Left My Son in the ICU, Now My Ex-Husband Wants Me Back Dream On

My son fell from a tall roller coaster and was rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, my husband was busy on a date with my stepsister, Hailey. When I got the call from the hospital billing department, I honestly thought it was a prank. Nobody in my family was supposed to be sick. But the caller's voice was frantic. "Your son is in critical condition. He fell from a tall roller coaster and has multiple fractures all over his body." Hearing those words, my brain went completely numb. Today was my son's sixth birthday. Because I had to rush a project at work, I asked my husband to take him to the amusement park. How on earth did he fall from a roller coaster? On my way to the hospital, I spotted my husband waiting in a long bakery line with my stepsister, Hailey. I rushed up to him and slapped him hard across the face. "Your son is in the hospital, and you're standing here playing house?" "Since you don't know how to be a father, we don't need you anymore." Julian was stunned by the slap, and his temper flared up instantly. "Leo is playing on the rides at the park right now. I just stepped out for a second to help Hailey buy her birthday cake!" Hailey looked at me with puppy-dog eyes, her voice dripping with mock hurt. "Yeah, Chloe, how could you just storm in and hit Julian without even asking what happened?" Looking at the two of them standing so close, their hands almost touching, I lost it. "Are your arms and legs broken, Hailey? Do you need a grown man to hold your hand just to stand in a damn line?" Julian immediately stepped in front of Hailey, shielding her from me. He frowned, looking thoroughly annoyed. "I wanted to come with her, Chloe. Stop being so dramatic. It's only been a few minutes. What could possibly go wrong?" Watching him protect her like a precious doll, my heart turned cold, inch by inch. I finally realized that between me and Hailey, he would never choose me over her. "Julian, do you even know how old your son is?" My voice shook violently. "He's eight. What are you throwing a tantrum for now?" Julian rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin. I stared at him, utterly speechless. Leo is six. I used to think Julian just had a bad memory for dates. But now I realized he hadn't even listened to the safety regulations the park staff repeatedly warned him about. He just wanted to dump our son onto the longest ride so he could run off to buy a cake with Hailey. "Do you know that kids under ten aren't allowed on that roller coaster?" My voice trembled. The frantic words of the park staff on the phone echoed in my head: "The child fell from the high-speed coaster. He has multiple severe fractures and is currently in the ER. You need to get here right now!" "We repeatedly asked if the child was ten, and we explicitly told you the danger. But you checked the box online and signed the waiver saying he met the requirements! How could you lie about your own kid's age?!" The image of my tiny, fragile son falling from the sky flashed through my mind. I looked at Julian, my eyes dead and cold. "Julian, I want a divorce." I turned around to hail a taxi to the hospital. But he grabbed my wrist, looking utterly shocked. "You're divorcing me just because I helped Hailey buy a cake?" Hailey gently nudged his arm, wearing a sad, sacrificial smile. "Julian, forget it. I don't need the cake anymore." Her eyes welled with tears as she looked toward the bakery window, looking like the ultimate victim. "It's fine. Go with Chloe. Please don't fight because of me. If Chloe wants it, I can give up anything--my family, even you, Julian. I just want peace." Julian's heart immediately melted. He glared at me, his eyes full of accusation. "I was just standing in line with her. When did you become so bitter and jealous, Chloe?" I wrenched my arm free from his grip, got into a taxi that had just pulled over, and slammed the door. I think I heard Julian yelling my name, but I didn't look back. When I arrived at the hospital, Leo was still in surgery. The nurse handed me a stack of consent forms. "The child fell from a significant height. There is severe trauma to his head, chest, and abdomen. Sign here, please. Where is the father?" My hand shook so violently I could barely hold the pen. "He's... busy." The nurse gave me a look of deep pity but didn't ask further. I sat outside the operating room, shivering from the cold. