After My Wife Lied Our Son's Surgery Money Was Scammed, I Snapped

On our son's birthday, when I'd finally scraped together enough money for surgery for our boy with the rare illness, my wife, Maisie Pruitt, called to say she'd been scammed.

Every last dollar of our savings, gone.

And at that very moment.

My son and I were crouched outside a cake shop, waiting for it to close so we could pick up the cake he'd had his heart set on at a markdown.

On the way home, he carried the cake carefully in both hands and tilted his face up at me.

"Dad, it's my birthday today. What kind of present do you think Mom will give me?"

I was about to answer when a familiar face came into view.

The wife who'd just called me in tears, saying our savings had been scammed away, was sitting in the upscale restaurant across the street, a strange man at her side.

They were celebrating a little boy's birthday.

I watched her smile as she pulled a bank card from her purse and handed it to the boy.

My son, who could read lips, spoke softly beside me.

"Hayden Abbott, happy birthday. This is a little something from me."

"There's a million on this card. Think of it as your allowance."

My whole body wouldn't stop shaking.

A million.

Every dollar I had, and it was some other child's pocket money.

By the time I came back to myself.

My son had already pressed the first contact on his phone watch.

"Mom, it's my birthday today. What are you giving me for a present?"

The woman's voice came through clearly to my ears.

"It's just a birthday. You have one every year. Can't you be a little more mature about it?"

Watching the irritation on her face, I felt a bone-deep exhaustion come over me.

...

"Didn't your dad tell you? All of our savings got scammed away. I'm very upset right now. I'm not in the mood to celebrate your birthday."

"Robin Gilbert, grow up a little."

And with that.

She didn't even wait for our son to say another word before she hung up without a second's hesitation.

My son looked up at me, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

"Dad, Mom... she said our savings all got scammed away. She said she wasn't in the mood to celebrate my birthday. But... but how come she's celebrating some other kid's birthday?"

As he spoke.

He reached out and tugged at the hem of my clothes, and when he spoke again there was a sob in his voice.

"Dad, did I make Mom angry again? Is she upset with me again? Maybe I should go over and apologize to her right now."

He lifted his eyes toward Maisie Pruitt, seated in the restaurant not far away.

"Hayden, I'm so happy it's your birthday today, and so lucky. I hope you feel that way too..."

He froze where he stood and looked up at me again, the confusion in his eyes deeper than before.

"Dad, Mom's clearly so happy. Look at her, smiling like that. She even said she feels so lucky. Could I... could I have read her lips wrong?"

Watching my son's eyes slowly redden, I clenched my fist hard, forcing down the surge inside me, and reached out to take his hand, trying to pull his attention elsewhere first.

"The cake's going to melt if we don't get home. Isn't this the chocolate cake you've always wanted? Let's go home first, okay?"

At that.

He looked at the cake in my hand, and his eyes went bright in an instant.

"Yes, yes."

"Then let's hurry home. Mom loves chocolate cake best. We really can't let it melt."

I went still.

So that was it.

That was why he'd agonized so long between the chocolate cake and the strawberry cake.

I took his hand and turned to leave.

The next second.

Maisie Pruitt's gaze happened to drift our way.

Through the crowd, our eyes met.

But only for that instant.

Then she looked away, fast, as though my son and I were nothing more than strangers to her.

When we pushed open the door to the rental and stepped inside.

The first thing my son saw was the crookedly stitched stuffed toy sitting on the couch.

He raced over, snatched it up, and pressed it to his chest, more thrilled than I'd ever seen him.

"Dad, this is my favorite stuffed toy. Is this the birthday present Mom got for me? Dad, look, look!"

I stood frozen.

In all my memory, Maisie Pruitt had never once remembered our son's birthday since the day he was born, let alone prepared a present.

And this was the first time.

"Dad, let's wait for Mom to come home before we cut the cake! I want to make a wish with both of you."

He'd already started coughing, unable to stop.

I glanced up at the time without thinking. It was already ten at night.

The doctor had warned again and again that with his illness, he had to keep early hours and never, ever stay up late.

I opened my mouth to say something, but meeting the hope filling his eyes, my heart softened and I couldn't bring myself to refuse.

"Just this once."

"Okay!"

But we waited and waited, and Maisie Pruitt never came home.

Finally, when the hands hit eleven-thirty, I picked up my phone and called her.

The phone rang for a long time.

In the end, it was a man who answered.

"Hello, who is this?"

The line stayed silent for a long time.

I balled both hands into fists and forced my voice to stay level.

I'm looking for Maisie Pruitt.

Oh, Maisie's asleep. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow.

He didn't even wait for me to say anything else. The line went dead.

What did Mom say?

