouting.

"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf or something? I don't get you, Dayton! You have a good life, but it's like you've had enough of it. Why do you keep stirring up trouble every day, picking on Alfredo? What's your problem?!"

Staring at the woman I had loved for so many years, I suddenly couldn't hold back my laughter.

She came home maybe once every ten days or so, and whenever she did, it was to defend her first love.

She didn't even bother to ask about her missing son.

Still staring at Rocco's toys, I finally told her what I had been holding back.

"He's dead. Rocco is dead. The day you left us, he was killed by a mentally ill man..."

I couldn't bear to finish.

I had thought that telling her this would make her feel something, that it would move her in some way.

But all she did was freeze for a moment before laughing.

"Dayton, do you think I'll be fooled by you? Do you really expect me to fall for your little tricks? You're just trying to get me to let up on his extra classes. How pathetic do you have to be to make up a lie like that?"

How could such a mother even exist?!

She was just a mother who couldn't care less about her child.

Suddenly, I stood up from the couch. Reyna flinched, startled, and instinctively took a step back.

"What are you doing? Are you going to hit me now?!"

I didn't respond but just shoved the divorce papers I had prepared into her hands.

Something felt stuck in my throat, making it hard to speak. My voice came out rough and strained as I said.

"Reyna, I'm giving you what you want. You can be with Alfredo now. Let's get a divorce."

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly.

Reyna stared at me in disbelief, her eyes darting between me and the divorce papers.

Her hands trembled as she took them, and just when I thought she was going to sign...

She suddenly flew into a rage. She tore the papers into shreds, throwing them on the floor.

And then she stomped on them furiously.

After several seconds, she looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot, and spat out.

"Dayton, you begged me to marry you! You groveled on your knees for years, and I took pity on you! If it weren't for that, do you think I would have ever agreed? Now you want to divorce me? No way!"

With that, she slammed the door behind her as she stormed out, not sparing me another glance.

Watching her crazed behavior, I suddenly felt a strange sense of confusion.

Hadn't she always said that marrying me was the biggest humiliation of her life?

So why didn't she want to leave me now?

If she signed the papers, she could be with Alfredo openly and without shame.

So why was she so angry?

For the first time, I realized I couldn't understand her at all.

At the largest restaurant in the city, I sat next to my friend, unable to utter a single word.

The room was filled with friends who had rushed in from out of town after hearing the news, but no one knew what to say to comfort me.

They exchanged glances, starting to speak but then stopping, the awkward tension hanging thick in the air.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the hallway outside.

"Reyna, I didn't expect someone as young as you to achieve so much already. Keep up the good work, and who knows, maybe my position will be yours one day."

The next moment, Reyna's familiar and hypocritical voice filled the room.

"Mr. Floyd, you flatter me! It's all thanks to your excellent guidance."

The tone of her voice sounded so different.

It was usually so cold and distant toward me and everyone else, now dripping with a sickening level of sycophancy.

I recalled all the times she had boasted about how she looked down on people who sucked up to their superiors.

Then I shook my head speechlessly.

I didn't want to see her, but just then, a friend who had arrived late called me, asking me to meet him at the entrance.

So, with no other choice, I left the private room and walked toward where Reyna was standing.

I was dressed in a casual suit.

As soon as she saw me, her face went pale.

She immediately assumed I had come specifically to humiliate her in front of her boss.

But she didn't even notice that the chairman smiled warmly at me when he saw me approach.

The moment I walked past her, Reyna yanked me aside, gripping my arm tightly.

"What are you doing here? You can throw tantrums at home all you want, but right now, this is my work time. I'm about to get promoted, and if you mess this up, I swear we're done!"

She acted like I was some threat to her career, with no trace of the affection that should have been between us as husband and wife.

Instinctively, I tried to shake her off.

But her grip was surprisingly strong, and I couldn't break free.

"Who told you I came here for you? You're so self-centered. Am I not allowed to have my own business?"

