When I Left with My Youngest Son, They Drowned in Regret
In my last life, I refused to grant a divorce, and for that, Evelyn hated me to her core. I always thought if I just waited until the children were a little older, she might come back to me. But all I got was the news of her flying to another country with our three daughters to throw a lavish beach wedding for him, for Adrian Thorne. It was a global sensation. I chased after them, demanding an explanation, only to be hit by a car. She and our three daughters stood on that beach, their eyes devoid of any emotion as they watched me die. As my consciousness faded, I heard our daughters clapping. “This is great! Now Uncle Adrian can be our dad!” At my funeral, my youngest son, Leo, cried his heart out. People tried to comfort Evelyn. “What’s he crying for? If your father had just agreed to the divorce sooner, none of this would have happened. He brought this on himself!” Later, Leo missed me so much he fell ill. He didn’t last long. It was only then that I understood. What I had been fighting for wasn’t a family. It was a joke. So this time, I have only one goal: to take Leo and disappear, to let them have their perfect little family.
1. “Wyatt, you say you’ll agree to a divorce, but you insist on taking that sickly child, Leo. Do you really expect me to believe you?” Evelyn held a pen, her eyes filled with suspicion. She must have thought I was playing the same old game, using our son to trap her. I couldn’t be bothered to argue. I just pushed the divorce papers closer to her. “Believe it or not, just sign it.” She stared at me for a long, hard moment before finally leaning down to sign. She slammed the pen onto the paper with a sharp crack. “You’d better mean it.” I didn’t spare her another glance. I turned and walked out. Back in my room, I called my mother in England. “Mom, Evelyn and I are getting a divorce. As soon as it’s official, I’m bringing Leo to you.” “Daddy?” The door creaked open. Leo stood there, clutching a stuffed tiger, his soft voice full of anticipation. “When is the birthday party going to start?” I knelt and ruffled his hair, my voice instantly softening. “Soon, sweetie. Daddy will take you down right now.” Seven years ago, Evelyn had given birth to quadruplets: three daughters, Rose, Lily, and Daisy, and our son, Leo. Today was their seventh birthday. I had just picked up their presents and was rounding the corner when the conversation from the study stopped me in my tracks. “Evelyn, are you really divorcing him for me?” Adrian’s voice was thick with emotion. “Rose and the girls are so lovely. I can’t bear the thought of him taking any of them. And he loves you so much… what if he changes his mind?” “He wouldn’t dare,” Evelyn’s voice was cold as steel. “If he doesn’t sign, we’ll just go abroad and have the wedding anyway. He’ll never see the children again.” “Uncle Adrian, don’t cry,” Lily chimed in. “I’m not going with the bad daddy!” “Me neither!” Rose added. Daisy was even more excited. “Can we be the flower girls at your and Mommy’s wedding abroad?” My nails dug into my palms, the pain a dull throb. Even though I’d already witnessed their betrayal in my past life, hearing it again still felt like a punch to the gut. I took a deep breath and stepped out from around the corner, my face a cold mask. “The party is about to start.” Adrian looked startled and quickly tried to excuse himself. “Mr. Hayes, I know I’m not welcome. I’ll leave now.” As he passed me, he suddenly stumbled, grabbing my arm and pulling me down the stairs with him. “Ah—!” My back slammed against the steps, a sharp, agonizing pain shooting up my spine. I saw Evelyn and the girls rush over. Their hands were reaching for me, but when they heard Adrian’s pained grunt, they changed direction, swarming around him instead. They helped him up and rushed him out the door, the three girls trailing behind. Not a single one of them looked back at me. Only Leo, my sweet Leo, stumbled over to me, his small body collapsing beside mine as he cried, “Daddy, wake up! Leo’s scared…”
2. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. For three days, not a single call from Evelyn or the girls. Only Leo came, every day, right on time, feeding me porridge with a small spoon, his little voice asking, “Daddy, does it hurt today?” One evening, the door was ajar, and I overheard the nurses chatting. “That Miss Evelyn in the VIP ward is so devoted to Mr. Thorne. She’s with him day and night, even makes him soup herself.” “I heard that when she was in that car accident years ago, he was the one who saved her life, gave her a massive blood transfusion. No wonder she’s so attentive!” My eyes flew open. I was the one who had pulled Evelyn from the wreckage of that car. I was the one who had given her a thousand milliliters of my own blood, nearly passing out in the process. How had Adrian taken credit for that? I closed my eyes, forcing down the surge of emotion. It didn’t matter. In this life, I was leaving. There was no point in fighting over the past. The day I was discharged, I passed the VIP ward. Through the crack in the door, I saw Evelyn, tenderly feeding chicken soup to Adrian. The love in her eyes was so thick you could drown in it. My three daughters were there too: one massaging his back, another reading him a story, the third feeding him fruit. “Evelyn, Mr. Hayes was hurt much worse than I was. Shouldn’t you go check on him?” Adrian said, his voice dripping with false sincerity, his eyes gleaming with triumph. Evelyn didn’t even pause. “He brought it on himself. Who told him to trip you? Let him think about what he’s done.” “Exactly!” Rose chimed in, frowning. “He’s always hovering around us and Mom. It’s so annoying!” Lily pouted. “We have maids, but he always insists on doing everything himself. He’s just a glutton for punishment.” Daisy added, “Uncle Adrian is handsome and a famous designer. He’s so much better than Daddy.” I stood outside the door, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white. All these years, I had worked myself to the bone for them, and this is what they thought of me. A nuisance. I really did need to reflect. Reflect on how I could have been so blind as to give my heart to such a pack of ungrateful wolves.