Meeting my son's hopeful eyes, I made myself smile and said gently:

Mom said she picked up a big job today and won't be back until really late. How about we go ahead and eat the cake?

In an instant,

his little face fell.

I was about to comfort him when he lifted his head again and smiled up at me.

Mom works so hard. I should feel sorry for her. Let's eat half the cake and save the rest for her.

I'll make my wish first, then. I wish for our whole family to be happy. I wish Mom and Dad didn't have to work so hard. I wish that I could... spend more time with Mom and Dad.

At his words,

something in my chest ached.

He understood more than anyone, and he knew his own illness better than anyone too.

I stepped forward and pulled him into my arms.

It will. I promise.

I didn't sleep all night.

When I turned over to pull the blanket up over him, I found tears at the corners of his eyes. Even in his sleep, he was murmuring:

Mommy, is it because Robin was bad?

At dawn,

Maisie quietly pushed open the door of our rented apartment.

The moment our eyes met, she froze where she stood.

You... why are you up so early?

Who was that man? Do you have any idea how long our son waited for you last night? I... I saw all of it.

She hadn't expected me to lay it all out without hesitation. She stood frozen, and the look she gave me was hard to read.

We faced each other in silence.

Then, finally,

Maisie reached out and caught my hand, softening her voice and coaxing me the way she had done so many times before.

It's not what you think.

Didn't our savings get wiped out in that scam? I just figured I'd take on more work and earn it back. Everything you saw last night was only a job. That man hired me to play the kid's mother. He's paying me a thousand dollars when it's done.

As she spoke,

Maisie pulled a thousand dollars from her pocket and pushed it into my hand.

Consider this our living money for the month. We haven't had meat in ages. Buy some extra for lunch, treat ourselves a little.

The words had barely left her mouth.

Before I could even respond, something seemed to occur to her. She turned and walked toward the couch, as if looking for something.

Mommy! You're home!

Mommy, thank you for my birthday present. I love it so, so much. I

But before he could finish, Maisie strode over, snatched the plush toy from his hands, and started scolding him:

Who said you could touch my things?

In an instant,

the rims of his eyes went red.

I started to step forward, but the next second he caught my hand, his voice choking up.

It's okay, Daddy. It's my fault. I shouldn't have touched Mommy's things.

Then

he turned and walked to the fridge, carefully took out the cake, and carried that half of it over to Maisie.

Mommy, this is the cake we saved for you. Your favorite, chocolate

But before he could finish, Maisie's phone rang.

What?

Okay, I'm on my way.

After she hung up, Maisie hurried toward the door, leaving nothing but one line behind:

Something urgent came up. I'm off to make some money.

She must have been in too much of a rush. As she brushed past, she slammed hard into our son.

The next second,

his little body toppled backward, and the cake in his hands fell with him, splattering all over him.

In an instant,

everything was a mess.

Maisie glanced back at the sound, but she didn't even slow her step, only tossing out a few words:

Why are you still so careless?

Watching Maisie's hurried back as she walked away, I couldn't hold back any longer. I strode forward and grabbed her hand, an edge of anger in my voice.

"Maisie, he's your son! Do you have any idea how long he waited for you yesterday? You"

But before I could finish, she shook my hand off without a moment's hesitation, impatience already coloring her tone.

"Charles, since when did you get so soft with him?"

"Everything I do, isn't it for your sake, for the good of this family?"

"Daddy, it hurts, it hurts so much..."

There was no time to think. I spun around and hurried to my son, and only then did I see the blood pooling beneath his head.

"Daddy's taking you to the hospital, Daddy's taking you right now..."

A huge panic spread through my chest. I couldn't spare a thought for anything else. I scooped him up and hurried outside.

And right then.

Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets.

Watching my son's face grow paler in my arms, I ran straight into the downpour, trying to flag down a taxi.

But there was none.

Not even a single passerby.

There was no time to think.

Eyes bloodshot, I ran toward the hospital with my son in my arms.

I don't know how long it went on.

Then, finally.

A car horn sounded behind me.

I whipped around and stuck out my other hand, trying to stop it.

The car stopped.

The window slid down a crack.

I heard the person in the passenger seat speak up, testing the waters.

"Ms. Pruitt, there's a father holding a child, he stopped the car. The kid looks sick. Should we"

The next second.

A little boy's cheerful voice reached my ears.

"Mommy Maisie, you promised you'd take me to that new restaurant, remember? I'm starving, let's hurry and go."

"Let's go."

The woman's familiar voice reached my ears.

By the time it registered, the window was already back up, and the car had already swept past me.

Countless sprays of water splashed over me.

I looked up without thinking.

The next second, I met Maisie's eyes, full of cold. That look was cold to the bone, and it struck straight at my heart.

