As my soul drifted away, I saw those villains celebrating next to my lifeless body.
"Good boy, Lainey's dead. All her money is ours now. This is your best birthday present from me."
I was filled with hatred, wishing I could tear them apart, crush them one by one.
Fortunately, heaven gave me a second chance.
I glanced at Adam, standing awkwardly in the living room, and my fingers twitched.
"Honey, I think Adam wet his pants, and your building blocks fell on the floor. Come quick!"
Rowan rushed over, and when he saw the blocks he'd spent hours assembling, his expression darkened.
"Adam, how could you be so careless? This is my most treasured possession."
Adam shrank into a corner of the table, fear in his eyes.
"No, it wasn't me."
Rowan quickly realized his harsh tone and softened his voice.
"Uh, just don't touch the blocks anymore, okay? Come on, let's get you changed."
A seven-year-old is bound to have little accidents like this.
He needed help with everything. Eating, bathing, laundry, going to school, even sleeping.
Especially at his age, boys are the most troublesome. Knowing he was my husband's biological son, he never thought of himself as an outsider.
He got everything handed to him on a silver platter and threw tantrums regularly. I pretended not to see.
Within a few days, Rowan's face began to show signs of irritation. He was losing his morning sleep-ins and had to stay up late reading bedtime stories to Adam. Of course, he was annoyed. What grown man wouldn't be?
"Honey, Adam needs to be picked up and dropped off at school. I can handle the mornings, but I really don't have time in the afternoons. I'm taking off work every day, and my boss is already upset with me. How about letting my parents take care of him?"
"That won't work. Your parents are old and not in the best health. They can't handle a rambunctious child, and they don't know how to educate him or help with his homework. We can't let Adam's growth be stunted."
After that, Valeria and her husband showed up in person.
Rowan must have privately discussed it with them, trying to pressure me into agreeing.
But there was no way I'd let them get their way.
"Lainey, since you and Rowan are busy with work and don't want to leave Adam with us, why don't your father and I move in temporarily? We can help with the housework and take care of Adam, too."