Chapter 6

I ignored the message. It was from Annamarie, asking if I would attend his eighteenth birthday party. My silence was my answer.

The next few days blurred into a monotonous cycle of work, exhaustion, and the silent hum of my empty room. I continued my routine, scrubbing away the grime of other people's lives, trying to scrub away the memories that clung to me like stubborn dirt.

A week later, I was hunched over a pile of bricks at a construction site, my back screaming in protest as I moved another heavy load. The cheap cotton of my shirt was soaked with sweat, my muscles burning. That's when I saw him.

Annamarie. He was standing there, alone this time, his figure a stark contrast to the dust and debris of the site. He had grown so much, taller than me now, his lean frame radiating a youthful energy that I no longer possessed. His legs, once twisted and fragile, seemed almost normal, a testament to the expensive therapies I had fought tooth and nail to get him.

He looked awkward, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Mom?" His voice was rough, unaccustomed to the word, but the sound of it still sliced through me.

I didn't answer. I just hoisted another heavy sack of cement onto my shoulder, the weight a familiar burden. I walked past him, my gaze fixed on the wheelbarrow ahead, willing myself to be deaf, blind, numb.

"Mom, wait!" He rushed forward, his hand grabbing my arm, his grip surprisingly strong. Desperate. "Mom, please. Katherine and... Jace... we've all missed you so much." He paused, taking a breath. "You didn' t reply to my text. It's my birthday today. Please, just come. For this one time." His voice cracked, and he clasped his hands together, his eyes pleading, filled with a raw, undeniable guilt.

Just like when he used to break a vase, or sneak out for a late-night adventure. That same look. The one that used to melt my heart.

I stood there, the heavy cement sack digging into my shoulder, the dust settling around us. The world seemed to hold its breath. I looked at him, truly looked at him, for the first time in seven years. The boy I had saved, raised, loved more than life itself. The boy who had betrayed me.

"Okay," I said, the single word a rasp in my throat.

He blinked, relief washing over his face. He led me to a sleek, black car parked discreetly away from the construction workers. The drive was silent, punctuated only by Annamarie's nervous attempts to speak, each one met with my stony silence. I just stared out the window, watching the city lights blur, preparing myself for the final act.

When we arrived, the hotel glittered, a beacon of opulence in the night. The grand ballroom, however, wasn't decorated like an eighteenth birthday party. It was a proposal. Everything screamed extravagant romance, white roses, soft lighting, and a diamond ring displayed on a velvet cushion.

Annamarie' s face fell, a shadow crossing his features. He stood beside me, smaller now, almost cowering, as if the grand display was an accusation.

My eyes swept to the center of the ballroom. Jace, on one knee, holding a sparkling ring up to Katherine, who was beaming, her hand pressed to her pregnant belly.

A birthday party. I almost laughed, a dry, humorless sound that caught in my throat. My son's eighteenth birthday was merely a backdrop, a footnote to their grand declaration of love. The real show, the main event, was this sickening charade.