"That’s my girl," he said, relieved. "Listen, Liam always wanted to see the ocean, right? I’ve booked a trip for us. The day after tomorrow, we’ll fly out and fulfill his wish."
He paused, as if waiting for my reaction. "We may have lost him, but as his parents, we can still honor his dream. Just wait for me to come pick you up."
***
That night, Sophia bombarded me with messages.
[Guess where we are?]
[Willy felt so bad about today that he bought me a private jet! We’re flying to Vegas right now to celebrate! Isn’t he the best?]
[Oh and don’t worry about Benny—he’s thrilled. Willy promised him a shopping spree. You should have seen his face when he realized he could buy anything he wanted!]
[A private jet. A shopping spree. Lavish spending to make them happy. And yet, when my son was alive, Willy couldn’t even spare him a fraction of that affection.]
I shut off my phone, but the words kept replaying in my mind. Willy, you keep saying we lost our son. But it was you who abandoned him long before he ever left us.
For three years, my Little Treasure had longed for his father to take him to see the sea just once. Yet, he never got that chance.
"Carol, what are you even trying to compete with me for?"
Since I couldn't win, I decided not to play.
The next day, Willy still hadn’t returned home, but Sophia kept sending me more and more photos and videos. Some were of her flaunting her lavish shopping sprees, others showed her draped over Willy as they celebrated their extravagant life together. The worst ones were videos of them entangled, using all sorts of tools to indulge in their twisted pleasure.
I didn't reply. I simply packed up all of my and Liam’s belongings and donated them.
On the afternoon of the third day, Willy finally remembered my existence and sent me a message:
[Carol, I’m sorry. There’s an issue at the company, so I couldn’t come home. My assistant will pick you up and take you to the airport. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.]
But he didn't know that, just a minute before, Sophia had sent me yet another video.
Today was Benny's birthday. Willy had booked the most luxurious hotel in the city to throw him a grand coming-of-age ceremony.