A Mother's Second Chance

Chapter 1

Julian and I had known each other since childhood. After ten years of marriage, our life together had always been harmonious and sweet.

But right in the middle of our tenth-anniversary celebration, I heard my son's inner voice—

【Daddy is so busy. After spending time with us, he still has to go to his other family...】

...

The capital city, Polus Hotel, top floor.

Glasses clinked as the city's elite gathered.

Today was our son Ethan's fifth birthday party.

Surrounded by balloons and flowers, I looked at Julian's cold face, bitterness rising in my throat. As Ethan's biological father, couldn't he even manage a single smile for such an important occasion?

Just then, Julian glanced at his watch. "Can we cut the cake now? I have plans this afternoon."

Hearing his icy tone and seeing Ethan's smile instantly fade, my heart clenched as if squeezed by an invisible hand.

I had told Julian about this party a full week in advance.

Not only had he arrived late, but now he was rushing us.

I stepped closer to him and lowered my voice.

"Julian, you promised you'd be here for Ethan's fifth birthday."

He glanced at me, then expressionlessly reached out, covering mine and Ethan's hands with his own as he grasped the cake knife.

The moment the blade came down, I suddenly heard a confused voice.

【Mommy won't be happy when she sees the mango inside, will she?】

I instinctively looked at Ethan.

But his lips were pressed tightly together. He hadn't spoken a word.

Yet that young, familiar voice—I couldn't have been mistaken.

Julian noticed my hesitation and frowned impatiently. "What's wrong?"

I forced down my shock and shook my head. "Nothing."

Maybe I was just exhausted from organizing the party and had imagined it?

But when the cake was sliced open, revealing the mango filling inside, my heart lurched.

Beside me, Julian frowned.

"Vivian, you know Ethan is allergic to mango, don't you?"

I quickly shook my head. "No, I specifically told the bakery—"

Before I could finish, Julian cut me off coldly. "You ordered the cake. If something went wrong, it's your responsibility. Don't make excuses."

His impatient,冷漠 gaze pierced me like thorns.

Ethan was my only son. Julian had to know how much I cared about him.

But now, he wouldn't even ask a single question before assuming I was careless.

I stared at his handsome, cold profile, and my eyes suddenly burned.

Once, Julian and I had been young lovers, the picture-perfect couple in everyone's eyes.

He had adored me, cherished me, would have plucked the stars from the sky if he could.

But somewhere along the way, work and busyness had crept between us.

I had hoped things would improve after Ethan was born.

But after Ethan turned one, Julian started staying out more and more, not even bothering to explain himself...

I lowered my gaze, only to see Ethan looking up at me with worried eyes.

The ache in my chest became unbearable.

I pushed down my emotions and whispered, "Ethan, I'm sorry. Mommy will order you a new cake tonight, okay?"

Ethan nodded eagerly. "Okay, Mommy."

The moment his lips closed, that strange voice spoke again.

【Mommy, it's not your fault. Aunt Nadia switched the cake on purpose.】

This time, I saw it clearly. When the voice spoke, Ethan's lips never moved!

As I stood there in shock, a voice sounded behind us.

"Mrs. Warrington, I'm sorry, but there's an unexpected meeting Mr. Warrington needs to attend."

I turned around and met Nadia's polished smile.

She had worked her way up from the company's founding to become the executive assistant.

I looked at her, but my mind was on that strange voice I'd just heard.

*She* switched the cake?

As I was thinking, Julian put down the knife and walked toward her.

"Let's go."

Watching them walk away side by side, a strange panic surged through me.

I had never doubted Julian's loyalty to our marriage.

On our wedding day, he had held flowers and sworn, "Vivian, I will be faithful to you for the rest of my life, and my heart will never change."

But now... for the first time, I felt uncertain.

As their figures disappeared from my sight, that childish voice came again, this time tinged with tears.

【Daddy is in a hurry to go to his daughter's birthday party. He's abandoned us again...】

Chapter 2

Those words stabbed into my chest like a knife.

I turned to look at Ethan. My heart was trembling violently, but I didn't know where to begin.

Should I ask him how he knew these things? Or should I ask about Julian's affair?

But either way, it would hurt him...

Just then, Julian's mother walked over.

"Vivian, the Warrington Group is thriving now. Julian is busy, it's only natural. Don't take it to heart."

Looking at her indifferent expression, my voice came out dry.

"Mom, this is the second time he's left Ethan during a birthday party."

Mrs. Warrington's face cooled. Before she could speak, Ethan tugged at my finger.

"Mommy, I don't feel well. Can you take me to rest?"

My attention immediately shifted to him.

I crouched down, about to ask what was wrong, when I heard that voice again.

【Grandma is lying to Mommy too, just like Daddy. I can't let Mommy be bullied!】

I instinctively took his hand and looked at his innocent, worried face. My nose suddenly stung.

Mrs. Warrington spoke up. "Since Ethan isn't feeling well, take him home. I'll handle things here."

I gave her a complicated look, then took Ethan straight to the parking garage.

Once in the car, I watched Ethan from the rearview mirror as he dozed off in his car seat. I took a deep breath.

I forced down the questions that were on the tip of my tongue.

No matter what, Ethan was my son. That was undeniable.

Just as I turned the key, Ethan's voice echoed in my ears again.

【Daddy is taking his daughter to the amusement park today. I wish he would take me too next time...】

【When Mommy and Daddy make up, we can all go together...】

In an instant, the tears I had been holding back surged again.

I gripped the key tightly, letting its sharp edge dig into my palm, the pain spreading through my body.

Because of work, Julian had missed most of Ethan's childhood.

And Ethan had never once shown me how much he longed for his father.

But now I realized—it wasn't that he didn't want to. It was that he was afraid of making *me* sad.