Hearing this, she seemed to find it hilarious, as if I had told the funniest joke in the world.

She was about to mock me when the chairman's voice came from behind us.

"Reyna, what are you and your husband whispering about over there? You two look so sweet."

Embarrassed by his teasing, Reyna shook me off and denied it instantly.

"No, no! He's just a friend, not my husband. I… I'm not married yet."

She spoke with such certainty, and the others around her nodded in understanding.

"That makes sense now. I remember last time, it wasn't him who came to pick up Reyna after work."

"I've seen her husband before. They're so sweet together, even after all these years."

They continued their lively chatter, completely oblivious to how the chairman's expression grew darker with each passing second.

Finally, he turned to me with a questioning look.

"Dayton, you two aren't… married?"

Reyna looked startled, surprised that the chairman even knew my name, but before she could say anything, I simply shook my head.

Then I took a step back.

"Mr. Floyd, I don't know her."

As soon as they heard me, the expressions of everyone in the room instantly changed.

Reyna's face looked gloomy.

She would never know how she got the position.

Her supposed rise to the position of director through her "exceptional workability" was actually thanks to the chairman's longstanding friendship with my family, combined with my parents' behind-the-scenes efforts.

Otherwise, those major contracts she signed incorrectly when she first joined the company would have been enough to get her fired, or even to face legal action.

Just moments ago, the chairman, who had been so warm and friendly, now regarded Reyna with an icy stare.

With that single comment, her promotion hopes were dashed, and it was clear she wouldn't hold the director position for long.

Reyna was scared. She hurriedly grabbed my hand and began to explain.

"It's not like that. We've been arguing lately, and we're just having a tiff. This is my husband!"

The expressions of everyone around her changed immediately.

Having been in the business for years, the chairman could easily see through her superficial act.

With a cold snort, he said.

"You need to focus more on your family and figure out who gave you everything you have. Don't forget where you came from."

Reyna's head dropped.

She nodded and agreed repeatedly.

Unfortunately, the chairman refused to even glance at her again.

Instead, he turned to me with a warm smile, patted my shoulder, and sighed.

"I've heard about Rocco from your parents. I'm so sorry about it. You're still young, and you'll have more children. Don't do anything foolish in your grief."

I had heard such comforting words many times this month. Each time, I could only muster a faint smile to keep up appearances.

Hearing our conversation about Rocco, Reyna immediately rushed over, eager to showcase her role as a loving mother.

"Mr. Floyd, I raised Rocco all by myself. Although he was a handful and often caused trouble, I never skimped on his needs. He always had the best of everything."

A hint of pride appeared on her face, and the chairman was momentarily stunned.

He couldn't believe that Reyna was speaking about her deceased child with no sign of sorrow, even smiling as she did so.

Reflecting on his children, the chairman now saw Reyna as a heartless woman.

His tone turned sharply angry.

"So, you're actually pleased that something happened to Rocco?"

Reyna, completely unaware of what the chairman was talking about, could only agree.

"Of course, I'm happy! He's my child, after all!"

But the next second, the chairman could no longer maintain his facade of calm.

He shouted.

"You wicked woman!"

Reyna was startled and took a step back.

"Mr. Floyd, what's wrong? Did that child annoy you? Don't worry, I'll give him a good talking-to when I get home. I'll make sure he apologizes to you!"

Rocco had been gone for almost a week, yet as his mother, she seemed to know nothing about it.

This revealed how she had treated us, father and son, all along.

She had acted compassionate and well-mannered at the office.

But in reality, she was such an evil woman.

The chairman, shaking with rage, said.

"Apologize? You don't even know that your son had an accident on the road and died a week ago? How dare you say such things! You don't even deserve to be called a mother."

Reyna's smile froze, and she asked in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"I said, your son encountered a mentally ill person on the road a week ago and has died!"

With a thud, Reyna collapsed onto the floor.