Library

Search

Home / Rebirth Short Story / I'll Trade Their Futures for My Son's Life / Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

All Chapters of I'll Trade Their Futures for My Son's Life: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

7 Chapters

Chapter 1

I'd left in too much of a hurry earlier with my son, Cory Sullivan, so his clothes and bag were still in the locker room.I told him to wait in the car while I went back to get his things. I figured I'd also inform the pool staff about the safety issues with the pool.The moment I stepped into the swimming hall, I heard a burst of laughter."Don't you think he looks like a dead fish? Move! Why aren't you moving? Hahahaha—"The laughter from the three boys was grating on the ears. The tallest one, Andy Webster, had his foot pressed down on a patch of blue beneath the water.The blue swim trunks—which were the same color as Cory's—and the faint reddish tint spreading through the pool made my heart seize. If I hadn't known for sure that Cory was in the car right now, I wouldn't have been able to face a scene like this again.In my previous life, Andy had been furious that Cory beat him for first place in school and even did better at swimming class than he did. That was why he attac

Chapter 2

Walter's hands fumbled as he pulled out his phone. His voice stuttered. "Y-You're right. I-I'll make the call right away…"But a few seconds later, he looked at the boy's swollen, distorted face and said, "W-With his face like that, I don't even know who he is…"I looked up at him, feeling rather speechless. "Don't you know how to check? Which students were supposed to be here today? Just rule them out one by one based on who's absent and who's here. The remaining—"Andy butted in, "Don't bother. I know who that is."He walked over and crouched in front of me to stare at the boy's face. He spoke lightly, but the words seemed to ring in my eardrums."Isn't this Cory Sullivan? You don't even recognize your own son anymore, Mr. Sullivan? You were so worked up just now, so I thought you knew. Are you just reacting like this now because you're too scared to face the truth?"My eyes went wide as I stared at him. Did this mean he attacked this boy because he thought it was Cory?Andy s

Chapter 3

Before Greg could finish speaking, my wife, Sheryl Lowe, came rushing in while panting. "Mike! I heard something happened at the swimming pool. Cory—"She saw me kneeling there in a disheveled state, with a small body covered in a jacket lying beside me. The color drained from her face."W-What happened!" she exclaimed in a trembling voice as she staggered toward me.The scene was almost identical to what had happened in my previous life, but it felt like a mockery to me.Back then, when she saw Cory's mangled face, she'd looked just as devastated as she did now, as if the sky had collapsed.But then, she found out that the one who caused his death was the son of her company chairman's only daughter. In the face of her own career, that pitiful bit of maternal love she had become laughably unimportant.Sure enough, the very next second, her gaze landed on Greg, who was standing nearby. Her expression instantly turned fearful. With her head slightly bowed, she asked nervously, he

Chapter 4

Rhea Duran's arrival made Sheryl freeze, her hands still clamped around my throat. Feeling less pressure around my throat, I seized the chance to bite her hand hard, and she shoved me away.Ignoring the pain in my throat and the way my vision was swimming, I hoarsely called out, "Ms. D—"Before I could finish, Greg stepped in front of Rhea. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin as he looked her up and down like he was surveying her.He noticed that she was in her late 30s, dressed in an understated tailored suit, and had a cold, composed expression. That only further confirmed his suspicion that she was my mistress. From the looks of it, she was probably some upstart with a bit of money.Greg sneered, his voice laced with mockery as he remarked, "Here I was wondering why he'd been acting so tough this whole time. Turns out his mistress is here."Still scrutinizing Rhea, he continued in a haughty tone, "In terms of looks… I guess she's not too shabby. No wonder she managed to hav

Chapter 5

My voice was choked, but every word came out clearly."I'm sorry. When I got here, he was already pinned to the drain at the bottom of the pool. I tried my best… but… I'm sorry. I couldn't save him."The final trace of color vanished from Rhea's face. She didn't break down into sobs or have an emotional meltdown. She simply crouched down and lifted the jacket from the boy's head.After taking a single glance at his face, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the storm in her gaze had gone, leaving only the still darkness of an abyss."Who did this?" she asked.I raised my hand and pointed at Andy, who was hiding behind Greg."Stop lying! It was his own carelessness at fault!" Greg snapped at once.Ignoring his swollen cheek, he continued to fan the flames by saying, "Sheryl! Get a load of your wonderful husband. Even his mistress has shown up now, and the two of them are trying to ruin my son's life for the sake of their kid!"After hearing Greg's taunting shouts, Sh

Chapter 6

Greg's expression froze before shifting into a look of pure exhilaration. "There's been a misunderstanding, Ms. Duran! This is just a big misunderstanding!"He pointed at me as he rushed through his words. "It wasn't your son, Jamie Duran, who died. That man lied to you! The dead boy is his son, Cory Sullivan. He's just trying to use you to take revenge on us!"Andy also got his spunk back. His tear-streaked face was now sporting a look of feigned grievance."Yes, that's right! We didn't hurt your son at all, Ms. Duran! We were just joking around with Cory. We've never even met Jamie before!"As if they'd found a lifeline, the two terrified boys scrambled to nod and babble incoherently in agreement."Yes, it's Cory… We didn't hurt anyone else…"Rhea's grip on the body tightened ever so slightly. She turned her gaze on me and scrutinized me. "Care to explain, Mr. Sullivan?"I could understand why she was reacting this way. What mother wouldn't want to hear that the worst news she

Chapter 7

"No! That's not what happened! Please, Ms. Duran, let me explain!" Greg shouted as he scrambled forward on all fours."It's a misunderstanding! I swear it's just a misunderstanding. We didn't know he was your son. And… besides, maybe he didn't die from drowning! It was him!"He suddenly pointed at me."Maybe he pressed too hard! Maybe he's the one who killed your son. Yes! It must have been because he didn't do CPR properly. It has nothing to do with us! Please, on account of my wife, please spare us, Ms. Duran!"Rhea looked at Greg, her lips curled ever so slightly, but the smile was chilling."Webster Group, right? I'll remember that."Without wasting any more words on them, she said to her bodyguards, "Take all of them away.""No! You can't do this! This is illegal! I'm calling the police!" Greg screamed. He thrashed about for a bit before abruptly turning toward me. "Quick! Call the police. Dial 911! Hurry!"I calmly showed him my empty hands."Sorry about that, Mr. Thom

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status