The car idled for a moment—a brief hesitation from the man behind the wheel.

Then the engine roared. He whipped the car into a U-turn and sped away, leaving me standing alone in the dust.

A bitter smile curved my lips.

I had seen this coming, yet a dull ache still throbbed in my chest.

Kneeling before my mother's grave, my mind drifted back. After Justin's parents died in that accident, it was Mother who had taken him in. She didn't just give him a roof over his head or food on his plate—she treated him exactly as she treated me, her own flesh and blood.

I still remembered the day Mother passed away. Justin had stood there, eyes bright, face flushed with emotion as he swore an oath.

"Ava, I will never forget your mother's kindness. I swear to cherish and protect you for the rest of my life."

Now, only a few years later, he had forgotten everything.

A cold gust swept past. I wiped the tears from my face. The bulky mobile phone in my pocket rang, breaking the silence.

"Come home." Justin's voice came through, hesitant and thick. "I have something to tell you."

Could it be news about the bone marrow donor for our son?

Hope surged before I could stop it. I hurried back to the house, breathless.

But the moment I walked in, Justin wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Ava, I have news." Under my expectant stare, he gritted his teeth and forced the words out. "The factory has a publicly funded project—a business trip to New York that allows accompanying family members. I've decided to take Brooklyn and Tommy."

The hope withered. Coldness settled deep in my bones. Bitterness rose in my throat, though I kept my expression blank.

Beside him, Brooklyn curled her lips into a smug smile, posturing as if she were the true lady of the house.

"Don't worry, Little Sister-in-law," she said, her voice dripping with faux sweetness. "When we come back from New York, we'll bring gifts for you and Carter."

Justin looked at me, panic flickering in his eyes. "You know how it is. Brooklyn and Tommy... they've had such a hard life..."

That excuse again.

Just because they had "lived badly," I was expected to surrender every opportunity that rightfully belonged to me and my son?

Fortunately, I no longer cared. As long as he fulfilled his duty as a father and secured a bone marrow match for Carter, nothing else mattered.

"Okay," I said, feigning compliance.