Maya's POV
The laundry basket fell to the ground with a crash. I dropped it in shock, leaving clean towels all over the place. Ethan's voice came through the broken door of his room as I was passing it.
"Daddy, will Jessica be my new mother when you get married?"
My heart ceased to beat. Fearful of breathing, I pressed myself against the wall of the hallway. This isn't possible. It was only a nightmare.
"What makes you ask that, buddy?" David spoke calmly. Too quiet. As if they had discussed this topic before.
I ought to have left. I ought to have fled downstairs and covered my ears. However, I was immobile. I had to hear the next part.
Ethan remarked, "Jessica says when people really love each other, they get married and become a real family." His voice was so trusting and innocent for an eight-year-old. "The three of us would look amazing together," she says.
All three of us. Not four. Three.
"And what do you think about that?" David asked quietly.
Ethan said, "I think Jessica's right," and every word pierced my heart. "We look so good together in the pictures you showed everyone that Tommy's mom at school asked if Jessica was my real mom."
Images? Which images?
"Daddy, she's very attractive. She's also entertaining. Unlike Mommy, she doesn't cry all the time."
I covered my mouth to contain the escaping sob. I want to scream, so I cry because I'm depressed. You two act as though I don't exist, which makes me cry!
"Jessica makes me laugh," Ethan added. She's also skilled at playing video games. Unlike Mommy, she is not afraid of movies. She is strong and courageous.
Every word was a cut. I wasn't entertaining enough. I lacked courage. My own son didn't think well of me.
"Plus," Ethan added, his voice growing animated, "Jessica mentioned that we could move to a larger home with a swimming pool if you two were married! She would also teach me how to surf, rock climb, and do all the other cool things that moms don't typically do."
cool things that mothers typically don't do. Was I that way to him? Simply a typical, uninteresting mother who lacked coolness?
David questioned, "She really said all that?"
"Yes! She claimed that having a bright boy like me as a child has always been her dream. She claimed that although she was destined to be a mother, some women aren't."
Some women aren't suited to be mothers. Jessica was referring to me. I wasn't supposed to be my son's mother, she was telling him.
"And you'd be happy?" David asked. "If Jessica became your new mother?"
"Very happy!" Ethan almost yelled. "Then, we would appear to be a true family. similar to the families in films and television. You're handsome, Daddy, and Jessica is young and attractive. Everyone can tell that the three of us belong together when we go places together."
Amid the strewn towels, I sat on the floor after sliding down the wall. A true family. With me included, my son felt that we didn't appear to be a true family.
"Ethan, what about your mother? How about Maya?"
A long silence fell. I held my breath in the hopes and prayers that my little boy would never forget his love for me. that his biological mother was me. That I had read him stories every night for eight years, held him when he was ill, and carried him for nine months.
Ethan finally remarked, "I suppose she could visit sometimes." similar to Tommy's weekend visits to his biological father. However, Jessica would be my mother on a daily basis.
My biological mother. The world fell silent. My heart seemed to stop, too. As if I had already left, my own son was making plans for my future. As if I were merely an annoyance that had to be accommodated.
David said, "I love you, buddy."
"Daddy, I also adore you. I also adore Jessica. She is the most amazing "almost-mom ever."
I heard footsteps approaching the door. I felt a wave of panic. I couldn't let them see me so broken and sobbing on the ground. As quietly as possible, I snatched up the towels and stuffed them back in the basket.
David said, "Let's go downstairs and call Jessica." "She wanted to discuss visiting the zoo this weekend with you."
The zoo. Our family's custom. David and I took Ethan to the zoo once a month. It was unique to us. Jessica was now replacing me there as well.
I heard them coming down the hall, so I hurried to the bathroom and locked the door. I looked like a ghost in the mirror. My eyes were red from crying, and my face was white.
How much time had David spent organizing this? How long had they been discussing my replacement with Ethan?
I tried to look normal by splattering cold water on my face. However, normalcy was permanently lost. Normalcy would never return.
David and Ethan were in the kitchen on speakerphone with Jessica when I entered.
"Hello, my love!" The room echoed with Jessica's voice. "Are you looking forward to the zoo?"
"Yes! Can we see the lions? Can we get some ice cream, too?"
"Obviously! Whatever you want, we can do it."
"This is going to be the most amazing day ever!"
Watching my husband and son plot with another woman, I stood in the doorway. They were overjoyed. They were happier than ever.
Jessica went on to say, "Oh, and Ethan, I have a surprise for you at the zoo."
"What is it?"
"I'll pay the photographer there to take a family portrait for you. Together, your dad, I, and you can have professional photos taken. That will be enjoyable, won't it?"
A family portrait. Not with me.
"That's fantastic!" Ethan leaped to his feet. "Is it possible to have the photos in large frames for my room?"
"Certainly! To show everyone what a lovely family we are, we'll get a ton of copies."
I hadn't seen David smile so broadly in a long time. He gazed proudly and lovingly at Ethan. When did he last give me that kind of look?
"I am so excited!" Ethan uttered those words. "This is going to be the most amazing weekend ever! This is how I wish every weekend could be."
Jessica whispered, "Maybe they can be." "Perhaps every day will be this joyful very soon."
I was at my breaking point. Shutting the door behind me, I turned and sprinted upstairs to my bedroom. I sobbed while burying my face in my pillow.
They were preparing to live without me. I wasn't invited to the perfect little world that my husband, my son, and his substitute mother were creating.
The fact that they were taking my place wasn't the worst part, though. Worst of all, they were correct. They would appear to be the ideal family. Jessica is a young, attractive woman with a fun personality and a flawless body. David was handsome and deserved better than a dull housewife. And my darling Ethan, who required a mother who could support him and make him feel good.
I might not have been destined to be a mother. Perhaps I was truly inadequate.
On the nightstand, my phone buzzed. I saw a text from the same unidentified number from yesterday through my tears.
"Today, I saw all three of them at the mall. They were examining rings for engagements. We must meet right away. Your life is on the line. Coffee Shop. I'm waiting here."
My hands trembled as I gazed at the message. rings for engagements. David intended to pop the question to Jessica. I was going to lose everything, too.