“Emma, don’t stumble easily. I’ll always have your back.”
I remember each of his promises and vows.
When did it start?
When did his hand start holding another woman’s?
When could he say so casually: “I was young and foolish back then. Only now do I understand what the right choice is.”
I suppose in our youth, his love burned too intensely.
15.27 Thu. Nov 28 Go
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Liam Johnson would also promise me:
“Emma, don’t stumble easily. I’ll always have your back.”
I remember each of his promises and vows.
When did it start?
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When did his hand start holding another woman’s?
When could he say so casually: “I was young and foolish back then. Only now do I understand what the right choice is.”
I suppose in our youth, his love burned too intensely.
had forgotten-
We were never meant to walk the same path; the school setting just blurred our class divide.
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After staying home for a week, I started to enjoy living alone.
Cooking whatever I liked without considering others‘ tastes, like my favorite spicy hotpot.
Buying flowers to plant in the yard, binge–watching shows at home.
One night, right after finishing a drama series, I received a call from Noah Johnson.
“Mom, please come save me,” he cried loudly, sounding frantic and scared.
To be honest, I didn’t feel much.
I even reminded him, “Noah, I’m not your mother.”
He kept crying and hiccuping:
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He kept crying and hiccuping:
“Dad took me hiking, but he rushed back after getting a call from Aunt Ava, just leaving me there.”
“Mom, if you don’t come, you’ll never see me again.”
Perhaps there were loopholes in what he said.
But I didn’t think too deeply and immediately panicked.
They say if there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. What if Liam Johnson really did something like that…
I calmed myself down:
“Noah, don’t panic.”
“Tell me the address, I’m coming right now.”
- I grabbed my car keys and headed out.
Following Noah’s directions, I drove towards the nearby Luo Mountain.
Since it was a weekday evening, there were hardly any people or vehicles around the
mountain.
My heart raced even more.
I called Noah, but only heard the busy tone.
Such a huge mountain, how could I find one child?
I could hear my pounding heartbeat.
My hands gripped the steering wheel, sweaty
Even if we were divorced, even if I wanted to let go of Noah, he was still the child I had
raised.
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Then, an oncoming car crashed right into me
The blinding headlights left me disoriented, and I couldn’t avoid the collision…
I drifted in and out of consciousness as something warm trickled down my forehead.
When I came to again, I was in the hospital.
“Emma, you’re awake?”
It was Liam Johnson’s voice.
The antiseptic smell made me nauseous, and my head was heavily bandaged.
Liam Johnson looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot.
Behind him were Noah Johnson and Ava Williams.
I demanded, “Even if you don’t love me anymore, why didn’t you take care of Noah?!”
For a moment, he seemed bewildered:
“Emma, what are you talking about?”
I took a deep breath, anger burning in my chest: “Why would you abandon our young son in the mountains for your woman?”
www
Again, he froze in confusion.
He didn’t seem to be pretending.
Noah Johnson stepped closer and said meekly:
“Mom, don’t blame Dad.”
“I knew I was wrong. Aunt Ava said if I did what she told me, Dad would completely get over you and marry her.”
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“I was just hiding at the base of the mountain. When I saw you got hurt, I quickly found Dad. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
He started wailing loudly after speaking.
Ava Williams seemed completely unperturbed, almost innocent:
“Emma, kids just say stuff sometimes.”
In a flash, I suddenly understood.
Ava Williams used Noah to pass false information to me, then staged a car accident to get rid of me so Liam Johnson could marry her
I couldn’t tell if I felt more disappointed or hurt.
Liam Johnson seemed to get it too as he shielded Ava Williams.
“Emma, it’s probably just a misunderstanding!”
He tried to reassure me, “Besides, you’re fine now.”
I lay in the hospital bed, everything around me like a bizarre dream.
Was this the price of loving someone?
When they don’t love you back, it’s like a knife stabbing over and over until you’re
bloodied and battered?
“Liam Johnson, do you know this is a crime!”
“I can press charges against you.”
Liam Johnson’s brows furrowed slightly, but he still warned:
“Regardless, I don’t want you pursuing this. You know the power of my family’s legal
team.”
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Even Noah sniffled as he tried to take my hand:
“Mom, let Aunt Ava go.”
“It was my fault. I just wanted a new mom.”
The small boy shielded Ava Williams too, looking at me pleadingly.
Neither father nor son saw Ava Williams‘ triumphant smirk directed at me.
She had reason to gloat–the people I painstakingly raised were siding with her.
I closed my eyes: “From now on, I don’t want to see any of you again.”
