THE DISABLED EX-WIFE’S RETURN

“Just look at her. So pathetic,” a voice says as I wheel myself into the ballroom. I ignore the whispers, deciding to search for my husband instead. I’m used to the whispers. Ever since I was confined to a wheelchair three years ago, things have never remained the same. I lost the small ounce of respect people had for me. “Her husband hates her,” I hear another voice say. “I bet he wishes she’d just drop dead.” I feel the tears gather behind my eyelids but I force myself to hold them down. I scan the ballroom, sighing in relief when I spot Noah standing with our five-year-old son, Seth, by the staircase. But my relief is only short-lived, because Noah’s arms are around a beautiful woman, and they’re laughing and clinking their wine glasses together. Vanessa. Noah’s childhood best friend. And a pain in my ass ever since I returned home in a wheelchair. This damn wheelchair. And my legs that refused to work. Three years ago, Noah and I were exiting a restaurant that he’d taken me to for my twenty-fifth birthday, when a car suddenly appeared out of nowhere, speeding towards us. The car was headed straight for Noah, so I pushed him out of the way. But I wasn’t able to save myself. I was in a critical condition for over six months, and the doctors told me that I would never walk again. I would have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair because I was paralyzed from my waist down to my legs. Since then, my life has never remained the same. I navigate my electric wheelchair towards them, my heart dropping into my stomach as I watch Vanessa carry a laughing Seth into her arms. My Seth. Noah is too preoccupied with watching them, he doesn’t even see me approach until I’m right in front of him. His lips curl into a sneer. “What are you doing here, Kara? Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” “I didn’t want to rest anymore, so I got out,” I reply in a low tone. “You got out to embarrass me, huh? Is that what you wanted?” Vanessa, who had just been watching us in silence, lets out a sharp chuckle. “Of course, she got out to embarrass you, Noah. Look at her. Can’t even manage to dress properly for a formal event.” Her eyes scan me from top to bottom, and then she pouts in mock sympathy. “Aww, was your caregiver not around to dress you up? Is that why you came here looking like a beggar on the street?” I glare at Vanessa. She is exaggerating. It’s true that I’m not properly dressed for the event, but I’m not dressed like a beggar. The tip of my ears burn hot but I try hard to ignore Vanessa. I’m already used to being insulted by Vanessa and Noah. So, even though it hurts, I have no other choice but to tough it out, because truly… I have no other choice. Noah had been there for me when I didn’t have anybody. He was the only one who had even remotely looked my way and saw something in me. That was until I realized that he was only using me for appearances. Only using me so he’d become the prince who saved the struggling Cinderella. I turn to Seth. I’m not here for anyone but him. Noah has been locking me up in my quarters, only letting my caregiver in, and not even allowing me to see my son. “Seth, baby, come here.” I hold out my arms. “Come give mommy a hug.” But he doesn’t move. He just curls into Vanessa’s neck. My stomach twists. “Seth?” I try again. Seth raises his head slightly, pinning me with a frown. “I don’t want to.” The words sting so much, but I smile anyway. Seth is still my son. “That’s okay, sweetheart. But I’ve missed you. Have you been having fun with Daddy?” I pretend not to notice the look Seth gives Noah and the subtle nod that Noah returns. Vanessa gently lowers him to the ground, kneeling beside him and smoothing a hand over his hair. “Didn’t we have fun today, baby?” Seth grins. “We did!” He bounces on his feet, his excitement obvious. My heart drops even lower. “Daddy took me and Vanessa to the zoo! And she got me ice cream! And we saw a lion!” My hands go numb. “The…zoo?” I stutter, my voice barely above a whisper. The zoo was our place. Mine and Seth’s. Before the accident, before my entire world collapsed, I took him there almost every weekend because I knew how much he loved animals. We had traditions and routines. That was ours. And now, Vanessa has snatched that away from me so brutally. Vanessa strokes his cheek. “And we even got matching stuffed giraffes, didn’t we?” Seth nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! Daddy says we’re a family now!” My chest constricts, making it difficult for me to breathe. Vanessa’s eyes flicker to mine and she smirks at me. She knows exactly what she’s doing. I turn to Noah, hoping for something. A correction, a reassurance… Anything. But he just shrugs, letting out a chuckle. “He likes her.” He lowered his voice. “And let’s face it. There’s no way you would’ve been able to take Seth to the zoo in your… condition.” I feel the tears start to form, but I blink them back. I can’t cry. Not here. Especially not in front of them. I just want my son. Seth looks up at Noah, his sharp, little voice ringing out loud and clear. “Daddy?” Noah hums in response. Gripping Vanessa’s hand tighter, he announces, “I want Vanessa to be my mommy.” My breath stops. Every conversation halts as the entire room dissolves into silence. The pain is instant, devastating. And it drowns me. Suffocates me. I can’t move. I can’t speak. I can only hurt. Noah doesn’t even flinch. He just exhales, as if his son choosing another woman over me is just another moment in his evening. Vanessa gasps exaggeratedly. “Oh, honey,” she coos, pressing a hand to her chest. “That’s so sweet. I would love to be your mommy.” She smiles. Seth smiles back. I force myself to speak, but I can’t even recognize my voice. “Seth, baby, I’m your mommy.” Before I can say anything else, I feel a presence behind me. A presence that makes all the hairs on my body stand in fear. Margaret Hawthorne.