Marrying My Sister’s Husband

After my sister died, I married her husband, Nick Ambrose. That made me the stepmom to my five-year-old nephew, Jayden Ambrose. On my birthday, I accidentally wore one of my late sister’s dresses. In front of everyone, five-year-old Jayden threw my birthday cake straight into my face. He looked down at me, covered in frosting, with the same cold, emotionless stare as his father. “Don’t think you can replace my mom just because you married into the Ambrose Family,” he sneered. “You gold-digging tramp.” Then his voice dropped into something darker, hateful. “I wish it had been you who died. Then, we’d be lighting candles for your memorial… not your damn birthday.” “I swear, when I grow up, the first thing I’m doing is kicking you out of this house!” The cake, overly sweet with extra frosting, slid toward the corner of my mouth, but all I tasted was bitterness. I stared at the little boy I had raised with my own hands and, strangely, I just felt… done. If a child doesn’t love you, maybe it’s time to let go. But after I left, both Nick and Jayden came crawling back, full of regret, begging me to forgive them.