3. The moment I got home, I took Leo straight to the largest shopping mall in the city. In my past life, Evelyn always said it was “inconvenient to take a son out,” yet she took the girls horseback riding every week. I owed Leo so much. In this life, I would make it up to him, a hundred times over. I bought him a new casual blue outfit and styled his hair. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes curving into crescents as he smiled. “Daddy, I look like a little prince!” “You are a little prince, Leo.” I pinched his cheek. “Come on, Daddy’s taking you horseback riding.” We had just arrived at the stables when we ran into Evelyn and her entourage. Adrian was leading a chestnut mare, with Evelyn perched on its back. The three girls clustered around, a chorus of concern, terrified she might fall. When Evelyn saw me, her gaze faltered. It swept over me, from my hair to my shoes, then quickly darted away. Her expression hardened. “We’re getting a divorce. What are you doing following us here?” She paused, then added, “And don’t think for a second that dressing up like this will change my mind.” I pulled a startled Leo into my arms, patting his back comfortingly. “Who’s following you?” I replied coldly. “I’m taking my son riding. It’s a coincidence.” With that, I took Leo to get changed, not bothering to look at them again. But Evelyn’s eyes were like hooks, constantly snagging on me. Even when Adrian spoke to her, she was distracted. In my last life, they had played me for a fool, trapping me in the gilded cage of our family, making me their workhorse until I had nothing left to give, not even my life. This time, I was living for myself. This was just the beginning. An attendant soon brought out my horse, Frost. She was a purebred Arabian, a gift from my father before he passed. He’d had her imported specially for me. She was snow-white and spirited, and aside from me and her groom, she wouldn’t let anyone else near her. When Adrian saw Frost, his eyes lit up. “What a beautiful horse! I wish I had one like this.” Without waiting for me to stop him, he reached out to stroke her neck. “Hee-yee!” Frost reared up, her nostrils flaring in a warning snort of hot air. Adrian yelped and threw his arms around Evelyn for protection. “Take this crazy animal to the slaughterhouse!” Evelyn’s eyes flashed with anger as she screamed at the stable hands. “You dare!” I spun around, my eyes blazing, the hand gripping my riding crop trembling. “That was the last thing my father gave me! If you want to touch her, you’ll have to go through me first!”
