She Chose Power Over Our Love

a cup of coffee. Her performance was flawless. She spoke in hushed, sombe

up with fake tears. "It was just too much. Seeing that little coffin... I would

Every word she spoke was a lie, a carefully crafted fiction designed to paint her as

ad to see how far

Leo's things," I said, my voice hoarse. "May

face before it was smoothed away,

k care of it already. I had a service come yesterday while we were... while you w

my blood running

thing in the world. "His clothes, his toys... everything. I donated mo

y against the floor. I walked down the ha

s, leaving pale rectangles on the painted blue. The bookshelf was empty, the toy chest gone. There was no sign that my son

ing essential. Those were my memories, too. My last tangible co

dy trembling with a rage so deep it

impatience in her eyes. "See? I

ked, my voice barely a whispe

of dwelling on that? The doctors said it was peaceful. He just

is small, hopeful face burning in my mind. "He said you were tak

ith a wave of her hand. "He was probably just trying to

im; she was actively trying to kill my memory of him,

went into the garage. Tucked away in a corner, behind some old paint

His collection of colorful rocks. A little clay pot he had made for me, with a crook

ase him. I packed the b

on my personal projects, the aerospace and AI research that was my true passion. It had also become a special place for

iliar smell of solder and machine oil. I cleared off a large workbench

it was watching over the room. I arranged his rocks in a neat little row. I put the clay pot in the cent

lace where Leo's memory could live on, safe from Sarah's

g the quiet of the workshop settle over me. It was t

e driveway, I noticed a sleek, black sports car parked in th

y, on the shoe rack, sat a pair of expensiv

laughing. Sitting next to her, his arm casually draped

mile widened, a brit

o properly meet Mark. I know you've seen him at company events, b

p, gesturin

ed to come to the funeral, of course, but he was in the middle

ll my son. She was introducing him to me in our home, praising him for missing ou

it left me speechless. The rage I