I looked down at the small, still face. "For days, whenever I close my eyes, I see him in pain. He cried and told me, *'Mom, it hurts so much.'* He asked why his Daddy didn't come to save him."
The thought that my son would never smile at me, never hug me, never whine for a toy again, broke me anew. My tears pattered against the wood of the coffin.
I turned on Leon, screaming through my sobs.
"How could you be so cruel? He was seven! When that bomb exploded against his chest, do you know how much he suffered?"
"Why didn't you save him? *Why?*"
Leon waved his hands frantically, stammering as if trying to convince himself. "Because the dog... A Jin was more fragile! David was a healthy boy; he healed fast. I thought... I thought he could handle it."
He looked up, eyes wild. "I didn't want to kill him! If David were here, he'd forgive me!"
The sheer shamelessness of the man made me want to laugh.
Even the cremation worker spat on the ground near Leon's feet. "Looking at your own child's corpse and spouting such garbage? That dog must be your real son."
Leon finally broke. He crawled to the coffin, kneeling and weeping bitterly. "I'm sorry, David. Dad was wrong... Dad is so sorry..."