At that moment, I couldn't even bear to look at Ethan's face.

I pressed my lips together tightly, swallowing the pain in my throat.

Half an hour later.

As I pushed open the door to our home, Ethan suddenly spoke. "Mommy, there's a meteor shower tonight. Will Daddy come?"

My heart skipped a beat.

Last month, Julian had promised Ethan he would watch this once-in-a-century meteor shower with him.

I pushed down my thoughts and smiled at Ethan. "Daddy is very busy. Mommy will watch it with you, okay?"

Ethan nodded obediently. "Mommy, I want to sleep now."

Watching his small figure walk toward his room, I felt like a boulder was pressing down on my chest.

I went to the study and dialed Julian's number.

It rang once, twice. Finally, he answered.

"What is it?" His voice was flat.

I gripped the phone tightly, my heart feeling hollow.

Before, when Julian answered my calls, he would always ask warmly, "What's wrong, honey?"

Even if I was just talking about trivial things, he would always respond.

But now, there was only obvious impatience in his voice.

I took a deep breath. "Julian, don't forget what you promised Ethan."

There was a pause. Then Julian said, "I can't make it tonight. Something came up at work."

I was about to speak when I thought I heard a little girl's voice in the background.

I froze. Before I could make it out, Julian hung up.

The living room fell into a terrifying silence.

The word "daughter" from Ethan's voice flashed through my mind, and I suddenly couldn't breathe.

I had always thought Julian was just tired, just distant. It had never occurred to me that he had fallen for someone else.

The cold enveloped me, and I couldn't even cry.

A moment later, I grabbed my keys and drove straight to Warrington Group.

For Ethan's sake, and for the sake of what we once had, I needed an answer.

Half an hour later.

I stood outside Julian's office, my blood running cold.

On the open balcony, he and Nadia stood hand in hand, their affection unmistakable.

And the little girl in his arms was waving her arms excitedly.

"Daddy, you weren't lying! The meteor shower is so beautiful!"

Chapter 3

I stood in the doorway, my heart crashing into a thousand pieces.

Everything Ethan had said... was true.

Julian really did have a child with Nadia.

But how did Ethan know? He was only five!

Countless theories raced through my mind, but none of them made sense.

My gaze drifted to Julian.

Even in the dim light, the doting smile on his face was so clear.

I couldn't even remember the last time he had smiled at me or Ethan like that...

In the end, I fled.

Back in the car, I slumped into the driver's seat, my mind blank.

But the sweet memories of the past kept flashing before my eyes.

When we were young, Julian had taken my hand and said, "Vivian, I will love only you for the rest of my life."

On our wedding day, he had slipped the ring onto my finger and said, "From today, I am completely yours."

When Ethan was born, Julian had held him and cried tears of joy. "Vivian, let's just have this one. I don't want you to suffer anymore."

How could a person's love disappear so suddenly?

The cold wrapped around me like a shroud, pulling me into a dark abyss.

My phone rang, dragging me back to reality.

I looked at the screen and found the strength to answer.

"Hello, Mrs. Wang? What's wrong?"

Mrs. Wang's anxious voice came through the speaker.

"Ma'am, please come home quickly. I can't calm Ethan down."

My heart clenched. I started the car and sped home.

When I pushed open the door, I saw Ethan sitting on the floor, crying until his voice was hoarse.

Mrs. Wang stood helplessly nearby. When she saw me, she looked relieved.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry. I just thought the toy was dirty and wanted to wash it. I didn't expect Ethan to react like this."

I picked Ethan up and saw the stuffed bear he was clutching tightly.

It was old and worn, with stuffing spilling out of its belly.

I knew Ethan wasn't a difficult child. I waited until he had calmed down before speaking softly.

"Ethan, why don't you want the toy washed?"

He burrowed into my arms and whispered, "It'll break."

He hesitated, then added, "Daddy gave it to me. It can't break."

In that moment, my heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer. The pain was so intense that my vision went dark.

My throat tightened. I couldn't say a word. I just patted Ethan's back.

When he had finally calmed down, I carried him to his room.

I watched him for a long time before speaking.

"Ethan, tell Mommy. Do you know something that Mommy doesn't?"

My heart pounded as I asked.

But Ethan just looked up at me with innocent eyes. "Mommy, what are you talking about?"

His gaze was so clear that I began to doubt myself.

Had I really imagined it all?

Later that night, Ethan fell into a deep sleep.

I watched him, but all I could see was the laughing child in Julian's arms.

The contrast was too much. My eyes burned with tears.

What should I do...

Julian came home the next afternoon.

The moment he walked in, he placed a gift box in front of Ethan.

"This is your birthday present from Daddy."

Ethan, who had been sitting quietly, lit up.

He hugged the gift happily. "Thank you, Daddy!"

I watched them from the kitchen, my hand pausing over the counter.

But then, that strange voice echoed in my ears again.

【So Daddy does think of me when he's buying presents for his daughter.】

I whipped my head around, my gaze moving from Ethan's smiling face to Julian's indifferent one.

I felt like I had fallen into an ice pit.

Just then, Julian's cold eyes met mine.

His lips parted. "I'm going on a business trip to New York for a month."

A month... right when our wedding anniversary was.

I opened my mouth, but Ethan spoke first.

"Can you stay a little longer?"

"Daddy, you can't go!"

Julian's face darkened.

"Vivian, what have you been teaching him?"

His contempt and sarcasm hit me like arrows. I clenched my fists. "Nothing."

Julian softened slightly and looked at Ethan. "Then why doesn't he want me to go?"

But Ethan just held my hand tightly and said nothing.

I could hear his desperate plea, though—

【Daddy, don't go! The plane will explode! I don't want you to forget Mommy and me!】