After I Met Him in a Car Accident

My husband, Calvin Shawn, finally got his annual leave. After waiting a whole year for a family trip with the three of us, there was finally something to look forward to. But the first thing he said chilled me to the bone. "Daisy, your cough still hasn't fully healed. Bring Quincy along on the trip—she can help out, so you won't overexert yourself." I just stood there frozen, completely forgetting the itch in my throat. Quincy Wade, the first love he kept close to his heart, had only just returned from abroad last month. Coincidentally, I had really been battling the flu at that time—low fever and coughing nonstop. But that didn't give him the right to squeeze some "outsider" into our family trip. Before I could even argue, the school suddenly called. My son, Nick Shawn, got into a fight at school and split a classmate's forehead open. I grabbed my bag and rushed to the school, my heart pounding wildly. But when I got to the school gate, I saw Quincy smiling as she patted Nick's head, while a student’s parent standing opposite her clutched a wad of cash. "Are you Nick's mom?" She looked me up and down, their tone laced with a hint of disdain. "Thankfully, Ms. Wade was nice; otherwise, this wouldn't have been so simple." Quincy Wade spoke just in time, her voice as soft and gentle as flowing water: "Don't worry. I've already handled it." Before I could even say thank you, Nick had already darted behind Quincy Wade. He looked up at me with his little face, eyes cold as ice. "Mom, why are you only here now? Ms. Wade arrived ages ago. You're completely useless." Those words stabbed into my heart like needles, painfully dense and piercing. Later, I learned from the teacher that the first person Nick called after the accident was Quincy Wade. That night, I called Nick into the living room and told Calvin Shawn to his face that I wanted a divorce. Calvin Shawn was looking down at some documents; when he heard that, he looked up with a calmness so cold there wasn't a single ripple: "Making a fuss over something so trivial?" Nick tugged at Calvin Shawn's sleeve, his voice colder than his dad's: "Mom's just so rigid! Ms. Wade is way gentler, and she even buys me Transformers." Looking at the father and son acting like a united front right in front of me, I suddenly found it all quite laughable. I tugged at the corner of my mouth, trying hard to keep my voice steady: "Fine, then I'm leaving. Let your Ms. Wade be your mom." Nick's eyes lit up, as if he'd been waiting a long time for me to say that. The next morning, I placed the printed divorce agreement in front of Calvin Shawn. Nick snatched it up eagerly, acting like a little grown-up as he urged him, "Dad, hurry up and sign! Once you sign, Ms. Wade can move in." His voice still had the innocence of a child, but the disgust in his eyes was impossible to hide. Calvin Shawn held my hand; his fingertips were cold, yet his brow was tightly furrowed. "Stop it." His voice was flat but carried an undeniable dismissiveness. "Is this what you should do in front of the child?" Those words hit my heart like a heavy hammer. So all my pain and grievances were just "nonsense" in his eyes. Just as I was about to defend myself, the doorbell suddenly rang. Nick jumped up instantly, the coldness on his face completely gone. "It's Ms. Wade!" he exclaimed. He cheered as he ran to open the door, while I stood frozen, my feet feeling like they were filled with lead. Outside, Quincy Wade wore an off-white French-style dress, her makeup immaculate, holding a cartoon gift box in her hand. She looked down at the rushing Nick with a warm smile. "Nick, I promised to bring you the limited edition Transformers toy—I kept my word." "Ms. Wade is the best!" Nick hugged her leg, rubbing against it affectionately. That's the kind of closeness I never had, not even from my own birth mother. Calvin Shawn walked over and casually took the gift box from Quincy's hands, his movements so natural it was like they'd been married for a decade. He glanced back at me, his voice low: "Quincy's here. Don't cause trouble—know when to stop." With that, he led Quincy and Nick toward the door, not even bothering to close it properly. "Nick, do you want to try that new steakhouse? I already made a reservation." "Yes! Dad, let's hurry up. Don't wait for Mom." "You're just spoiling him." Their laughter gradually faded away. I clutched my chest, the pain nearly stealing my breath. So, my seven years of marriage and waiting—all turned out to be nothing more than a self-directed farce. I met Calvin Shawn on a stormy night seven years ago.