The Son Erased From Reality

Samantha Ross' hands trembled as she held me tightly in her arms."Norman," she choked out. "The doctor said that the accident not only left your left kidney severely contused and necrotic, but also caused serious damage to your right kidney function. To save your life, we have to remove your left kidney as soon as possible. I’ve scheduled the nephrectomy for you in a month."The question that had been weighing on me slipped out despite myself. "Honey, did we ever have a son?"Samantha let out a soft sigh. "Honey, I know how much it devastates you not to be able to have children anymore. You only have one kidney left, and your body is completely broken. You can’t bear any exertion at all, let alone intimate relations. For the rest of your life... you’ll never be able to have children again." She paused before continuing, "If you really want a child, we can adopt one in the future."My father-in-law, Edmund Ross, stood nearby with tears streaming down his face. "That's right, Norm

The next morning, Samantha woke me. With a hesitant look, she placed a cardboard box in my hands. These are the supplements we bought when we were trying to conceive, along with the toys we never got to give away. "While you were in the hospital, I packed everything up. I didn't want you to come back and be reminded of them and feel sad. Now, I'm leaving them for you to deal with."With that, she left the bedroom, leaving me alone with the sealed box. My hands trembled as I peeled back the tape.Within the box were three parenting guides, a remote-controlled car, a toy pistol, and several boxes of prenatal vitamins. I knew each item well, particularly the books, frayed at the corners from repeated reading. One of the car's wheels was missing.I pulled out the wheel I had found in the gap between the mattress and the bed frame and compared it to the others. It matched perfectly. The child that had lived in the depths of my mind had been entirely imagined.A sudden knock on the doo

Just as I was about to make out her face, the memory was abruptly cut off."Norman, what's wrong?" Samantha gripped my wrist so tightly I thought she might crush the bones. "What are you doing here?"My heart nearly stopped. Everyone had told me a male driver hit me, but the fragments of memory in my mind showed a woman—someone who looked very much like Samantha. They had hidden the truth of my accident. If that was the case, then maybe Lionel really existed.I forced myself to steady my breathing. When I looked up, my eyes were bloodshot, with veins protruding along my temples. "Honey, I'm in so much pain," I said hoarsely. "After you left, Dad told me to stay in my room and rest. But as soon as I fall asleep, all I see in my dreams is Lionel… I can't make out his face… No matter how hard I try, I just can't… I feel like I'm going insane!"I gripped my hair with both hands, and my already pale face grew even paler. "I went to Maya's to try and find a photo of Lionel…"A wave

The next day, the other four accompanied me with obvious reluctance to the junkyard where Maya lived.Samantha and Gerald flanked me on either side, while Edmund and Shawn followed close behind. It looked less like a visit and more like a tightly controlled escort. Disgust was written plainly across their faces. Shawn even covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, as if the air itself were toxic.When we arrived, Maya was sitting on a small stool by the entrance, sorting through a stack of old newspapers. The wound on her head had already scabbed over, covered by only a small piece of gauze. She looked much more alert, though her complexion remained pale.When she saw so many of us at once, a flicker of surprise passed through her clouded eyes. "Oh, my, Ms. Ross! What brings you here?"I shook off Samantha's grip and rushed forward, grabbing Maya's hands urgently. The calluses along the base of her thumb and the inside of her palm only strengthened certain suspicions in my mi

The car sped through the streets and finally pulled into the underground parking garage of Dormington Hospital.We didn't enter through the main entrance. Instead, we went straight through a side staff passage, where a woman in a nurse's uniform was already waiting. With a blank expression, she ushered us into a private elevator that rose silently to the third floor.The long corridor was empty and so silent I could hear my own heartbeat. Shawn and I were ushered into a preparation room, with two burly male nurses flanking me to prevent any chance of resistance.Before we entered, Samantha and the others completely ignored me, directing all their care and concern toward Shawn. "Shawn, don't be afraid. After today, you will finally get better."Samantha cupped Shawn's face and kissed his forehead. The sincerity and worry in her eyes were a stark contrast to how she had ever looked at me.It seemed the outcome was taken for granted. When Shawn saw that I remained indifferent, his us