People always said Sue would read herself silly, that she’d turned into a total bookworm.
But her mom would proudly tell anyone who’d listen, “My daughter’s going to be a top lawyer, maybe even a judge one day!”
Sue got into the best law school, aced the bar exam, and graduated with straight A’s. Every prestigious law firm she’d only seen on TV came knocking, offering her a job.
Everyone congratulated her, flattered her. But her mom? She just quietly made her a bowl of pasta and said with a loving sigh, “My dear Sue, happy birthday. You’ve worked so hard.”
Because she couldn’t bear to leave her mom, Sue didn’t take the high-paying offers. Instead, she stayed in a small local law firm, handling trivial everyday cases.
She’d planned to live a simple life—follow the usual path, get married, have kids, and take care of her mom.
But life never goes as planned. The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop blowing. A child wants to care for her mother, but time waits for no one.
“Mom… I’ve failed you. I spent five years sharing a bed with your killer. Worse, I fell for him!
“I won’t stay by his side any longer. I’ll chase the dream you were so proud of, for both of us.”
Sue couldn’t hold back her sobs, her voice breaking the silence of the cemetery.
A gentle breeze brushed past. A yellow butterfly landed on her shoulder—her mom’s favorite color.
She froze.
‘Mom… have you been with me all along?’
The flight was in two hours, and Sue was still waiting.
But Irwin never came to the cemetery.
Instead, she kept seeing updates from Ava’s Facebook. Each new post chipped away at Sue’s heart.
Half an hour passed. She couldn’t wait any longer.
And finally—finally—Irwin made a move.
Not by coming to see Sue. Not even by calling.
He liked every single one of Ava’s posts. And then, he made his own.
[Time and love with you are both so sweet. No regrets, no doubts.]
The attached photo? Ava’s profile picture.
Sue’s heart turned ice-cold. ‘So this was it? Not even pretending anymore?’
She hit the like button on his post. Then she left for the airport without looking back.
By the time she refreshed the page again, she was already blocked from seeing his post.
Her phone kept lighting up with missed calls—over ten of them.
When didn’t answer a single one, Irwin started spamming her with messages.
[Sue, don’t misunderstand! My mom took my phone and posted that!]
[You know how much she loves Ava. Now that she’s divorced, Mom just feels bad for her.]
[Please, believe me?]
[Pick up, Sue! I’m really worried, don’t ignore me, okay?]
His panic was obvious.
But Sue just sat in the departure lounge, surrounded by the quiet hum of people walking by, the soft clatter of luggage wheels against the floor.
For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace.
Her restless, shattered heart was finally still.
‘Life is just one grand journey, isn’t it?’
Right before boarding, she sent Irwin one last message.
[If you have time, go pay your respects to my mom.]
That was where she set up his trial.
Whether he was forgiven or not—that was up to her mom.
