"Mrs. Templeton, your brain tumor removal surgery is extremely risky. I suggest you inform your husband first and prepare for the worst."
Nikki Sands will never forget this day.
On her seventh wedding anniversary, at the age of 28, she was given a death sentence by doctors.
As Nikki stood at the kindergarten gate, the doctor's diagnosis seemed to still be echoing in her ears.
Ben Templeton's eyes lit up the moment he saw her, "Mom?"
Her son's words brought her back to reality.
Nikki stood at the kindergarten gate, just opening her arms.
Nikki had just put her son in her arms when the little guy struggled to get out, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"Mom, why are you the one picking me up?"
Her son's innocent voice pulled her back to reality; he was complaining with a look of disappointment on his face.
"Dad promised to bring Aunt Taryn to pick me up. What are you doing here?"
"If you come, Aunt Taryn definitely won't come."
Nikki paused in her movement, which was about to pull him into her arms.
When she learned that she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, her biggest worry was her son, which is why she canceled her company meeting that afternoon to pick him up and take him home.
Nikki never expected that Ben simply didn't want to see her.
Nikki patiently said, "Ben, Mom missed you, so I came here especially to pick you up. Do you see that Mom is unhappy?"
At this moment, she really wanted to etch her son's face into her mind so that she could remember him forever. She wanted to hug him more often, or even just talk to him.
"But if you come, Mom, Aunt Taryn can't come." Ben pouted reluctantly. "Today is the eighth anniversary of Aunt Taryn and Dad's meeting. They promised to take me to the aquarium. I even prepared a gift for Aunt Taryn."
Nikki choked on her breath, a sharp, tearing pain shooting through her heart. Before she could speak again, Ben pushed her away.
"Mom, you should leave quickly. I don't want Aunt Taryn to see you."
Nikki was pushed and fell to the ground without any warning, her face as pale as paper.
"Mom, you're so silly. Aunt Taryn wouldn't be like you. She even knows Muay Thai."
Nikki's lips moved slightly, "Ben, I'm your mother..."
But Ben had no interest in listening to her; he just kept complaining, "Mom, can't you go home by yourself? Aunt Taryn doesn't want to see you, so don't spoil our fun."
Nikki remained silent for a long time, but did not speak.
She simply stood up calmly, dusted herself off, but Ben kept staring expectantly in another direction, ignoring her presence.
"Heh." Nikki chuckled very softly.
She was laughing at her stupidity and at her foolishness.
Finally, Nikki returned to the car and asked the driver to drive back to the villa area.
The driver asked, "Madam, where is the young master?"
"He has someone more suitable to pick him up, so I don't need to be in the way." Nikki said calmly, "Let's drive."
Seeing that Nikki's expression was not right, the driver wisely did not ask any further questions, but instead changed the subject.
"This morning, when I dropped my son off at kindergarten, he showed me a special greeting card with a picture of a family of three on it. He said it was for our anniversary." The driver smiled and said, "Today is your wedding anniversary, so he must have made a special card for you, my wife. Your son is so thoughtful."
Upon hearing this, Nikki paused for a moment.
Then she spoke up: "That greeting card wasn't for me."
She didn't even need to think to know that the greeting card was for Taryn Clark.
Nikki looked at the chat box on the screen. The other party's reply was from last month, a brief "hmm" that conveyed a sense of distance and indifference.
Just like Lucas Templeton, he makes people feel unapproachable.
Her fingertips tapped on the screen, editing message after message, but in the end, she deleted them all.
[Will you come back tonight?] This message seemed to condense Nikki's last bit of courage.
After a long while, someone on the other end finally spoke up.
I have a company meeting tonight, so I won't be replying.
Nikki's fingers, gripping the phone so tightly they turned white, were stinging with tears.
She couldn't remember how many wedding anniversaries she had spent alone, nor could she recall the last time she met Lucas.
Despite being married for so many years, the two are more estranged than strangers.
A few years ago, Nikki would have made a phone call, humbled himself, and hoped the other party could reschedule.
But after learning that she had terminal cancer, she suddenly stopped caring so much.
She no longer cared whether it was Lucas or Ben.
The car came to a stop outside the family Templeton villa.
Before getting off the bus, Nikki stared at the few words in the chat box on the screen. After a long silence, she finally dialed the other party's video call.
All she wanted was to spend one last anniversary with her father and son, as a family of three, in her final moments.
The video call was connected ten seconds after the ringtone.
A familiar face appeared on the other side of the screen, still with a cold expression, but the impatience with her that usually lingered in his eyes was gone.
Nikki was about to speak when she heard playful laughter coming from outside the screen, so familiar that she froze on the spot.
"What's up?"
"I wanted to ask if tonight's meeting could be rescheduled?" Nikki took a deep breath. "The three of us haven't had a meal together in a long time."
Lucas frowned. "Does it have to be today?"
Yes, today.
"Does it have to be today?" Lucas was getting impatient. He rubbed his temples. "Nikki, you're not a child anymore. What are you doing, throwing a tantrum?"
This time, Nikki did not back down, and his tone remained very calm.
"Lucas, we are husband and wife."
She emphasized each word of the sentence, her gaze refusing to leave Lucas's face for even an inch.
"Is it so hard for me to just have a meal together?"
Lucas remained silent.
But Nikki knew that he was completely impatient.
Just as she was about to speak again, the camera suddenly switched to another view, and Ben's small face appeared on the screen.
His impatience was a perfect replica of Lucas's. He pouted and said indignantly, "Mom, why can't you understand what Dad means?"
"I already told you that my dad and I are going to celebrate our anniversary with Aunt Taryn, and you still called to ask about it."
"Dad and I both prefer Aunt Taryn, because Mom, you are such a spoilsport."
These words pierced Nikki's heart, causing him immense pain.
Ben was a premature baby she risked her life to give birth to him. He was weak from a young age, and she spent countless days and nights caring for him as he grew up.
But ever since Ben became old enough to remember things, he has become quite distant from Nikki Sands and has taken the initiative to get closer to Lucas.
At first, Nikki thought it was a good thing that her father and son had a harmonious relationship, but she realized there was a problem after she found that her son was becoming more and more distant from her.
"Ben, you can't talk to Mom like that; it will make Mom sad."
A gentle female voice rang out from outside the screen. Even though the person's face wasn't shown, Nikki could guess their identity.