1

After my son's death, I decided to divorce my husband, leave the military family's compound, and return to my hometown to spend the rest of my life.

On the first day, I wrote the divorce report and had my husband sign it.

On the fifth day, I packed my luggage and submitted my resignation letter.

On the seventh day, I bought a ticket and boarded the train back home.

From today on, you and I are just strangers, with no possibility of turning back.

Zhou Fuchuan accused me of making a fuss over nothing; the boy would have survived a small cold.

But later, when he found out our son had died, he went crazy trying to find me.

1

My son died of a high fever, and I cried while calling my husband, begging him to come home, but he was busy celebrating the birthday of his old flame's daughter.

Worn out, I stayed by my son's bedside, looking at the critical condition notice from the doctor, my heart filled with endless despair.

Yet on the sickbed, An'an, with his weak breaths, was still comforting me.

"Mom, I feel so uncomfortable, am I going to die?"

"Mom, is Dad not coming? Dad is a great man, a soldier; he must have gone on a mission to protect the country and that's why he couldn't come back!"

"Mom, An'an doesn't blame Dad. Promise An'an that you won't blame him either, okay?"

Watching my son's breathing grow weaker, all I could do was keep holding his hand and telling him Dad was coming soon, coming soon.

But until An'an closed his eyes, his father never came back.

I held An'an's gradually cold body and sat on the cold floor all night.

I wanted so badly to take him back and place him in his little bed, sing him a lullaby, and make his favorite shrimp dumplings.

Wait for him to wake up the next day and make faces at me.

But An'an would never wake up again.

Three days after An'an's funeral, Zhou Fuchuan, who had gone to celebrate the birthday of the old flame's daughter, finally came back.

He returned home carrying a bunch of fresh vegetables.

But when he saw me in the living room with red, swollen eyes and a pale face, he was startled, then showed a face of disdain.

"Is it such a big deal that I'm two days late? Who are you trying to show off this look to?"

I didn't respond; the house was unnaturally silent.

Only then did Zhou Fuchuan notice that our son was nowhere to be seen, and after looking around, he asked, "Is An'an still not better from the fever? Is he still getting an IV at the clinic?"

But before I could answer, he walked straight into the kitchen, not even noticing the framed photo of An'an in my arms.

In the kitchen, he awkwardly turned on the gas stove and clumsily scrambled some eggs.

Watching him seriously practicing cooking, I was a bit dazed.

After ten years of marriage, he'd never stepped foot in the kitchen.

He said he was a regiment commander commanding troops, a commander, and it wasn't proper for a man of his stature to be in the kitchen.

But now, just because his old flame's daughter Qianqian liked stir-fried tomatoes with eggs.

He put down his pride as a regiment commander and personally cooked, just to make Qianqian her favorite dish.

This was something An'an had been begging for seven years but never got.

While his first love's daughter only needed to say one word.

After ruining more than a dozen eggs, he finally made a decent dish.

He put the warm stir-fried tomatoes with eggs into a ceramic jar and wrapped it carefully with a towel.

As he was about to leave again, I stopped him.

His expression was a bit impatient, "What's the matter now? Can't you see I have something to do?"

I didn't speak but instead took out the divorce application report I had prepared three days earlier and signaled for him to sign it.

Zhou Fuchuan was a bit stunned, thinking it was just a work directive, he didn't even look and signed his name directly.

Unfortunately, if he had turned one more page, he would have known it was our divorce report.

But he didn't.

After signing, he walked out, still blaming me, "When An'an gets better, you make sure he gets proper nourishment, otherwise the regiment commander's son being this weak is disgraceful."

After he left, the living room returned to a deathly silence.

The clock in the living room ticked on.

Gently stroking An'an's photo, I clenched the train ticket back to my hometown.

An'an, in three days, mommy will take you home.