Chapter 6: Mom, I Hate You
"Aiden got into a fight? And he's in the hospital?"
My eyes flew open, my body tensing up instantly.
No matter what, Aiden was my own flesh and blood. Even though I'd made up my mind to leave him with Bianca, hearing he was in the hospital still broke my heart.
"Ms. Linda, can you tell me what happened?"
I took a few deep breaths to pull myself together.
"Aiden is usually such a good kid," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Why would he get into a fight? And how did he end up in the hospital?"
"Honestly, this wasn't Aiden's fault at all. With everything that's been going around about you online lately, some kids at kindergarten started saying things about you in front of him. He got so upset he had an episode."
Ms. Linda cleared her throat awkwardly, then rushed to reassure me.
"Mrs. Locke, please don't worry. The school will handle this properly — for both you and Aiden."
"When Aiden is back, I'll have the other child stand up in front of the whole class, read a written apology, and say sorry to Aiden in person."
Aiden got into a fight because of me?
So... he still cared about his mommy?
My heart clenched. I barely caught anything Ms. Linda said after that. I mumbled something, hung up, and rushed to the hospital as fast as I could.
"What are you doing here?"
When I got to Aiden's room, Ethan stepped out and blocked my way.
He looked at me with cold eyes, his voice flat, carrying just a hint of blame.
"Go home. You embarrassed Aiden in front of everyone at school. He told me he doesn't want to see you."
I embarrassed Aiden?
If he hadn't paid people to trash my name all over the internet, my name would've dropped off the trending list long ago!
Even now, Ethan was doing what he always did — putting everything on me.
I let it go and turned to the doctor standing next to him.
"You must be Aiden's doctor. Hi, I'm his mom." I pulled a folder from my bag and handed it over. "I brought his previous medical records and the care log I've been keeping."
"It has every episode Aiden's had, his daily meds and dosages, what he can't eat, and his sleep routine. I hope it helps with his treatment going forward."
The doctor took the folder, and his expression shifted to something like genuine surprise.
"You kept a care log? This is incredibly helpful. It'll save our team a lot of work and spare Aiden a lot of unnecessary tests."
He looked at me with clear admiration.
"Mrs. Locke, parents like you are hard to come by."
"Aiden's father loves him deeply, but he doesn't seem to know Aiden's allergens or his daily medications. I'm guessing you're the one who's been taking care of Aiden at home?"
I glanced over at Ethan.
Only then did I notice he was already looking at me, his expression unreadable — like he was seeing something in me he'd never noticed before.
So he never knew how much went into caring for Aiden, did he?
"Ethan and I split things up. He handles Aiden's schooling, I handle his day-to-day care. He's a very involved father."
"Selene, you're only brushing off the doctor's compliment because you feel guilty, aren't you?"
Before the doctor or Ethan could say anything, a sharp, mocking voice came from behind me.
"Bianca?"
I spun around, frowning. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see Aiden. He called me himself and asked me to come."
Bianca walked right past me, went straight to Ethan's side, and slipped her arm through his like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Ethan, is Aiden okay? He called me from his smartwatch. He said the whole thing about Selene being jealous of me and accusing me of plagiarism got back to his classmates."
"Now they're telling him he has a bad mom. Nobody wants to play with him anymore. He said he's so embarrassed by Selene. He told me he doesn't want her as his mom anymore."
"I feel terrible about all this. If I were less successful, maybe Selene wouldn't have felt so threatened."
Right then, the door to Aiden's room swung open.
"Aunt Bianca, you're finally here!"
Aiden came running out, his face pale. He didn't even glance at me — he ran straight into Bianca's arms.
The doctor who'd just been praising me went quiet. I could see his expression shift, the admiration draining away, replaced by something closer to pity, or maybe judgment.
"Aiden..."
My fingers trembled. I kept my eyes on him. "Mommy's here, baby. Come to Mommy, okay?"
"No!"
Aiden pressed himself further into Bianca's arms and looked at me like I was a stranger he wanted nothing to do with.
"Why did you even come? Go apologize to Aunt Bianca online, or I'll never forgive you! You're a bad person. I hate you!"
He hated me.
So everything Bianca and Ethan said was true?
He hadn't fought that kid because the kid said something bad about me. He'd fought because I'd humiliated him.
I pressed my hands into fists and felt something go very still inside me — the kind of stillness that comes when there's nothing left to feel.
"I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not apologizing to Bianca."
"Aiden, if you really don't want me as your mother anymore... then I'll divorce your father."
I said it quietly, turned around, and walked toward the exit.
"Throwing a tantrum over a few words? Since when are you this sensitive?"
"Please. A stay-at-home mom with no job, no money? You'd never actually go through with a divorce."