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was my mother, Eleanor. Her voice was sharp and furious. "Chloe! What is wrong with you? Julian was just helping Hailey buy a cake, and you had to make a scene!" "They grew up together. What's wrong with them being close? Don't think just because you married Julian, you own him!" "Now Richard is giving me the cold shoulder because of you! Hailey finally started accepting me as her stepmother, and you're trying to ruin my marriage!" I stared at the closed doors of the ER, tears silently streaming down my face. "Are you done?" "Do you have any idea that to accompany Hailey, Julian lied about Leo's age and put him on an extreme roller coaster meant for older kids?" "Leo fell off. He is in surgery right now, fighting for his life!" I thought my mother would at least ask how her grandson was doing. But after a few seconds of silence, she sighed. "Well, they didn't know it would cause an accident. Why are you taking your anger out on Julian and Hailey?" "Fine, I'll apologize to Hailey on your behalf, okay? You're so petty. You didn't get that from me." She hung up on me. A minute later, she posted a photo collage on Instagram. In the center photo, she was holding Hailey's hand affectionately, with Julian sitting right next to them. The caption read: My sweet girl is finally back home. My heart is so full. Someone commented: What a handsome son-in-law and beautiful daughter. Such a perfect family. My mother didn't correct them. Instead, she liked the comment. A wave of nausea hit me. I aggressively tapped the screen to lock my phone, but in my haste, I accidentally answered an incoming call from Julian. "Hey, Chloe, look, I'm sorry. I won't be able to make it to the park to pick you and Leo up." "Eleanor said Hailey is back, and we're having a welcome-home dinner for her. She's worried you'll feel awkward if you come, so how about I pick you guys up after we finish?" "I'll throw Leo another birthday party tomorrow and take him out again. Don't be mad, okay?" I cut him off. "No need. Leo is in the hospital. He won't be going anywhere." He paused, finally sounding a bit nervous. "What do you mean? What happened to Leo?" "The General Hospital. If you still have an ounce of decency as a father, come and see what you've done."But I waited all night, and he never showed up. Instead, I got a text message from him at 2:00 AM. Eleanor said Leo's fine, just a minor fall. Hailey has terrible jet lag and just fell asleep. If I leave now, I'll wake her up. I'll pick you guys up tomorrow morning. Without a second thought, I emailed him the divorce papers I had already drafted. The thought of divorce hadn't just appeared overnight. But at this moment, my decision was final. Just because my mother had married Hailey's widowed father, and just because Julian--whom Hailey had a crush on for years--had chosen me, they all acted as if I owed Hailey my entire life. But I had done nothing wrong. Why should I keep giving in? At dawn, the red "Surgery in Progress" light finally turned off. The doctor rushed out. "The child is in critical condition. We need to fly in a specialist from out of state for an emergency surgery. We need to verify custody and file the insurance papers immediately. Did you bring his birth certificate and ID?" "I'll go get them right now," I said, running out of the hospital. But when I got to my apartment and entered the passcode, the lock beeped red. Error. I tried again. Error. This passcode had always been Leo's birthday. Just as I was about to call Julian, the door swung open. Julian stood there, shirtless, his hair messy. He immediately snapped at me. "Keep it down! Hailey is still sleeping." Seeing me stare at the smart lock, he rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. "Oh, Hailey couldn't remember our old passcode. We talked about it and decided to change it to her birthday." "We?" I asked, my voice cold. "Eleanor, Richard, and me." The down payment for this apartment came from selling the house my grandmother left me. I was the one paying the monthly mortgage. Yet, when they decided to lock me out of my own home, nobody bothered to ask me. I pushed past him and walked straight toward the primary bedroom. Julian scrambled to block me. "What are you looking for? I'll get it for you." But the bedroom door was already half-open. Hailey was sitting on my bed, wearing Julian's oversized pajama shirt and my slippers. Leo's small pillow and favorite blanket had been tossed carelessly into the trash can by the door. Seeing me, she quickly pulled the shirt tighter around her neck. "Chloe, please don't get the wrong idea. Julian let me sleep in here because my jet lag is so bad." Julian chimed in, "Yeah, I slept on the couch last night. Don't start imagining things." Our raised voices woke up Eleanor and Richard. Richard walked out, his face dark. "Hailey finally came back after all these years. What's wrong with her using your room for a night?" Eleanor grabbed my arm, dragging me back. "It's just a bedroom, Chloe. Do you have to make everyone miserable?" I shook her hand off and walked over to the safe in the corner. Next to it was a pile of Hailey's dirty laundry. As I reached for the safe, two torn, square foil wrappers fell out from the pile of clothes and landed right by my feet. My eyes went red instantly. Julian's face drained of color. He quickly stammered, "It's--it's not what you think!" "Hailey ordered takeout late last night. Those are just... foil packets from the wet wipes. You know how takeout packaging looks these days..." I didn't say a word. I bit