“Why didn’t you wake me up? I’m gonna be late! And where’s breakfast? You didn’t make anything?”
Every morning, I sacrificed my sleep to get him up and make a big, warm breakfast. The cost? Dark circles under my eyes and skin that felt like it belonged to someone ten years older. At forty, I looked closer to fifty.
But not today.
“You’re old enough to set your own alarm from now on,” I said, my voice flat. “And as for breakfast, grab something on the way. Got money? If not, I’ll send you some.”
Max stared at me like I’d grown a second head, his eyes wide with disbelief. I could almost hear his thoughts—this was the mom who used to do everything for him, no questions asked.
“I don’t need your money,” he muttered, his voice laced with disdain. As he turned to leave, I heard him mutter under his breath, “Rachel would never be this lazy…”
I caught every word.
But oddly, it didn’t sting.
Max stormed out, slamming the door so hard the shoe rack rattled, and a small object fell to the floor.
Curious, I walked over and picked it up. It was a toy car—one I’d modified years ago. With the press of a button, it could turn into a robot and even play theme songs from his favorite cartoons.
When Max was younger, he was always sick, rarely smiling. But this little car? It lit up his face, and the sound of his pure joy filled my heart. It was what pushed me to submit a proposal at work: a line of toys that could offer emotional comfort to children.
But Tom, my husband, shut it down immediately. “Robots should be practical tools, not silly ‘toys’ that just transform and play music,” he’d said.
The proposal was shelved, and Max grew up, leaving behind the car he once adored.
I stared at the toy for a while before pressing the button. It still worked.
I suddenly had an idea. I grabbed the car and went to find my neighbor’s little boy, Danny.
Danny was five—lonely, with divorced parents who left him in his grandmother’s care. He spent most of his days alone, playing outside our building.
When I handed him the toy, his eyes lit up, and he clutched it tightly, turning it over and over in his tiny hands.
“Wow!” he exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face as he played with it.
Watching his joy, I couldn’t help but think of Max when he was that little—and of the proposal I’d abandoned all those years ago.
Before I knew it, I had my phone in hand, dialing my old manager’s number. Halfway through the call, I panicked and almost hung up, but it was too late.
“Lauren? Wow, long time no talk! What’s going on?”
“Oh, um…” I hesitated, rubbing my nose nervously. “I was just wondering… Are you hiring?”
It felt absurd. After nearly a decade as a stay-at-home mom, I was about to try and reenter a tech industry that had likely moved on without me.
But to my surprise, my former manager was thrilled.
“Are you serious? We’d love to have you back! Honestly, someone with your skills is exactly what we need. That said, you’ve been out of the game for a while, so you’d need to start from the ground up.”
“I don’t mind!” I said quickly. “I’ll prove myself.”
After hanging up, I was practically buzzing with excitement. I spent the rest of the day playing with Danny and his new toy.
“You’re the best, Miss Lauren,” Danny said, looking up at me with big, hopeful eyes. “I wish you were my mom.”
I froze, unsure how to respond. All I could do was pat his head gently.
Just then, the front door slammed open. A man stumbled in, smelling like booze, his face twisted in rage.
“Who the hell are you? Where’s my mom?” he slurred, his words barely making sense.
Before I could say anything, Danny’s grandmother rushed out of the kitchen, panic clear on her face.
“What are you doing here?” she shouted, her voice shaking. “I’m not giving you another cent!”
“You’re my mother! Your money’s mine!” he barked. “And if you don’t hand it over, I swear I’ll—” His eyes flicked to Danny. “I’ll take that little brat with me. Maybe sell him off somewhere!”
He pulled out a knife, waving it around drunkenly as he staggered toward Danny.
Time seemed to slow. I lunged forward, throwing myself in front of Danny to shield him.
The blade sliced into my side, and a wave of pain hit me like a freight train. Warm blood soaked through my clothes, pooling on the floor beneath me.
Danny’s terrified screams echoed in my ears as everything around me faded to black.