4. The air crackled with tension. Evelyn stared at me, her expression unreadable. Adrian tightened his hold on her, his voice a soft, placating murmur. “Evelyn, let it go. I’m not hurt… Don’t let this ruin your relationship with your husband.” “Husband?” Evelyn scoffed, her gaze turning even colder. “He’s not worthy of the title.” But despite her words, the hand she had raised to wave away the stable hands slowly dropped to her side. The girls immediately surrounded me, their small fists clenched. “It’s all your horse’s fault! You scared Uncle Adrian!” I looked at their indignant faces and felt a wave of absurdity wash over me. I had raised these children from birth, and now they were siding with an outsider against me. “Daddy, can we not ride today?” Leo tugged at my sleeve, his voice a small plea. “Let the groom take Frost back. I’m scared she’ll get angry again.” My heart ached at his thoughtfulness. I looked at my daughters, at the suspicion and calculation in their eyes, and it chilled me more than Evelyn’s cold indifference. I started to lead Frost back to the stables, but Adrian suddenly blocked my path. “Mr. Hayes, I need to have a word with you.” I sent Leo back to the lounge. The moment Evelyn and the girls were out of earshot, getting water, the gentle mask slipped from Adrian’s face, replaced by an arrogant sneer. “I want this horse. Name your price.” “Not for sale.” “Don’t be a fool.” His expression darkened. He pulled a steel needle from his pocket, twirling it between his fingers. “You think Evelyn really cares about you? She defended me because I know how to play the game.” “Be smart and give me the horse. Otherwise, I’ll make her have it butchered. And then I’ll show her how you ‘accidentally’ hurt me.” My blood ran cold. Before I could react, while I was distracted, he lunged forward and plunged the needle deep into Frost’s side. “Hee-yee!” Frost shrieked in pain and went wild. “Ah!” Adrian was kicked by the horse and crumpled to the ground, screaming. Just as Frost was about to trample him, I vaulted onto her back without a second thought, grabbing the reins. “Frost, calm down!” “Wyatt, are you insane?!” Evelyn’s shriek cut through the chaos. She was charging toward us, a riding crop in her hand, which she brought down hard on the horse’s flank. “Are you trying to kill Adrian?!” The blow was vicious. Frost, already in a frenzy, completely lost control, bucking and kicking wildly. I was nearly thrown off, clinging to the reins for dear life. I saw a flicker of fear in Evelyn’s eyes as she watched me struggle to stay on, but it vanished the moment she heard Adrian’s cry of pain. Thankfully, the stable hands rushed in, managing to rope Frost and inject her with a tranquilizer. With a thud, she collapsed, foam frothing at her mouth, her body convulsing. I tumbled off her back. As I staggered to my feet, I heard Adrian sobbing to Evelyn. “Evelyn, don’t blame Mr. Hayes… He’s just so jealous of me. I don’t blame him…” With that, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out. Evelyn checked his breathing and let out a sigh of relief, but her anger quickly returned. She cradled Adrian in her arms and glared at me. “Adrian is still defending you, even in this state, and this is how you repay him? You have no decency!” “Guards! Take him to the confinement room! No one is to let him out without my order!”
5. Before she could finish, a commotion erupted from the direction of the pony stables. I looked over, and my face went pale. Rose, Lily, and Daisy, each on a small pony, were galloping toward me, screaming, “Daddy! Help us!” Their faces were masks of terror, their bodies swaying precariously on the ponies’ backs. It was a terrifying sight. My heart seized. I acted on pure instinct, sprinting toward them. They were my children, the ones I had raised. Even after their betrayal, I couldn’t just stand by. But as they got closer, I saw it. A flicker of triumph in their eyes. The smirk of a successful scheme. I tried to turn, but it was too late. Crack— Rose’s pony reached me first, its hoof slamming into my chest. A sharp, explosive pain, the sound of bone breaking. I was thrown into the air, landing hard on the grass. Before I could even catch my breath, Lily and Daisy’s ponies were on me, their hooves trampling my body again and again. I lay on the ground, blood pouring from my mouth, staining the grass beneath me red. My vision blurred, and the sounds around me grew distant. Through the haze, I heard Evelyn’s voice, a note of panic in it. “You’ve gone too far! No matter what, Wyatt is still your father…” Adrian immediately cut her off, his voice soft. “They’re just children, Evelyn. What do they know?” “I know you were just trying to stand up for me,” he said to the girls. “But what if you had gotten hurt? That would have really broken my heart.” “We just couldn’t stand him bullying you!” Rose’s voice was filled with a venom far beyond her years. “If we didn’t teach him a lesson, we would have felt sick!” “Uncle Adrian, we planned this all along,” Lily said, her tone just as cold. “It’s too much trouble dealing with him every day. It’s better if he’s seriously injured and in the hospital. At least then he’ll be out of the way and we’ll have some peace and quiet.” Daisy added, “And we heard you talking to Mommy. We three are from your and Mommy’s embryos that were put in her tummy. Only Leo is Daddy’s real son! We’re a family with you and Mommy!” My mind went blank, a roaring in my ears. No wonder Evelyn had suddenly suggested IVF when we were perfectly healthy. No wonder only Leo was the outcast. No wonder the girls were so cruel to me, and so attached to Adrian. So Leo and I were the outsiders in our own home. I tried to get up, to confront them, but every inch of my body screamed in protest. I couldn’t move a finger. The hatred in my heart and the pain in my body twisted together, tearing me apart. Then, everything went black.
