After being reborn, take my mother to the peak of life

When my ex-husband, John, and I decided to split, he wanted to fight me for custody of our son, David.

"Why don't we just ask him?" John said, all smug.

David, eyes glued to his phone, glanced at me calmly. "You serious about this divorce thing?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Okay." He went back to his game. "I'll stay with Mom. Make sure she gets a good chunk of the money, though. I don't want her struggling."

1

John dragged David into his study. I tried to follow, worried, but the door slammed in my face. John's raised voice echoed from inside.

"David, I'm asking you again, you really want to stay with your mother? Don't forget, she's just a housewife. You think she can really take care of you?"

David's nonchalant voice replied, "Dad, it doesn't really matter to me. The thing is, Melissa is pregnant with my little brother now. If I stay with you, I'm worried it'll stress her out."

Even John, with his thick skin, had to be embarrassed having his affair brought up by his own son. The voices inside quieted down. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I felt a damp itch crawling across my face. I reached up to touch it, and the tears started flowing.

I sat numbly on the living room sofa, finally burying my face in my hands.

After a while, the study door opened. John walked over to me, and seeing me sobbing, he actually looked a little uncomfortable. He handed me a tissue.

"David will stay with you," he said slowly. "You can keep the car, the house, and I'll give you fifty thousand. If you agree, we can finalize everything tomorrow."

I looked at him blankly. Honestly, I was the one who wanted the divorce, but I hadn't really thought about the specifics.

"Don't give her the car," David suddenly piped up.

I snapped back to reality, a bitter smile touching my lips. Like father, like son. He was on his dad's side after all.

"Mom's driving is…let's just say it's safer if she doesn't have a car. It'd be a waste if she didn't drive it, and a crime if she did. Just give her the cash equivalent. That car's gotta be worth at least seventy, eighty thousand. A hundred thousand plus the house seems fair."

John stared at David, who just shrugged nonchalantly. John looked away.

"Fine. We'll do it that way. Tomorrow, 9 a.m., at the courthouse."

2

The front door closed. My heart clenched. With John gone, he might never come back. We had been together since college. Young love, sincere and pure. I thought we'd grow old together. I didn’t know how we ended up here.

"Mom," David's voice pulled me out of my sadness. "I'm hungry. Have you cooked dinner yet?"

I quickly got up, wiping away my tears. "I'll go grocery shopping."

His voice held a hint of pleading. "Mom, you're about to have a hundred grand. Can't we go out to eat?"

I took David to the Korean BBQ place down the street. He wrapped a piece of bulgogi in lettuce and handed it to me.

"Mom, it's all-you-can-eat. Gotta get our money's worth."

"Right," I mumbled, chewing without tasting. I’d been r...