After My Husband Broke the Promise, My Son DiedChapter 1

Before my son passed away, his final wish was simple: to go to the zoo with both his parents and see the pandas. It was something I had been pleading for, but Gilbert, always too busy or too distracted, kept postponing. After my repeated requests, he finally agreed.

But on the day of the trip, everything shattered. Just when I thought we would leave together as a family, Gilbert disappeared without a word. He left us—left our son—when we needed him most. That night, my son slipped away from me forever, carrying the weight of that unfulfilled wish. The regret in his eyes as he lay there still haunts me.

I didn’t have time to process the pain before the funeral came. As I stood at the service, numb with grief, I received the final blow. His childhood sweetheart—someone I’d long suspected but tried to ignore—posted a photo on her Instagram Story. The caption read, "With just one phone call, you will always run to me regardless of everything." The timing of it all was cruel and with that, any illusions I had left about Gilbert shattered.