After my husband and son abandoned me

There was a fire at home.

As a firefighter, my husband was the first to rescue our son and the kitten from his first love.

In a rush to calm his panicked first love, he hurried out.

When the other firefighters asked if anyone else was still inside, our son glanced in my direction and shook his head.

"There's no one else."

Later, I was rescued, but in critical condition.

My son waited outside my hospital room, his face full of regret.

"Why didn't you just die in there? If you'd died, Cece could be my mom."

*****

When I heard those cruel words come from my son's innocent voice, I couldn't help but shake with disbelief.

"Theo Latham, I'm your mother! How could you say that to me?"

Theo, whose face looked almost exactly like my husband Victor's, showed a flash of disgust.

"So what if you're my mom? You've never been good to me! I wish you'd just die already so Dad could marry Cece."

He snorted, pressing his hand hard on the wound in my abdomen.

Five years ago, I gave birth to him, and the pain nearly tore me apart, leaving a long scar on my belly.

Five years later, he pressed his hand onto the same spot.

Watching me twist in pain, he smiled, clearly satisfied.

"This is your punishment. Cece could've been Dad's wife! I'm going to see Muffin now. You stay here, you evil woman!"

With that, Theo turned and left.

I was left alone in the sterile hospital room.

I stared at the white ceiling, the pain still eating at me.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

I overheard nurses whispering as they passed by.

They said how sorry they felt for me—alone in my hospital bed, with no family, not even a caregiver.

Yeah, I was pitiful.

What did I really get out of these seven years with Victor?

Neither he nor Theo—my own son, the one I'd struggled to bring into this world—cared more about Celeste Harper than me.

In their eyes, I didn't even rank higher than Celeste's cat Muffin.

During the fire, I protected Theo and ended up trapped under a collapsed bookshelf.

Victor, the fire captain, ignored the warnings of his teammates and rushed in to save us.

But he didn't even look at me as he carried Theo, unharmed, and the cat Celeste left at our house. They all left the scene without a second glance.

I thought he would come back for me. I waited for rescue, but then I overheard Theo talking with the other firefighters.

"Theo, your dad took the cat to the hospital. Is there anyone else still inside?"

I was almost suffocating, smoke clouding my vision.

But for some reason, Theo's voice cut through clearly.

"There's no one else. You don't need to go in."

Victor's teammates praised him for being so mature.

But as I lay there, a cold wave of dread washed over me.

How could there be no one else?

Theo had just been pushed away by me, barely missing the bookshelf.

Why was he lying?

The pressure in my chest intensified, and I screamed for help with whatever strength I had left.

Finally, someone noticed me and I was saved, rushed to the hospital.

But the...