Chapter 2

Leaving the funeral home, I sat on the steps at the entrance, staring at Simon's death certificate, unable to speak for a long time.

I suddenly remembered that when Simon was being burned by the fire, I was sitting helplessly at the gate of the hospital.

The day before Simon died, Collin returned home early, which was rare.

He was carrying a bag of strawberries and sat down in front of Simon, who was drawing.

He patted Simon's head gently, smiled, and asked, "Simon, you love puppies, don't you? How about I take you to see some puppies at the store tomorrow?"

Simon's eyes lit up instantly. He stood up excitedly and threw himself into Collin's arms, asking, "Really, Daddy? Will you play with me tomorrow?"

Collin smiled, his dimples softly marking his cheeks, exuding warmth and charm.

To an outsider, they would probably think that their father-son relationship was deep.

But when Collin saw my stern face, he was displeased. "Hey, Aubrey, why are you so petty? Luna's husband passed away, and she's raising her daughter alone. What's wrong with me helping her? Do you have to show such a face in front of Simon?"

I snorted, exposing his hypocrisy. "Those strawberries are leftovers from Luna, aren't they? Otherwise, why would you bring them back for us?"

Collin instantly became furious and threw the strawberries to the ground. The fresh strawberries burst with juice, making the floor look scary.

"What do you mean, Aubrey? Can't you let it go? You just can't stand seeing Luna getting anything better, and you hope that she and her daughter will die on the street, right? How come I didn't realize you were this kind of person before?"

Tears of grievance welled up, but I refused to back down. I slammed the table, and though Simon tried to hold me back in fear, I insisted on speaking, "If you cared even a little about Simon, you'd know he's allergic to strawberries. He was hospitalized last month because of strawberry products. Where were you then? You were shopping with that bitch!"

"Why do you have such strong malice towards Luna? She is just a pitiful person, but you are being unreasonable, vexatious, and a total bitch." Collin couldn't hear about Simon's hospitalization. He only cared about Luna being insulted.

We parted on bad terms, and the next day, before I could stop him, he took Simon away without my permission.

I called him countless times, but when I heard Simon's voice comforting me on the other end, I couldn't help but soften. "Mom, don't be mad. Daddy took me to see puppies. You should rest well today."

But Simon would hide behind me in fear when he saw a puppy.

The one who loved strawberries and puppies was Eva, Luna's daughter.

My Simon always compromised for my sake.

But he was just a child, and he became the victim of the quarrel between Collin and me.

With Simon not at home, I was always distracted.

But when I saw Luna's latest post, I nearly broke down.

In the photo, she leaned on Collin's shoulder in a hospital room.

On the bed, Eva held a pretty puppy dressed in a princess outfit, smiling sweetly at the camera.

I didn't care about any affair between them. I only cared about my Simon.

Where was Simon?

Following Luna's location, I found Collin in the hospital corridor crowded with strangers. I grabbed his collar, demanding to know where Simon was.

Collin pushed me away, and I fell hard to the ground.

Luna rushed to help me up, but Collin stopped her. "Luna, don't bother with her. She's irrational, always embarrassing me."

But passers-by were not fools. They kept guessing about the complicated relationship between us.

Luna, unable to maintain her composure, awkwardly said to me, "Aubrey, what are you doing? Collin and I have known each other for at least twenty years. If we wanted to be together, we would have been long ago. We're just friends who share everything. Besides, how could Collin like a down-to-earth woman who prefers simplicity like me?"

Normally, I would have argued with Luna, but now, I only wanted to know where my child was.

Perhaps I did look like a madwoman then. I got up and slapped Collin hard. Luna tried to stop me, but I kicked her to the ground.

I screamed like a madwoman in the hospital until security intervened, and only then did Collin tell me Simon was at his store.

I rushed to the pet store without hesitation, but it was too late.

My Simon had turned into a charred corpse.

The child who was always afraid of dogs was found clutching two puppies tightly.

Perhaps in the terrifying flames and endless black smoke, only the puppies were willing to lick his wounded body gently.

We always cursed bad people as dogs, but puppies weren't bad at all.

Thinking of this, I suddenly wanted to know how Collin would react.

Would he feel even a shred of guilt for Simon's death?

I picked up my phone and gave Collin a call.

He didn't answer, so I kept calling.

After a dozen attempts, he finally picked up. "Aubrey, are you done yet? If you don't want to continue this, just divorce me. You're like a loose cannon, causing chaos everywhere. It's only because Luna doesn't want to argue with you, or else I would..."

"Simon is dead, in your store."

Collin fell into a rare silence.

Normally, when Collin insulted me for Luna's sake, nothing could stop him.

"You are fucking crazy. To get my attention, you'd even curse our child to death. Simon is unlucky to have a mother like you. Don't let me see you again."

Hanging up, I smiled with a sense of relief.

Thank you, Collin, for being so thoroughly vile.

I was a weak person. Even before this call, I hoped Collin would cry and beg for forgiveness from me and Simon.

If he had, perhaps I would have spared him.

Now I figured it out. It was no use for Collin to apologize.

Let him go to hell and repent. Killing someone meant paying with one's life. This was only natural.