All Chapters of Ashes Under the Willow Tree: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

On the fourth day after my son died, I ran into Jennifer Cassell in a hospital corridor.One hand steadied Phillip Lennox. The other held Phillip's son. The three of them looked exactly like a happy family. Except I was her husband.The smile vanished from Jennifer's face the moment she saw me. "What are you doing here? Are you here to give Phil trouble again?"She looked at me as if I were something she needed to guard against. Her eyes felt colder than my son's body.Phillip slipped an arm around her with effortless familiarity. Then he looked at me with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Andrew. Jenny just worries too much about me, so she came off a little harsh."As he spoke, he nudged his son and motioned for him to greet me.The boy glanced at me and said, "Hello, Mister."Then he threw himself into Jennifer's arms and called out in a sweet voice, "Jenny."One was "Mister," The other was "Jenny." The difference could not have been clearer.In the past, this would have turned

The night after we finished registering for elementary school, Jennifer did not come home.Cyrus and I sat in the courtyard, enjoying the cool air. He lay across my knees and watched me struggle to sew a loose strap on his backpack."Dad," Cyrus said, peering up at me. "When I start school, I'm going to study hard. Then I'll serve the country like Mom."A few days later, because Jennifer chose to walk away and leave him to die, my son never made it to his first day of school.He was only seven. He had just registered for elementary school. But he never got to wear the backpack I fixed for him. He never got to greet his teachers or classmates. He never got to tell Jennifer that his real dream was to grow up like his mother and defend our country.I closed my eyes and let the tears fall. They soaked into the backpack in my hands.When my gaze dropped to the name I had stitched onto it—Cyrus Foster—the last of my control shattered. I broke down and sobbed.By the time the staff mem

"What? What is this?" Jennifer asked, bewildered.I looked at the photograph on the chair and let out a hollow laugh. "You can see it for yourself. Cyrus is gone."The backpack slipped from Jennifer's hand and hit the floor. She stared at me, disbelief written across her face. "What did you say? What do you mean he's gone? He was perfectly fine. How could a child just die like that?"Yes. Just a few days ago, he had been running after me, shouting "Dad!" with that bright smile. He had been so excited about starting school. A child like that should not have died. Not unless he had a mother who could walk away without looking back.Jennifer grabbed my shoulders and shook me, as if she had already forgotten everything she had done. "Say something!""Do you remember the last time you saw him?" I asked. "Seven days ago."That day, Cyrus' face burned red in my arms. He could barely breathe.Jennifer had glanced at him once. Then she decided he was pretending. If she had not turned her

I lowered my head. I did not want to keep making excuses for her.Hurt was hurt. Intentional or not, it still left a scar in Cyrus' heart."Later, I comforted him. I told him everything would get better once school started. I said he would make lots of new friends. But he never got the chance."I lifted my head and looked straight at Jennifer. The hatred inside me had nowhere to go. It spilled out as endless tears. "Jennifer, do you know what Cyrus said to me the day we registered for school?"Regret and unease filled her eyes as she looked at me."He said he felt sorry for you. He said you worked so hard every day. He told me he would study hard. One day he would become a great hero who served the country, just like his mother."Jennifer's gaze dropped to the brand-new backpack beside her. Pain flooded her face, and the tears finally broke free.I picked up my luggage. After one last look at the house, I turned and walked away.Only one bus ran between the train station and th

Jennifer struggled to sit up in bed. Then she froze.Warm yellow light spilled from the living room.Jennifer pushed the door open and saw Cyrus sitting on the floor with a stack of cardboard boards in his hands. His eyes lit up the moment he saw her. "Mom, can you play with me?"He lifted the boards toward her with a hopeful smile.Jennifer nodded quickly, joy rising in her chest. They sat on the floor and played together.For a moment, she felt lighter than she had in days.When she looked up again, she saw me sitting under the lamp, sewing a deep blue backpack. The thread moved clumsily through the cloth in Andrew's hands.Just then, someone knocked on the door. Jennifer turned her head. In the blink of an eye, both Cyrus and Andrew were gone."Cyrus! Andy!" Her voice echoed through the room, but the house remained silent. No one answered.The knocking grew louder. Then Phillip's voice came from outside the door. "Jenny! Jenny, are you in there?"Phillip stood outside in a