Chapter 6

Sylvia's fury instantly froze, as if doused by a bucket of ice water. Even now, Caleb was still forcing them into hiding to maintain his fake single status! She looked up at him. The same cold indifference remained in his eyes. Words choked in her throat, finally coming out as a single syllable: "Fine." She had planned to move out immediately anyway. She had no energy left to argue. As for Hunter...... he would find out on the day she left. Seeing Sylvia agree so readily, Caleb frowned slightly, sensing something amiss. He opened his mouth as if to question her. But Sylvia averted her gaze and walked upstairs, missing his expression. Just then, his phone rang. Sylvia heard Caleb answer urgently: "Vanessa, what's wrong? What? Luna has a fever? I'm on my way! Call an ambulance first!" His hurried footsteps followed, then the sound of the door closing behind him. Sylvia didn't look back. She would never again watch Caleb walk away. In the bedroom, she began meticulously removing every trace of herself from the house. Dust-collecting matching figurines, empty photo frames meant for pictures never taken, matching T-shirts Caleb never wore, and unused matching phone cases. After discarding these useless reminders, she moved to Hunter's room. His favorite toys, his drawings, the little stars he painstakingly crafted...... Every ordinary item now felt like a blade reopening wounds. Sylvia packed each one carefully, determined to take everything away. While clearing his desk, Sylvia discovered Hunter's wish list: 1. Go to the amusement park with Mom and Dad. 2. Go to the beach with Mom and Dad. 3. Mom and Dad are happy. He had later crossed out "Dad" on all three wishes. It became: Go to the amusement park with Mom, Go to the beach with Mom, Mom is happy. Sylvia fell to her knees, pressing the paper against her heart, tears falling anew. She had never taken Hunter to the beach. And he had died in the place he had longed to visit. She truly was a failure of a mother. Hunter had left this world bearing so many regrets...... Two hours later, Sylvia left the house with all her belongings. She didn't go to a hotel or her parents. She moved into the hospital dormitory. She took the calendar too, hanging it on the dorm wall, marking off another box. Seven days left. A week ago, she thought she would soon take Hunter to build a new life. Now, she had lost him forever. Her realization came too late. Deciding to leave Caleb happened far too late...... Sylvia clutched Hunter's favorite teddy bear, enduring a night of nightmares on the dorm's cold bed. The next day, while on duty, Sylvia received a call from the bridal shop. "Ms. Sylvia, your wedding dress, ordered a month ago, has arrived. Can you come for a fitting today?" Sylvia was about to decline when she heard Caleb's voice through the phone. What was he doing there? She swallowed her refusal: "Fine, I'll come now." Half an hour later, she took leave and went to the shop. Inside, she saw Caleb, smiling in a white groom's tuxedo. Vanessa stood beside him in a wedding gown, while Luna, dressed as a flower girl, beamed. Seeing Sylvia, Vanessa franticly pulled Luna behind her. "Sylvia! About your son...... I'm so sorry! Luna's young—she didn't mean it! Blame me! I'll do anything—I'll even kneel and kowtow!" She started to drop to her knees. Unsurprisingly, Caleb stopped her: "Vanessa, what are you doing? You have a heart condition! Don't get so worked up!" Luna also cried, grabbing her mother's arm. "Mommy, no!" Caleb helped Vanessa sit down, then pulled Sylvia outside. "Don't overthink it. It's Wednesday—you usually have many surgeries scheduled, so I didn't want to bother you. Vanessa's size matches yours, so she tried the dress. The gown looks good. You can wear it directly on the wedding day." Sylvia stared into his eyes for a long moment before replying coldly, "Fine." It was good that Vanessa looked good in it. After all, the wedding would never happen. The bride would never be her. Sylvia pulled her arm free. "Then I'll go. Things at the hospital...... You two continue your fitting." Caleb felt a pang of panic. Sylvia still seemed to believe him, tolerate him, just as before. But why was he so uneasy? He suddenly ran after her. "Sylvia, how is Hunter? I'll come see him tonight."