Ava Williams left first with Noah, but Liam Johnson couldn’t resist adding:
“Emma, don’t cause any trouble for Ava.”
I nodded numbly.
Only after Liam Johnson left, satisfied and reminding me to “rest well,” were the divorce
papers sent in.
Perhaps out of guilt, he had finally signed them.
I was finally free.
What a relief.
For three full months, I remained hospitalized.
During that time, I came across many posts about family online.
Only then did I realize how difficult divorce can be.
I made a quiet decision:
To pursue a master’s degree.
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It wouldn’t be easy for me since I had studied accounting as an undergrad.
After graduating, I had married Liam Johnson and had a child.
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With no foundation, I had to pour all my energy into studying and practicing questions day and night to prepare for the entrance exam.
Finally, over a year later, I could breathe a sigh of relief when I received my admission
letter.
Yale University–one of the top universities in America.
While studying, I registered for a livestream account on a platform to provide free legal
advice to viewers.
I gradually gained some popularity.
One day, someone kept sending me lavish virtual yacht gifts in the livestream. Their username was “Missing Mom.”
Due to the large amount, it might have been an impulsive act from a child. I reminded them in a timely manner, “Don’t send gifts, I can answer any questions for free.”
The next second, they requested a voice call. I asked, “What’s the matter?”
The other side remained silent for a long time, not speaking up. I patiently waited, guessing the other side might be a child based on the account name.
“Can you hear me speaking?”
After waiting for a while, the other side called out in a low voice, “Mom.”
The voice sounded childish. I chuckled and teased, “I’m not your mom. If you call me that, your real mom will be upset.”
He trembled in his voice, sounding tearful, “No, you are my mom.”
I didn’t know what to do for a moment. Then, I heard a familiar voice from the other side.
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“Noah, why are you crying?” Low and impatient.
I realized what was going on. My mind went blank, and I ended the live stream. As far as I was concerned, it was just an episode. Afterward, I explained in the fan group, “Due to bad signal in the host room, we’ll stream next time.” I also blocked Noah’s account.
I didn’t know where he found me, but the past should have been buried long ago. Reopening it would only release a foul odor.
I thought the matter had passed until-
I participated in a mock trial competition and successfully won first place. This event had high prestige, attracting participants nationwide and media coverage.
For this competition, I almost worked myself into the hospital. The tangible feeling of the trophy gave me peace of mind, as my efforts had been rewarded.
The moment I stepped off the award stage, I was surrounded by the media.
“How are you feeling right now?”
“Congratulations on winning the championship. How long did you prepare for this competition?”
“We’d like to ask…”
One question after another. I smiled throughout and answered earnestly.
At that moment, a half–grown figure pushed through the crowd, holding a bouquet of
flowers.
“Mom, you were amazing!”
“Mom, congratulations!”
It was Noah. He had grown much taller and looked more mature. At that moment, he smiled genuinely, as if genuinely happy for me.
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Liam Johnson came out behind Noah. The two of them together immediately attracted
media attention.
My smile faded as I heard people around me say:
“Isn’t that Mr. Johnson?”
“Oh! I remember now, Emma Smith is Mr. Johnson’s wife.”
“Emma is so lucky to have such a lovely son and a loving husband.”
My divorce from Liam hadn’t been made public, so everyone still thought we were together.
Soon, the interviews about me turned to:
“We’d like to ask Mrs. Smith, is it blissful to be married for love?”
“Mrs. Smith, how did you raise such an adorable son?”
Gradually, they started asking questions revolving around the Johnson family.
I lost my smile, staring straight at Liam with dead eyes. “We divorced a long time ago.”
“Noah’s custody doesn’t belong to me. You can ask Liam about that.”
The scene fell silent. Noah insisted on giving me the flowers, trying to appease me, “Mom, I bought your favorite lilies.”
I didn’t accept them. The flowers dropped straight onto the ground. Noah turned pale and silently picked them up.
He didn’t know that I now hated lilies. In the past, I liked lilies. Ava Williams also liked them, even her perfume had that scent.
I had smelled it on Liam’s body and in his car more than once before.
Now, the smell made me nauseous. It was quite ironic that we liked the same flower and
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even the same man.
Liam walked towards me, tender and affectionate, “Honey, congratulations.”
I replied politely and distantly, “Thank you.”
The media quickly started taking pictures of us, the flashes never stopping.
I instinctively shied away. Ever since the car accident, I’ve had a traumatic response to strong flashes of light.
That experience constantly reminded me–to stay away from Liam and his son.
