he Day He Chose Her Over Our Dying Son, I Chose Vengeance - Chapter 20: Chapter 20
You are reading he Day He Chose Her Over Our Dying Son, I Chose Vengeance, Chapter 20: Chapter 20. Read more chapters of he Day He Chose Her Over Our Dying Son, I Chose Vengeance.
When I left the hospital, I had two documents in my bag.
One was Ethan's death certificate.
The other was the cremation authorization.
I couldn't let my child die alone in a city that never felt like home.
I was going to bring him back.
Back to a home where Jacob didn't exist.
At 7 p.m., Jacob finally came home.
He walked in wearing his crisp military uniform, carrying a teal cloth bag in one hand.
He dropped the bag on the floor like it was any other night.
"Make sure to wash the clothes in there tomorrow," he told me casually.
"Lillian's been exhausted taking care of Tyler by herself."
"Do her a favor and help out."
I almost laughed.
Why should I—his wife—be the one picking up after his childhood sweetheart?
I was about to snap back when he asked,
"Where's Ethan? He's not home?"
He glanced around, confused.
My heart skipped. I was scrambling for a lie when he went on,
"If he's not here, go grab some of his clothes."
"I'll take them over to Lillian's later."
"They just got back from Ontario and forgot to pack enough."
"Tyler can wear Ethan's stuff for now."
I didn't answer.
Jacob brushed past me into Ethan's room, opened the closet, and started pulling out his clothes.
He sorted through them like a bargain bin, frowning the whole time.
"This one's too worn."
"This one has a patch."
"This one's ugly."
All the clothes he'd ignored for years suddenly had flaws.
Because they weren't good enough for her son.
I turned away to wipe the tears from my eyes.
When I looked back, Ethan's clothes were scattered across the floor.
"Don't touch his things!"
I screamed and shoved Jacob away with everything I had.
He stumbled, his expression turning stormy.
"Are you insane, Ellie? They're just clothes."
"It's not like they're anything special."
"Once you finish washing Lillian's stuff, I'll return these to Ethan, okay?"
He pushed past me to leave, trampling over Ethan's clothes—
leaving behind a trail of dirty boot prints.
It felt like he was stomping on my heart.
But I didn't even have time to get angry.
"Wait," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Jacob turned, already annoyed.
"What now?"
My hands curled into fists as I pulled the cremation form from the drawer.
"I need to take Ethan back to my hometown for a few days."
"Can you sign this travel consent?"
He glanced at me suspiciously.
"Isn't school starting soon? Why now?"
I picked at my fingernails, forcing a lie through my clenched throat.
"A relative passed. I want Ethan to attend the funeral."
He blinked, then signed the form without reading it.
"Fine. Stay a little longer if you need. No rush coming back."
I lowered my eyes so he wouldn't see the tears.
"Okay."
Longer was exactly what I planned.
The longer, the better.
Maybe even forever.
As I walked him to the door, he suddenly paused, then reached into his pocket.
He handed me two soft caramel candies.
I froze, accepting them before I realized what they were.
They were still warm from his palm.
Some small part of me stirred—
Maybe he did still care.
Maybe I should tell him—
"They were for Tyler," he said flatly.
"He doesn't like them, so I was gonna toss them at the hospital. "
"Figured you could give them to Ethan."
"No point wasting them."
Whatever warmth I'd felt?
Gone.
Snuffed out in an instant.
I shut the door in his face.
Two days left.
One was Ethan's death certificate.
The other was the cremation authorization.
I couldn't let my child die alone in a city that never felt like home.
I was going to bring him back.
Back to a home where Jacob didn't exist.
At 7 p.m., Jacob finally came home.
He walked in wearing his crisp military uniform, carrying a teal cloth bag in one hand.
He dropped the bag on the floor like it was any other night.
"Make sure to wash the clothes in there tomorrow," he told me casually.
"Lillian's been exhausted taking care of Tyler by herself."
"Do her a favor and help out."
I almost laughed.
Why should I—his wife—be the one picking up after his childhood sweetheart?
I was about to snap back when he asked,
"Where's Ethan? He's not home?"
He glanced around, confused.
My heart skipped. I was scrambling for a lie when he went on,
"If he's not here, go grab some of his clothes."
"I'll take them over to Lillian's later."
"They just got back from Ontario and forgot to pack enough."
"Tyler can wear Ethan's stuff for now."
I didn't answer.
Jacob brushed past me into Ethan's room, opened the closet, and started pulling out his clothes.
He sorted through them like a bargain bin, frowning the whole time.
"This one's too worn."
"This one has a patch."
"This one's ugly."
All the clothes he'd ignored for years suddenly had flaws.
Because they weren't good enough for her son.
I turned away to wipe the tears from my eyes.
When I looked back, Ethan's clothes were scattered across the floor.
"Don't touch his things!"
I screamed and shoved Jacob away with everything I had.
He stumbled, his expression turning stormy.
"Are you insane, Ellie? They're just clothes."
"It's not like they're anything special."
"Once you finish washing Lillian's stuff, I'll return these to Ethan, okay?"
He pushed past me to leave, trampling over Ethan's clothes—
leaving behind a trail of dirty boot prints.
It felt like he was stomping on my heart.
But I didn't even have time to get angry.
"Wait," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Jacob turned, already annoyed.
"What now?"
My hands curled into fists as I pulled the cremation form from the drawer.
"I need to take Ethan back to my hometown for a few days."
"Can you sign this travel consent?"
He glanced at me suspiciously.
"Isn't school starting soon? Why now?"
I picked at my fingernails, forcing a lie through my clenched throat.
"A relative passed. I want Ethan to attend the funeral."
He blinked, then signed the form without reading it.
"Fine. Stay a little longer if you need. No rush coming back."
I lowered my eyes so he wouldn't see the tears.
"Okay."
Longer was exactly what I planned.
The longer, the better.
Maybe even forever.
As I walked him to the door, he suddenly paused, then reached into his pocket.
He handed me two soft caramel candies.
I froze, accepting them before I realized what they were.
They were still warm from his palm.
Some small part of me stirred—
Maybe he did still care.
Maybe I should tell him—
"They were for Tyler," he said flatly.
"He doesn't like them, so I was gonna toss them at the hospital. "
"Figured you could give them to Ethan."
"No point wasting them."
Whatever warmth I'd felt?
Gone.
Snuffed out in an instant.
I shut the door in his face.
Two days left.
End of he Day He Chose Her Over Our Dying Son, I Chose Vengeance Chapter 20. Continue reading Chapter 21 or return to he Day He Chose Her Over Our Dying Son, I Chose Vengeance book page.