my lower lip so hard I tasted copper, trying to stop my hands from shaking. I kicked the wrappers aside, knelt down, opened the safe, and grabbed Leo's birth certificate and insurance documents. Seeing my silence, Julian tried to clear the awkward air. "Where's Leo? Why didn't he come back with you?" I slammed the safe shut, stood up, and glared past him at Eleanor. "Oh, so you finally remember you have a son? Why don't you ask Eleanor over there?" "Ask her why she didn't tell you!" "Leo is only six years old, and you put him on a roller coaster meant for ten-year-olds!" "He fell off the tracks, had surgery all night, and is currently lying in the ICU!" Julian turned pale. "ICU? How could he be in the ICU?" My mother looked away guiltily. "Oh, please. Kids fall all the time. How bad could it really be?" "I didn't tell Julian because I didn't want everyone worrying and ruining Hailey's welcome-home party." My son was lying in the ICU with tubes down his throat. But to her, his life-threatening injuries were just a "minor fall" that wasn't worth ruining Hailey's party for. Julian stepped toward me, panicked. "I didn't know it was that serious. Chloe, I'll go to the hospital with you right now." I looked at him with sheer disgust. "The park staff warned you. They told you kids under ten couldn't ride." "But you didn't even know how old your own son was, and you didn't care to listen. You just wanted to get rid of him quickly so you could run off to buy a cake for Hailey."Julian's face was white as a sheet. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. I didn't give him the chance to make excuses. "Julian, if you care about Hailey so much that you'd sacrifice your own son's life, why did you marry me in the first place?" "You were the one who proposed to me. But all these years, your family and mine have treated me like a thief who stole you away from Hailey." "Whatever she wanted, I was forced to give up." "And now, you almost killed our son for her." I stared into his eyes. "If anything happens to Leo, I will make sure you and Hailey pay for it. I swear." Julian looked bewildered and offended. "Chloe, watch your mouth!" "Hailey and I are completely innocent. I've never had romantic feelings for her." "Why does everything sound so dirty when it comes out of your mouth?" Richard chimed in, his face hardening. "Julian and Hailey grew up together. They've always been close." "He has taken care of Hailey for over a decade. Just because he married you doesn't mean he has to cut off all normal contact with her." "Who do you think you are to force them to break ties?" My mother also glared at me with disgust. "Everyone knows how well Julian treated Hailey in the past." "Just because you got him to marry you, you want to hoard him all to yourself and make him abandon Hailey?" "You have a dirty mind, Chloe, so you see everyone else as dirty." "Your child got hurt because you weren't careful. Instead of reflecting on your own failures, you're standing here spreading nasty rumors about Julian and Hailey." "Have you no shame, Chloe?" Hailey's eyes filled with tears on cue. "Chloe, you really do hate me, don't you?" "I shouldn't have let Julian accompany me. But he only wanted to take care of me because I haven't been home in so long." "If you want to hit someone or scream at someone, do it to me. Please don't insult Julian like this." Julian instinctively turned to look at her, his eyes filled with that familiar, protective pain. That single look was enough to kill any remaining desire I had to argue. I clutched Leo's documents to my chest, pushed past them, and ran out. "Chloe, wait!" Julian called out, taking two steps after me. But by the time I made it back to the hospital, he still hadn't shown up. Just as I finished submitting the paperwork, my phone rang. It was my assistant, Maya. "Chloe, the new contract is ready for signing today. Where are you?" "My son is in the ICU. I need to take emergency leave. The terms are already negotiated; just get someone else to sign it." Maya's voice grew urgent. "But Julian just showed up at the office with Hailey. He told everyone you're taking a step back to focus on your family, and that Hailey is taking over your position and your project!" "I knew something was wrong, so I called you immediately." A chill ran down my spine. I immediately dialed Julian's number. "What right do you have to give my position to Hailey?" His voice on the line was incredibly calm, as if he had graciously figured everything out for me. "Chloe, I know you only said those things because you're stressed about Leo. I know you didn't mean them, so I won't hold them against you." "But in your current emotional state, you can't possibly focus on work. Staying in this position will only ruin the project." "It's better for you to step down and take care of our son. I'm doing this for your own good." I was shaking with rage. "I spent an entire year securing that contract! How dare you steal it from me!" Julian sighed. "It's not stealing. Think of it as