The “Strawberry Juice” That Saved My Son Chapter 04

The “Strawberry Juice” That Saved My Son Chapter 04

I froze.

The necklace was inside the bear I had thrown away.

A suspicion I had never said out loud.

A surprise he had never had the chance to explain.

Just like that, because of a teddy bear I had thrown away and quietly picked back up, we missed our final chance to make peace.

And now, life and death stood between us.

Everything had become a joke that could never be undone.

I looked closely at the necklace.

Back when we were deeply in love, we used to pass that jewelry store whenever we went shopping.

We stopped to look at it every time.

I pointed at that pendant once and told him, “Look at the word Joy. I don’t need wealth or status. I only want our family to be safe, peaceful, and content.”

Safety.

Contentment.

That was the simplest wish I had for my life and for our home.

At the time, Ethan kissed my forehead and said, “All right. Whatever you want.”

So he had remembered.

He had bought my wish for me.

But he did not know that because of one photo and one misunderstanding, this gift, which should have symbolized peace and contentment, had become the deepest wound between us.

And I had not known that the thing I picked up was not a cheap toy.

It was the sense of security I had wanted so badly.

Ethan held the necklace and rubbed his thumb over the word “Joy.”

Suddenly, he gave a cold laugh.

“Joy… do you hate me that much?” he murmured. “You always loved saving money, but you hated me enough to throw even this away.”

My soul curled in pain.

No, Ethan.

That was not it.

Ethan shoved the necklace into his pocket and pulled out his phone in a burst of anger.

He unlocked the screen and typed hard.

Then he sent a message.

“Joy, stop this. I know you’re angry, but do you know what is happening right now? The whole city is dealing with disaster relief. Get through these next few days first. Don’t ignore everything just because you’re mad at me.”

I laughed from anger.

“Ethan Reed, you bastard! When have I ever ignored what mattered just to get back at you?”

“Stop accusing me!”

I shouted with everything I had, but no sound came out.

My hand passed straight through his body.

I froze for a moment.

Then I covered my face, and my soul curled up again.

We really would never get the chance to explain things clearly.

At that moment, the tent flap was yanked open.

Someone stumbled inside.

“Noah! My precious grandson!”

It was my mother.

She rushed to the bed. The moment she saw Noah’s feverish red face and his unconscious body, tears poured from her eyes.

Her hands trembled as she reached for Noah’s forehead.

Then she stopped, afraid of waking him.

A second later, she lifted her bloodshot eyes and searched the small tent in panic.

“Where is Joy? Where is my Joy?”

When Ethan saw her, he thought my mother had also come to blame me for not being there.

“Mom, don’t worry. She’s not here at all. She’s just angry with me and hiding somewhere. Noah is hurt, and she hasn’t even come to see him. After the rescue is over, I…”

Before he could finish, my mother’s cry cut him off.

She grabbed Ethan’s arm and stared at him with red eyes. Her voice shook.

“What nonsense are you saying?”

“Two days ago, the day of the earthquake, she took time off on purpose to pick Noah up from daycare!”