The joy of winning was diluted. I turned to leave. Noah followed me closely.
“Mom, I really missed you.”
“Can you stay?”
I could no longer hold back, telling him in a very calm tone, “Noah, you’re grown up now, so you should understand that people have to take responsibility for their choices. I’m no longer your mom. Your mom now is Ava Williams.”
His little face alternated between pale and flushed, his eyes reddening.
I really didn’t have the patience to deal with him. I turned to Liam, “Can you take him
away?”
I had a gathering to attend that night with friends from my graduate studies who wanted
to throw a celebration for me.
Liam’s gaze was fixed on me. “Honey, you’ve become more beautiful.”
I don’t know what Liam was thinking, but he took a call and left, leaving Noah following
- me.
I acted as if he didn’t exist. I took a cab to the address my friend sent, meeting people
waiting for me at the restaurant entrance. We chatted as we went inside.
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Noah didn’t dare follow, sitting alone outside the restaurant.
During the meal, someone tentatively asked me, “Honey, do you want to call that kid in?”
“He’s been sitting outside for almost three hours.”
Through the restaurant’s transparent glass, we could see Noah dejectedly waiting
outside.
I coldly averted my gaze, “No need.”
The people at this gathering were mostly those I was comfortable with. They didn’t ask further and were genuinely happy for my award. I ended up drinking quite a bit without
realizing it.
After we finished eating, someone suggested going singing.
But I had had too much to drink, so I declined.
One of the girls asked, “Who didn’t drink just now? Can you send Emma home? We’re not, comfortable with her going alone.”
“I didn’t drink,” said the usually quiet one as he stood up.
Luca Smith, my supervisor’s son.
We had met a few times before when I went to my supervisor’s home for meals.
After bidding everyone farewell, Luca politely helped me into the car.
Noah ran over, “Mom.”
Seeing his pleading eyes, I coldly said, “Have your dad take you back.”
Coincidentally, another car pulled up–Liam’s Bentley.
“Noah, do you see now? Your mom doesn’t want you at all,” Liam said, reaching for Noah’s
hand.
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I didn’t reply to any of them.
If it were the past, how could I let him suffer even a little?
But it was his repeated actions that exhausted my maternal love.
Three months later, Liam finally woke up.
He called me, “Can we meet?”
He didn’t state the reason, but I also wanted to see him.
At the hospital, I saw the bony, sickly–looking Liam. His complexion was poor, looking ill.
No longer the same as before, that appearance that once made my heart flutter.
Noah stood by his side, fidgeting as he brought a chair over for me.
His hair was messy, clothes thrown on haphazardly.
“Mom, you finally came to see us.”
“I didn’t come to see you two.”
I took out a stack of documents from my bag and handed them to Liam.
He asked me, “What’s this?”
As he flipped through them, the ventilator above his head let out a shrill beeping.
He couldn’t speak for a long while. “Bitch…”
I took out a stack of documents from my bag and handed them to Liam.
He asked me, “What’s this?”
6、ཏྲཱི79%°
As he flipped through them, the ventilator above his head let out a shrill beeping.
He couldn’t speak for a long while. “Bitch…”
He wanted to curse but didn’t have the energy.
I felt somewhat relieved.
♡ Fo
What I showed him were documents proving that Ava had opened a company under his name to engage in tax evasion.
Once he’s discharged, he’ll face legal consequences.
But it’s unknown if he can even be discharged.
I turned to leave. Noah grabbed the hem of my clothes, “Mom, I want to live with you.”
With his sick father and broken family, his life won’t be easy going forward either.
I said flatly, “No.”
He cried hysterically, tears and mucus mixing into a mess as he tried to hold my hand.
Dirty. Sticky.
I felt nauseous.
In an instant, I took out wet wipes from my bag and wiped my hands several times.
Seeing this scene, the light left his eyes.
He watched helplessly as I left.
Afterward, I started an internship at a top law firm.
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In an instant, I took out wet wipes from my bag and wiped my hands several times.
Seeing this scene, the light left his eyes.
He watched helplessly as I left.
Afterward, I started an internship at a top law firm.
The head supervisor was my graduate supervisor’s son, Luca.
Luca treated me quite well.
The information I had given Liam also came from him.
I was very clear that there was more than just friendship behind his actions.
But the unspoken understanding between adults allowed us to maintain decorum.
I was also moved, but at this point in my successful career, I lacked nothing.
It’s not like every woman needs a man.
Sometimes we’d arrange to play golf together, and attend parties.
When alone, I could read books and enjoy leisure vacations.
