Reality crashed back down. With trembling hands, I straightened my son's small, cold body.
I dressed him in his favorite bear-patterned sweater, smoothing the fabric one last time before lowering him into the icy coffin.
Tucked beside him were two documents I'd guarded with my life—proof of my virginity and a DNA test confirming Benjamin Swanson was my brother.
Benjamin stood beside me, voice thick. "Why bury these, Beth? Why not shove them in Leo's face? He owes you your innocence."
My eyes burned, dry and red-rimmed. No tears left.
"I've explained it to him countless times," I whispered. "In his heart, he condemned me long ago."
Reluctance clawed at my chest as I lowered the lid. "Let these truths stay here. Let them sleep with Joey forever."
Once the arrangements were settled, I picked up my phone and dialed the number etched into my memory.
"Leo." My voice held no warmth. "Joey is dead. I'll send the divorce papers. Sign them, and we're done."
His rage was instantaneous. "Drop the act, Beth."
"Did you plan this? Faking our son's death so you could run off with your lover? It won't work!"
Benjamin snatched the phone. "Leo! I'm Benjamin Swanson—Beth's biological brother!"
"Brother?" Leo scoffed. "Convenient title for your lover."
Eva's voice cut in, dripping with sweetness. "Oh, Beth! I just found out I'm pregnant. I meant to ask—which medicines should I avoid? I wouldn't want to be like you, carelessly taking the wrong pills and giving birth to a retard."
Grief and fury exploded within me.
"Shut up! Joey wasn't a retard!"
Silence stretched for a few seconds before Leo's dark chuckle broke through.
"You two really are singing the same tune. You want me to believe you? Unless I see Joey's corpse with my own eyes, don't waste my time."
The next day, the small coffin was lowered into the earth at the cemetery.
I knelt before the fresh mound, fingers tracing the cold stone over and over: Beloved Son, Joseph Gilbert.
"Beth, you certainly know how to commit to a role."
Leo walked toward me, holding Eva's hand, expression dark.
I didn't look up. "What are you doing here? Leave. Don't disturb Joey's peace."
"Rumors are spreading through the capital's elite. They say my son is dead." He stopped directly in front of me, towering over my kneeling form. A mocking smirk played on his lips. "For such a major event, how could I not come see for myself?"
Eva rested a hand on her flat stomach, sneering. "Honestly, Beth, your acting is top-tier. Even the grave looks authentic."
She pulled out her phone and held it to Leo. "Look—Joey's having a blast abroad. How could he be dead?"
On the screen, a child who looked like Joey ran through an amusement park, smiling.
My breath hitched.
Before I could speak, Leo moved.
He wound his hand into my hair and yanked my head back hard enough to make my neck crack. Pain radiated across my scalp as he forced me to meet his eyes.
"Beth, you sick, twisted woman!"
His eyes were bloodshot, burning with rage.
"To force a divorce, to run off with your adulterer... you used our son's death as a bargaining chip? How can you be this cruel?"