Thankfully, in the end a kind person came by and got my son and me to the hospital in time.

Looking at my son lying in the hospital bed, my doctor friend beside me couldn't help but speak.

"Little Robin already has a rare illness, and his condition was already serious. This time his head's been injured, and on top of that he was just out in the rain. Now... even with surgery, there'll still be... lasting damage afterward. But I'd still say we have to go ahead with it, or... his life will be at risk."

I stood where I was, not saying a word, but my body wouldn't stop trembling.

I took out my phone.

I turned to call Maisie.

The hospital corridor suddenly erupted in noise. A group of men who looked like security guards walked at the front, as if shielding someone.

"Where's the doctor?"

"My son is hurt, please, come look at him quickly!"

The woman's familiar voice reached my ears. In that voice was an urgency and worry I had never heard from her.

Watching Maisie's hurried back, the gossip of onlookers filled the space around me.

"I hear this one's the CEO of the Pruitt Group. So young and already CEO, that's really something."

"Right, and look at her like this, she must be a good mother too."

"Yeah, I always thought the CEO behind the Pruitt Group was a man. If I hadn't just seen the official news, I never would've known!"

My doctor friend clapped a hand on my shoulder, and finally couldn't help asking.

"You and Maisie, what's going on?"

"She's actually the CEO of the Pruitt Group. You've kept it well hidden, never once mentioned it. Well, this is good news at least. You won't have to worry about your son's surgery costs anymore."

I twisted the corner of my mouth, my voice thick with mockery when I spoke.

"I only just found out myself."

I took out my phone.

A news alert had popped up.

"Pruitt Group officially reveals CEO Maisie Pruitt. So sweet! Maisie Pruitt is already married, with a happy family and one adorable little son!"

The announcement came with a family photo.

In it, Maisie and a man each held one of a little boy's hands, their eyes full of love.

"Daddy's awake..."

I looked up without thinking. My son was glancing around, dazed.

I pushed the door open and went in.

I heard him ask, carefully, quietly,

"Daddy, do you think... Mommy just doesn't like me? I... I saw it. Mommy was sitting in that car, and that other little boy was next to her..."

Meeting his red, swollen eyes, I felt something like a boulder pressing on my chest, so heavy I could barely breathe.

A long moment passed.

I reached out and took his hand, my voice low and serious.

"Robin, if Mommy and I got divorced, would you..."

"Then I'll go with you, Daddy!" It came out before I finished.

Like he'd already made up his mind, he looked straight at me and said, one word at a time,

"You told me to love someone who loves me. If Mommy... really doesn't love me, then I won't love Mommy either."

"Okay."

I closed my hand around his, something firm settling in my eyes.

Then I picked up the phone and messaged a lawyer I knew well.

"Julian, I need you to draw up divorce papers for me."

Something made me pull the phone back out and call Maisie. Sooner or later I had to say it all out loud.

The second it connected, her voice came through, already impatient.

"Didn't I tell you I have work today? Whatever it is, it can wait till I'm home. You"

"Maisie, let's get a divorce."

I cut her off before she could finish. As far as I could remember, it was the first time I'd ever done that.

"What?"

"Mommy..."

He opened his mouth to say something, but she was talking again before he could.

"I have to get back to work. Don't sit there dreaming up nonsense all day. I'm already exhausted. Hanging up now."

I stood there staring at the phone she'd hung up on.

A long moment.

I dragged the corner of my mouth up, but there was nothing in my eyes except contempt.

Just how much of a fool was I. Even now Maisie still thought she'd covered every seam, that I didn't know a thing.

I picked up the thermos to go fill it with water.

And walked straight into Maisie coming the other way. She had that man beside her, the two of them holding the little boy's hands, and she was murmuring something to him in a soft, gentle voice.

She looked up.

Our eyes met.

And at last,

something like panic flickered through the eyes of a woman who was always so calm, so composed.

Then, as if it had just come to her, she strode over to me and led with the accusation, right in my face.

"Charles, are you following me?"

"Come with me!"

She yanked me off to the side, and by now there was open impatience in the way she looked at me.

"I'm out here working hard, earning money, and this is how you doubt me? Charles, when did you turn into this?"

Before I could even answer, the little boy's crying rose from somewhere not far off.

By the time it registered, Maisie was already hurrying away, straight toward him.

I followed and the first thing I saw was my own son, standing off to the side, head down, wiping at his tears.

I moved to take his hand, but in the next second Maisie swept the little boy into her arms, turned, and without a single word raised her hand.

And slapped my son, hard.

"Robin, apologize!"

She hadn't even asked what happened. She just dumped all the blame onto him.

I was turning to argue with her when my son's face went white as death and he pitched straight backward.

"Robin!"