helping Hailey out. She's going through a nasty divorce right now, and she needs a respectable job to win custody of her child." "It's just a temporary title. Missing out on one project won't kill you." I gripped my phone so hard my knuckles turned white. Since we were kids, whenever Hailey wanted my room, I had to pack my bags. When she didn't want to see me, I was banished from family gatherings for four years. And now, because she needed a job, I was expected to hand over the career I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into. "I don't agree," I said, my voice ice-cold. "If you touch my project, I will personally hand the contract over to our biggest competitor.""Chloe, don't be childish!" Julian's voice hardened. "You wouldn't destroy the whole company just to throw a tantrum, would you?" "It's just a temporary handover. A year at most." "Once you're ready to come back, your position will be waiting for you." His tone softened slightly. "I've already spoken to the doctor. Leo's treatment is fully arranged." "Just focus on taking care of our son, and come back when he's better. Isn't that a perfect plan?" "Besides, if it weren't for our marriage, Hailey wouldn't have left the country in heartbreak, and she wouldn't have ended up with an abusive husband." "We owe her this." I finally screamed. "I don't owe her a damn thing!" "She chose to go abroad, she chose to marry that man, and she chose her own life!" "Why does she get to steal Julian and my career just because her life turned out miserable?" "You're too emotional right now," Julian said coldly. "I'll come to the hospital to see you guys once Hailey's welcome ceremony is over." He hung up. Right then, a shrill alarm blared inside the ICU. Doctors and nurses rushed to Leo's bedside. Within seconds, they hooked him up to a portable monitor and began wheeling him out of the room. I panicked and threw myself in front of the bed. "Where are you taking my son?" "Is he having surgery?" "Has the specialist arrived?" I grabbed the doctor's sleeve, my voice cracking with panic. "You said the specialist surgeon was coming! He was supposed to land this afternoon. Why are you moving him now?" The doctor looked confused. "The specialist surgery has been canceled." A bomb went off in my head. "Who canceled it?" "The child's father." The doctor explained, "Mr. Miller called a few minutes ago. He said the out-of-state specialist's surgical plan was too risky, and he refused to consent to the operation." "He signed the discharge papers and the refusal of treatment form electronically, demanding we stop the current treatment plan immediately." "He said he is arranging to transfer the child to another hospital." I staggered back, nearly losing my footing. "I am his mother! I do not consent to a discharge! My son is too weak to be moved. You can't take him away!" I clutched the guardrail of the bed. "You can't move him." "Please, I beg you, don't move him. The specialist is almost here. Just give him a few hours, and he'll have a chance to live." The doctor looked at Leo's rapidly dropping vitals, his expression grim. "Mrs. Miller, we understand your feelings." "But our hands are tied." The doctor sighed. "Mr. Miller just submitted proof of paternity along with the written refusal of surgery. As the father, he is the primary legal guardian on file." "An out-of-state specialist's surgery is not classified as emergency surgery. When the two guardians disagree, we have no legal right to force the operation. We can only maintain basic life support or proceed with the transfer he authorized." My mind went completely blank. "He is not Leo's father! His signature doesn't count!" The doctor gasped. "What?" "He isn't! I can prove it to you!" I shielded the bed with my body, frantically pulling out my phone to dial Julian's number over and over again. After a dozen failed attempts, he finally answered. The background was filled with loud applause and chatter. "Chloe, I'm right in the middle of Hailey's welcome ceremony. Let's talk later." I forced down the burning hatred in my chest. "I'll give the position and the project to Hailey." The line went quiet for a second. "Really?" "But on one condition. Sign the divorce papers I sent you right now. Revoke the medical refusal, and transfer all of Leo's medical decision-making authority to me." Julian immediately grew suspicious. "I'm not signing those divorce papers. I'm not letting you use our marriage to throw a tantrum." I softened my voice, pretending to break. "I'm just hurting, Julian. I need you to prove you still care about me." "Sign it, and we can start over. Show me that you actually value me and our son." He hesitated. I added coldly, "If you don't sign it right now, I will send the contract to our competitor. The project will be gone, and Hailey's welcome ceremony will become the laughingstock of the industry. Choose, Julian." Julian finally let out a long sigh. "Fine, I get it. But using a divorce to throw a fit is really crossing the line, Chloe." "Okay, I'll sign."