Shadows
Evelyn’s POV
The soft tapping of my keyboard was the only sound in the office until my colleague, Mrs.
Anderson, spoke up.
“I have to leave early today,” she smiled, packing her bag. “It’s my daughter’s PTA meeting.”
I paused mid-typing. “PTA meeting?”
“Yes, at St. Claire’s. They’re discussing the upcoming cultural day and some performance stuff,”
she replied cheerfully.
St. Claire’s.
My heart skipped. St Claire’s? That’s Liam’s school.
How come I didn’t know about this meeting?
I tried to act normal, but my hands were shaking slightly as I closed my laptop. I forced a smile.
“I think I’ll take the rest of the day off too.”
The drive to the school was a blur. My mind kept spinning.
Why didn’t Liam tell me?
Was there a message I missed?
An email? A note?
But I checked everything—I always do. I make sure his uniforms are clean, I pack his lunch, I
even stay up late ironing his projects. I may not be perfect, but I try.
I reached the school gate and parked. I didn’t plan to go in. I just wanted to take a peek. Maybe
catch Liam walking with his friends. Maybe get a little wave.
But what I saw…
What I saw shattered me.
Standing under a tree not far from the main building… was my husband, Jason.
And next to him… Ivy.
Her hair was loose, long, shiny. Her heels clicked as she laughed. In her hand was a
toy—something Liam had been begging me for weeks. I couldn’t afford it yet.
And there, in the middle of them, was my son.
My little boy.
He laughed loudly as Ivy handed him the toy.
I stood frozen, watching.
Liam hugged her.
Tightly.
Then he grabbed her hand.
He smiled at her like she was his world.
And Jason… Jason didn’t stop him. He just smiled too, as if they were the perfect family.
I blinked. My chest tightened. It hurt to breathe.
Liam had never hugged me like that.
He never laughed like that when I was around.
At home, he barely spoke to me unless he needed something. He looked at me like I was a
stranger… or a burden.
I blamed myself always. Maybe it was the mark. The one I had obtained during that
crash—when I had sped to pick him up from school in the rain.
Or maybe it was the way my body had transformed after the surgeries.
Maybe Liam had noticed that too. Maybe he had learned to treat me like his father did.
Now, I am not wanted.
I clamped down on my lip to shut out the tears. But they still flowed.
Wet. Weighty.
They streamed down my cheeks and I didn't even dry them.
I didn't hear any of them approaching, so I slipped behind a wall and wrapped my arms around
myself and shook.
They didn't see me. Not a single one of them turned around.
Not my husband.
Not Ivy.
Not even Liam.
I wasn't there.
I was as if I never did exist.
I came to see my son.
But I left like a shadow.
A shadow of the woman I once was.
The woman who carried him for nine months.
The woman who almost died having him.
And yet I stood by and let another woman receive the love that rightfully belonged to me today.
I walked slowly, silently, my chest aching so much that I thought it was going to burst.
Maybe I had already disappeared from their lives… and I just hadn't noticed
