Scottie's List

The apartment Ashley owned was 300 sq. meters located at fifth floor at the center of the metropolis and surrounded by special economic zones. This was in her name and was given by the grandfather of Jaxon Elijah.

In the past life, Ashley barely used this place. After all, most of her life was focused on Jaxon Elijah.

But this time, Ashley came prepared. She already contacted a cleaning company before she brought Scottie here. So the moment she opened the door, she was not welcomed by a layer of dust. Instead, the place was spotless clean.

"Mommy! Can I sleep with you?" Scottie bounced around. His clever eyes shone brilliantly when he saw a picture frame of him and his mother. This was recently a photo taken by his mother. He was so happy! His mother loved him!

Ashley's gaze towards her son was filled with nothing but tender love which hid the guilt and self-loathing. She would not let her mistakes tarnish the brilliance of her son—never again!

"Of course! Scottie will always have a space beside me." She ruffled Scottie's hair lovingly before she stood up and opened the refrigerator.

There was nothing in it.

"Scottie, do you want to go with Mom and buy some vegetables?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Scottie immediately circled around Ashley. For the child, this was his first time going shopping with his mother! Finally, he could also relate to his friends when they talked about shopping with their mothers!

'If only Dad is here.' This was Scottie's fleeting thought. The child immediately shook his head. He could not forget the fact that whenever his dad saw his mother, he would show an unhappy expression and then his mother would be sad again!

No! No! Everything was better now! The teacher said that a child must be content and not ask for more!

Scottie prided himself as a sensible child. So, he immediately shoved the silly idea of his father shopping with them. Instead, his young mind was already excited on doing the things in his wish list.

"Where are you going?" Ashley, who was about to go out with his son, asked Scottie when the latter slipped from her arms and ran to his small school bag.

Curious, Ashley followed Scottie to the living room. There, she saw him scribbling something on his small notebook. Thinking that he was checking if he got any assignment, Ashley looked over.

Ashley froze. A ball of fire seemed to erupt in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Mommy, you can't look!" Scottie shyly hid his notebook. In one quick move, he shoved his little notebook in his cute bag as if he was afraid that his mother would take his little notebook! No way! No one could read his little notebook—not even his favorite mother and hateful father!

Ashley forced a smile as she blinked her eyes. She did not want Scottie to see this side of her. She had done enough damage to his son. One proof of this was her son being overly sensible.

"Okay, okay." Ashley picked him up. "Mom will respect my little treasure's secret notebook. Don't worry, Mom will help you keep it secret even from Dad, okay?"

"Yey!" Scottie kissed Ashley's cheek before he hugged her neck. The fragrance of her mother brought a different kind of happiness for Scottie. Scottie wanted to write something more in his little notebook.

'Wish list #99: I wish my Mommy will not be sad anymore and be with Scottie always.'

On the other hand, Ashley held Scottie even when they were in an elevator. Her reflection was right in front of her yet she was looking at it as if it was her greatest enemy.

Yes. Ashley hated herself.

As the number of the floor descended, her hate towards herself grew—especially when she remembered what she had seen from that little notebook.

It was just a glimpse but it contained all the sins she had committed. That notebook contained all of her son's wishes. A mere hug from her became a wish to her son. This was a slap towards her. She was so focus on blaming Jaxon and that bitch when all of Scottie's pain came from her.

Because she mistook love with obsession, she lost the most precious gift she could ever have. It was not Jaxon's indeffirence that destroyed her son nor it was Talia's deliberate schemes—no, in fact, they were all only the icing on the cake. What destroyed her son's innocence was her brainless pursuit to the so-called love.

In her past, it took Scottie's death to wake her up. She always believed that having a loving mother and father would make Scottie happy. Ashley always thought that having a complete family was the greatest shelter for her son. And it took her son's life to be able to wake up from these delusions.

Just a glimpse from that notebook, Ashley's vision almost blacked out. What's in that book were all her son's little wishes for her—mostly for her.

She could not imagine what her son felt when he wrote every word in that little notebook. Was he sad? Disappointed? Angry? Lonely?

Every possibility was like a knife embedding Ashley's heart. It was truly in this moment that she realized the real goal of her rebirth.

She wanted to be a capable mother. She wanted to fight for her son.

With the divorce, Scottie would be left in that cold mansion with her stepmother. They always said that if there was a stepmother, there would be a stepfather. Then, Ashley would take her son.

For now, since Scottie was still the only heir of the large Elijah Consortium, the Elijah Family would fight for her son's custody to the death. But with Talia's presence, if she used that sickly bitch as laverage, Jaxon would surely appoint Talia's future offspring as the true heir. Then, what was the point of Scottie being redundant there? It would be better if she raised her son herself.

Out of sight, out of mind.

The more Ashley thought of these possibilities, the more agitated she became. It was only when they reached the nearest grocery did she snap from her reverie.

