The Unveiled Rose

"Mom, can you and dad get a divorce?"

It was 9 PM, and I was tucking my son into bed, convinced he was on the brink of sleep when out of the blue, he hit me with that question.

That one line left me reeling. My hand, which had been gently patting his back, froze in place.

A sharp twinge of pain pricked my heart.

Over the years, my husband and I have maintained a pretty good relationship.

Ideally, a child nurtured by love should feel blessed to grow up in such an environment.

But...

Why would he think like that?

I was puzzled, yet I softly asked, "Why would you say that, honey?"

I made sure to soften my voice, fearing I might accidentally scare him.

"Mom, you never let me have McDonald's or ice cream..."

His voice was fading into sleep, muffled and childishly innocent.

It was both amusing and bewildering to me. To think such trivial matters could lead him to wish for a divorce between his parents... The innocence of a child's world is just too pure.

I listened to his breathing become steady and knew he had drifted off to sleep. I was about to stand up and leave when...

"Ding-dong."

A sound came from the direction of his bedside.

I turned around.

Beneath his pillow, a light was shining.

Lifting a corner of the pillow, I found the hidden tablet.

I sighed.

My son was still young, and I was worried about him getting nearsighted, so I set strict limits on his daily screen time.

Though he often grumbled in protest, he had always followed my rules.

I never expected him to sneak the tablet into bed tonight.

I casually pulled out the tablet, intending to turn it off, but was caught off guard by the chat group page lighting up the screen. Group Name: Blissful Home^_^

It sounded just like something my son would say, using his favorite emoticon.

The group avatar looked like a family portrait of four.

I zoomed in on the photo, and there was a woman beaming broadly, holding two kids in her arms.

One of them was my son, Nigel Payne, holding a giant ice cream cone. His face was the picture of contentment.

And there was my husband, Leander Payne, standing right behind the woman. His gaze on her was tender and affectionate. Just like the way he used to look at me when we first fell in love.

It felt like a needle had pricked my heart, uncontrollably painful, yet my eyes involuntarily shifted to the woman's name...

The group showed that my son had labeled her as "Mom."

I was thunderstruck.

Trembling, I clicked on her profile.

There it was, her username: Le-and-Luna.

Luna... Leander's first love, Luna?

For a fleeting moment, I felt the absurd suspicion that I was dreaming.

My husband and son had formed a family group chat with his first love and her child, leaving me out.

They had a new family with someone else.

It felt like someone was squeezing my heart; I could barely breathe.

The group messages were overwhelming, my brain nearly shutting down, my fingers numbly scrolling up...

Actually, our family of three also had a group chat. But aside from the occasional message asking Leander when he would be home for dinner, that group was as silent as if it never existed. Just then, the "Mom" in the group suddenly sent a video.

My hands shook as I clicked on it.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

The video was clearly well-edited...

In just one minute, countless scenes flashed through.

Fried chicken, cola, a Ferris wheel, a carousel...

Nigel's little face was full of unrestrained joy.

Even Leander, usually so reserved with his emotions, couldn't hide his indulgence and affection...