A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 100 Together With Arthur

After Ethan explained what they were talking about, James' expression softened a little.

He touched Ethan's head lovingly. Ethan looked up at him, astonished. "It'll be good to have a son like you," said James.

This was the second time tonight that Ethan had been flabbergasted. And this time thanks to James. Was James taking advantage of him as well? When he had that thought, Ethan immediately shook off his hand and complained, "You two take turns bullying me! Quit it!"

A rare glint of amusement appeared in James' eyes.

Noticing this, Ethan was freaked out. "James, stop looking at me like that. It makes me think you're gay. Stop it!" Ethan didn't know whether or not James was straight. But one thing Ethan was sure of was his own sexuality. He was only interested in women, not men.

Hearing his words, James' face darkened. "You have a death wish?"

"Oh, James! I'm sorry! Ouch! Don't tweak my ear, dude. That's so gay!"

James stewed silently. The Harkim stopped at an intersection, and James kicked Ethan out of the car a second time.

And this time, James went straight back to his own villa without looking back.

Rubbing his burning ears, Ethan was speechless. He had a shot at a ride home, but he blew it.

He was wondering if he should wait for Maria. He gave up on the idea when he thought about it. They were indeed heading different directions.

Suddenly, he recalled an ancient poem. "We're both at the mercy of this miserable life. Since we're here, seize the moment and ask no questions." He laughed at himself and hailed a taxi home. Maria didn't think James would give her a ride to the hotel. After the Harkim drove away, she hailed a taxi as well.

The next morning, Maria went to a certain cemetery located in suburbia.

At 9 a.m., she was there, standing in front of a tomb. She wore a simple, off-the-rack dress of black silk. She had no earrings, bracelets, or makeup. Her shoes were not fancy either, made of white canvas. Her backpack was made of canvas as well. It was brown and contained several toys and candies. Maria felt that this would be respectful to her late son. She loved him and missed him. This visit was not about her, it was about him. And she had dressed like this when the boy had been alive.

Scattering the toys and candies in front of the tombstone, Maria picked up a piece of fruit candy and peeled it. "Little one, I never let you eat candy before. It's bad for you. It makes you fat and gives you tooth decay. But you're almost seven now. You can eat candy. Have a taste."

She paused, trying to get her voice back. "It took me a long time to get these. They're made with fruit, and are the most expensive treats in the candy shop. You're my son, and you deserve nothing but the best." Maria couldn't continue and lost her voice, sobbing instead. 'Why didn't you give me more time to love you, Arthur?' she thought.

In the photo, Arthur stared at her with big eyes, his tiny hand in his mouth.

Maria fell to her knees. She touched the photo tenderly, and her heart felt like it had been torn into a million pieces. She could no longer hold back her tears. "Arthur, be my son in our next life, okay? I'll take good care of you."

It was cloudy that day and thick clouds surged together. It looked like it could rain at any moment.

She sat that way for a long time, till she heard someone's footsteps coming closer and closer. The man stopped, and looked at the motionless woman, his eyes darkening. Then he stared at his black patent leather shoes, unsure what to say next.

Finally, James bent down to put the model plane he had bought next a dinosaur doll.

James stepped back and gazed at the little boy's face in the photo. Memories flooded his mind unbidden. He had asked himself one question countless times over the years: would things be different if he had spent more time with his son?

The two adults at the gravesite didn't say a word to each other, lost in their own thoughts.

And maybe, at this exact moment, they could finally understand each other's pain. Maybe their hearts could be a bit closer.

After a long time, Maria slowly stood up. She was unsteady on her feet, because she had knelt down too long. The woman teetered back and forth, vertigo assaulted her and she started to fall over.

Out of the corner of his eye, James noticed something awry. His arms shot out, holding Maria up, preventing her from falling.

Feeling the warm embrace, Maria seized the moment and leaned against him till the dizziness passed.

As soon as the dizzy spell faded, she immediately left his arms. Without looking at him, she walked off and headed towards the cemetery gate to leave.

James called her name to stop her. "Maria Song."

She stopped walking, but didn't look back.

"Do you feel guilty?" he asked in a flat tone.

Maria's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Every day!" But the only thing she felt guilty about was not killing the woman responsible for her son's death.

James didn't say anything more.

Maria spun and looked at the man coldly. "You said that I didn't deserve to be Arthur's mother. But you weren't even a father to him."

Hatred appeared in her eyes. She added, "From the moment he was born, for the few weeks he lived..." Her voice trailed off and she started sobbing again. Her son had lived for more than 100 days. She took a deep breath and continued, "Do the math yourself. How much time did you spend with me and Arthur? Not even a week. You never cared about him!"

Hearing her ruthless words, James frowned inwardly. He didn't understand what she meant. "What are you talking about? Are you crazy?" James felt insulted, but he wasn't sure why. It was so quiet in the cemetery that Maria could hear her heart beating. "You think I'm crazy? You probably made me that way!"

James remained silent instead of answering her.

Since he said nothing, Maria didn't press the issue. She stalked off without a second thought.

She didn't want to spend one more minute with James. He ruined her quiet vigil to honor her son. It was ironic, really.

After Arthur was born, Maria's fondest wish was that James would come home to spend time with her and their son. She knew James didn't love her, but she hoped he would do this for Arthur, at least. It wouldn't take much. A short drive, a hike, even just walking around in town.

Maria never could have imagined that she and James would be in the cemetery at the same time, both of them there for their son. The thing she longed for the most all those years could only happen after Arthur died. The ultimate irony.

Walking out of the graveyard, Maria steadied herself near a big tree, gasping for breath. She had barely held it together confronting James. And all she felt now was drained.

She told herself in silence, 'It's all in the past, Maria. Don't obsess over it."

But she couldn't help it. She leaned weakly against the tree, her eyes closed. Her mind was full of Arthur. He was crying, laughing, babbling, and calling her Mommy.

"Get in the car!"

The familiar, arrogant voice snapped her back to reality.

Maria opened her eyes and saw a Harkim parked in front of her. James drove to the cemetery alone. Now he sat in the driver's seat staring at her.

She didn't speak or move.

"Maria Song, get in the car!" James repeated. His patience was running thin.

His car was the only one in the lot. James guessed that Maria had taken a taxi here. It would be hard for her to get a ride back-this was farther out than a cabbie's usual rounds. Nevertheless, Maria just stood there.

So James finally unfastened his seat belt and jumped out of the car. He walked over to her, grabbed her wrist, and tried to drag her to his car.

Maria shook off his hand, looked at him coldly as if she were looking at a stranger. Then she walked away from him.

She was like a hedgehog these days, prickly all over. He had to be careful what he did around her. James just watched her go, saying, "You made the mistake, not me. Never forget that." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, her or himself.

Maria stopped as if she heard him. She turned around, and snapped coldly, "Fuck off!"

Who did James think he was to say that to her?

James' face was even gloomier than the rainy sky. He strode back to the car. He slammed the door loudly, hoping to demonstrate the depths of his rage. Then he started the engine and the Harkim roared off. The car sped away, leaving Maria alone.