Gilbert's expression hardened. His voice was cold and detached as he said, "Lily, can you be more sensible? We can go to the zoo anytime, but Lucy was injured. I couldn’t just ignore her."
His words cut deep, reopening the wounds that had never fully healed. For five years, he had abandoned our son and me over and over for Lucy.
On Keenan’s birthday, when he was waiting for his father to show up, Gilbert was with her. When Keenan fell sick and had to be hospitalized, Gilbert was nowhere to be found—again, with Lucy. And even during our son’s final days, as he lay weakening in front of me, Gilbert was still with her. He had finally promised to take us to the zoo, the one wish Keenan had left and yet he broke that promise, too.
I watched my son wait all day, from dawn to dusk, watching his eyes slowly lose hope until they were completely empty. The memory of his last breath in my arms haunted me. The agony felt like a thousand needles stabbing my chest, suffocating me. And now, Gilbert was standing in front of me, offering excuses.
I met his eyes, my voice cold and distant. "From now on, whatever happens in your life has nothing to do with me. I won’t care anymore."