"Mommy, I want to sit!"

Scottie bit his pouting lips. His eyes were hopeful as they stared straight at his mother. His small heart was pounding with expectation, hope, and fear combined. After getting along with her mother these days, Scottie became braver.

And most importantly, Scottie already checked the wish list #64 'to ride in the cart pushed by Mommy while doing grocery'!

Of course, Ashley saw the big red check mark made by her son.

Ashley did not answer. instead, she picked up her son, dragged a grocery cart, and carefully placed her son in front of the cart before she pushed it toward the produce area.

"Yey! Yey! Yey! Mommy, I love you!" Scottie wiggled his cute little butt and raised his plump arms.

"Okay, okay. Mommy's little dumpling, what vegetables do you like?"

x-x-x-x-x

A phantom car entered the wide driveway. When Jaxon got out of the car, he was immediately welcomed by the butler and other servants of the mansion as usual.

Without any emotion on his face, Jaxon gave his briefcase to the butler before he strode inside the mansion. Suddenly, Jaxon paused which made all the others after him stop in their tracks.

Jaxon was welcomed by cold silence.

Though the mansion was well lit by grand chandeliers, the silence of the big mansion brought a different kind of coldness to him. Before he would either be welcomed by Scottie's small voice calling him 'Daddy' affectionately or he would be welcomed by a burst of aroma from the kitchen followed by that woman's welcoming yet annoying speech which he disdained.

He did not know why he thought of those things when he entered the desolate mansion.

"Master?" The Butler asked tentatively.

Elijah sneered at himself. He did not know what got into him to be so sentimental all of a sudden.

"Nothing. Just bring my dinner upstairs."

When Jaxon finished his work in the study, he did not remember when he took his phone. His finger hovered over that woman's contract information.

In the end, Jaxon did not press the call icon.

Irritated, he opened a bottle of whisky, poured a quarter of whisky to his glass, and went out the balcony of his study.

The harsh cold night breeze kept him sober as he spent the wee hours of the night just staring at the starless sky. No one could guess what he was thinking. Despite his desolate back, his eyes remain sharp even when he revealed a kind of sultry lazy temperament.

Involuntarily, his eyes would look back.

No one, even the Butler or Harold, could guess what he was thinking why he kept on glancing to the door connected to the master's bedroom.

But if Ashley was here, she would only roll her eyes in disdain. She would never foolishly wait for a man just to sleep together at the same time with him. Even at the face of cold violence, especially when he turned his back on her when they sleep, that love-brain Ashley would be content.

But now, she was gone. She moved out the mansion. She may not have said it word for word, but Jaxon was a smart man. The moment he saw the empty wardrobe, he knew she would not wait for him anymore.

It was in this moment when he received a call from the hospital.

x-x-x-x-x

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Scottie snuggled towards Ashley which the latter happily welcomed with open arms. She just finished bathing Scottie, successfully completing a wish list goal for her son unknowingly. Now, with matching pajamas, Scottie happily noted another completed wish.

Since Scottie stayed with his mother, the number of wishes started to decrease, making him both happy and excited. Scottie now wanted to add another wish!

After Ashley read the story Ferdinand the Bull to her son, Scottie was still awake.

"Why aren't you sleepy, baby? Do you want Mom to read you another story?"

Scottie shook his head. In fact, the reason why Scottie was not asleep was because he was scared. His fear overpowered his sleepiness, making his brain worked overtime.

Of course, Ashley noticed how Scottie's hand never let go of her shirt. The level of insecurity her son possessed because of her was another fatal blow for Ashley.

It was a good thing that Scottie was hugging her waist with his little face in pressed in her neck or else he would see the tears that streamed down her eyes. She easily wiped them off for fear of being noticed by the child.

Ashley caressed Scottie's hair and hummed a song. The song 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' became a melancholic melody between mother and son inside this warm room.

Unknowingly, Scottie's small shoulders trembled as his tears damped Ashley's neck. Like her son who she was hugging, Ashley's tears kept on pouring. Even with her nasal blocked, she kept on humming while patting her son gently.

Both of them knew how precious this moment was.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you take me with you?"

Ashley finally could not contain her sob. Afraid that Scottie would not see her nod her head frantically, she answered: "Scottie, Mommy is sorry for you. Mommy regrets hurting you the most. This time, Mommy promises to become stronger and more powerful… because it is only when Mommy is the strongest that Mommy can take Scottie back."

Ashley did not know if Scottie understood. With his silence, she was afraid that he would misunderstood so she hurriedly continued: "Son, always remember… everything Mommy is doing and will do in the future… is for you… for the future that you and I are together. Mommy is sorry for being weak right now."

This time, a powerful gleam of determination erupted within her. "I will create an empire that will protect us both. Until then, I hope you can wait for Mom. Don't worry; I will be always within your reach…always."