6. I don’t know how long I was out. I woke up to a world of pain. I was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, a mummy in a hospital bed. The agony was a stark reminder that what had happened was real. The three daughters I had raised with love and care were not my own. Adrian walked in, dressed in a sharp, expensive suit. He was a jarring contrast to my bandaged form. “Tsk, tsk. You’re a tough one, aren’t you? Still alive after all that.” He circled my bed, his voice dripping with scorn. “The doctor says you might be paralyzed from the waist down. You may never walk again. What do you think Evelyn will think of me now, when she sees you like this?” I closed my eyes, refusing to acknowledge him. “You don’t know, do you?” he leaned in closer, his cologne making me sick. “While you’ve been unconscious these past few days, Evelyn has been by my side, day and night. Your three precious daughters have been telling me stories, feeding me my meals. They’re much more devoted to me than they ever were to their ‘daddy’.” He chuckled, poking my arm. “Oh, and by the way, that horse of yours, Frost? You’ll never see her again. Evelyn heard I’d never had horse meat, so she had it butchered on the spot. It was delicious. A shame you missed out.” My eyes snapped open. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I shoved him with all my might. “Ah!” He stumbled back, his hip crashing into a chair. He yelped in pain. “You cripple! How dare you touch me?!” He scrambled up and lunged at my bed, his foot aimed at my legs. “I’m going to kill you today!” “Stop!” Evelyn burst into the room just in time to see Adrian about to kick me. “What are you doing?!” she shrieked. Adrian’s foot froze mid-air. He immediately covered his face, his voice cracking as he feigned innocence. “I… I was just trying to help Mr. Hayes get a drink of water. He thought I was going to push him, so he hit me…” Perhaps the excuse was too flimsy, because for once, Evelyn was silent. I kept my mouth shut. Under the covers, my hand clutched a note my assistant had slipped me that morning. It contained the information I’d asked for, about a doctor, an old master of traditional medicine I had read about in my past life. A man who could supposedly cure illnesses Western medicine had given up on. Evelyn didn’t press the issue. She just said, “Let’s go,” and turned to leave.
7. Over the next two weeks, Evelyn only appeared twice. The first time, she came in with a thermos, a flicker of apology in her eyes. “I had the cook make you some pigeon soup.” I turned my head away. She set the soup down and left after a few minutes of silence. As the door closed, I heard her tell the guard, “Keep an eye on him. Don’t let Mr. Thorne in here again.” The second time, she brought an assistant and a pile of nutritional supplements. The moment she was gone, I told the guard, “Throw it all out.” Along with all the years of devotion I had wasted on her. The day I was discharged was the day we were scheduled to finalize the divorce. With the help of my guards, I stood up from my wheelchair, steady on my feet. “Let’s go.” On the way to the city hall, I received a message from my mother. “Wyatt, don’t worry. I have Leo with me. We’re waiting for you at the city hall. We’ll go to the airport together after you’re done.” I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, the last traces of doubt were gone, replaced by a steely resolve. I spotted Evelyn the moment I walked into the lobby. She was dressed in a sharp business suit, with Adrian, in his own custom-tailored suit, his arm around her. They looked like a couple about to get married. “Evelyn, are we really doing this today?” Adrian’s hand tightened on her waist. She looked up and kissed his chin. “If my father hadn’t threatened to disown me all those years ago, I never would have married Wyatt. I’ve made you wait so long. It’s time I gave you what you deserve. I can’t wait to be your wife.” Adrian laughed, but his eyes kept darting toward the entrance. “It seems I’ve arrived just in time.” My voice cut through the quiet lobby. I was wearing a black suit, my hair perfectly styled. I looked sharp, confident. I wanted them to see that without them, I was reborn. Adrian’s face fell. “How are you able to stand?!” he blurted out. Evelyn stared at me, stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this. “Evelyn, don’t just stand there! Let’s get this over with!” Adrian tugged at her sleeve, a flash of panic in his eyes. Evelyn snapped out of her daze and we went through the paperwork. With a final, decisive stamp, our eight-year marriage was over. Adrian let out a sigh of relief and pushed the three girls toward me. “Now you can tell the truth, can’t you? We all know you only chose Leo to make a point. So, which of these three do you want?” Just as he finished speaking, my mother walked in, holding Leo’s hand. “Daddy!” Leo cried, running to me. I knelt and hugged him, then looked at Evelyn and Adrian, and said, clearly and firmly, “From the very beginning, he was the only one I ever wanted.”
