Wishes Reserved for Another

For his eighth birthday, I asked my son, Oliver, what he wanted.

He shook his head and asked for three blank wish cards instead.

Just in case I ever make you mad, Mom. I can use them to get your forgiveness.

The gesture melted my heart, and I laughed, pulling him into a warm hug. But as it turned out, not a single one of those cards was ever used on me.

The first card demanded I quit my job.

"Brooke has an Ivy League degree," he said. "She should be the vice president of Dad's company, not you."

The second card asked for a smart sibling.

"You're too dumb, Mom. If Dad had a baby with Brooke, that kid would actually be smart."

The final card was the blow that shattered me completely. He wanted a new mother.

"I want Brooke to be my mom. Can you just divorce Dad already?"

I froze, the words knocking the wind right out of my lungs. I couldn't speak.

Seeing my silence, Oliver's smug grin vanished, replaced by an impatient scowl. "You promised! You said you'd grant whatever I wished for! I need you to sign those papers so Brooke can come to my parent-teacher conference next week!"

He puffed his chest out, waiting for the familiar flash of hurt to cross my face. He had relished seeing me break during the first two wishes.

"You can't break your promise. If you do, I'll never talk to you again."

"Fine." I cut off his bratty rant, my voice flat and hollow. "If that's your third wish, I accept."

For a split second, a flicker of panic crossed Oliver's face. But the feeling evaporated the moment the front door clicked open. Kai walked in, flanked by Brooke. She was wearing a sharp, tailored pantsuit, looking radiant and painfully young.

"Fiona, I hope you don't mind. I just came back with Kai to grab some files," Brooke said, her lips curving into a smirk that didn't reach her calculating eyes.

Oliver's eyes lit up. He bolted past me and threw his arms around her waist. "Brooke! Mom agreed to let you be my new mom! Can I call you Mom from now on?"

A triumphant gleam flashed in Brooke's eyes. I looked past her, locking eyes with my husband. "That's right, Kai. I want a divorce."

Kai's face darkened instantly. "Stop this nonsense, Fiona! What kind of sick game are you playing with our son? I've told you a thousand times, Brooke is my VP, my right hand. Why are you dragging her into your insecurities? If you're mad at me, deal with me, don't use our kid as a weapon."

Brooke's eyes welled with tears, her lower lip trembling like a wounded animal. "Fiona, I only wanted to do my job. Kai and I are strictly professional. If my presence here causes this much trouble, I'll submit my resignation tonight." She let a single, perfect tear slip down her cheek.

Before I could even open my mouth, Oliver charged at me like a small battering ram. Caught off guard, I stumbled backward, my lower back slamming hard against the sharp edge of the coffee table. A sharp, blinding pain shot up my spine, leaving me breathless and doubled over. Oliver stood defiantly in front of Brooke, shielding her with his tiny arms. "Don't you dare bully Brooke! You're a monster!"

Kai reached down, patting Oliver's head with pride. "Good boy, protecting her like a real man." Then, he turned his icy gaze back to me, his voice dripping with condescension. "Brooke is the backbone of my company. She isn't someone an unemployed housewife like you can slander."

"Dad, Brooke, I'm starving," Oliver whined, tugging at Brooke's hand with an ease that told me this wasn't the first time they'd played happy family. "Let's go out for dinner. I'm so sick of her cooking."

Brooke gave him a sweet, maternal smile. "Kai, let's take Oliver out. I actually managed to secure a reservation at that Michelin-star place downtown." She paused, looking at me with mock sympathy. "Though, they strictly enforce their guest limit, so Fiona might not be able to join us. Should we pick somewhere else?"

"No, we'll go there," Kai decided coldly. He grabbed his coat, giving me one last look of utter disgust. "Stay home, Fiona. Reflect on your attitude and learn to watch your mouth. Stop acting like a crazy woman."

The heavy oak door slammed shut, leaving the house in a suffocating silence. Through the glass panels, Oliver's excited cheers and Brooke's melodic giggles drifted back to me before fading away. I dragged myself onto the sofa, curled up in a ball, and closed my eyes, exhausted to my core.

I wasn't being hysterical. I genuinely wanted out. And as for my son, he could stay with them.

I called my lawyer, laying out the terms of the separation.

"Fiona, if you want full custody, we'll have to make significant compromises on the division of assets," the lawyer warned gently.

"I don't want custody," I interrupted, without a shred of hesitation.

I may have stepped down from my active role at the firm, but I still held forty percent of the company's shares. Why should I sacrifice my hard-earned wealth to raise a son who despised me?

After hanging up, I opened my social media. The top post on my feed was from Oliver's iPad. The caption read, "My real family!" It was a selfie of Kai, Brooke, and Oliver. In the photo, Kai, usually so stern and unyielding, was smiling warmly, letting Brooke lean her head against his shoulder.

I stared at it, a quiet ache blooming behind my eyes. I went to swipe away, only to find the exact same photo posted right below it, shared by Kai. He used his account almost exclusively for business networking, never personal updates. Yet here he was, posting a family portrait with no caption, letting the silence speak volumes.

The comments section was already a frenzy of congratulations. Kai's relatives were quick to chime in.

"Bro, when are you bringing your gorgeous new girl home? Mom and Dad are dying to meet her!"

"Son, this is the kind of woman who belongs in our family. You two should have another baby while you're still young! A big family is a blessed family!"

Kai's parents had always resented me for only having one child. Once Kai's business took off, their demands for a second heir became relentless. But I had stood my ground, remembering how I had almost died on the operating table giving birth to Oliver.

The pregnancy itself had been a fragile miracle. Right when we found out, Kai's startup hit a massive financial crisis, threatening to bankrupt us. I had dragged my pregnant body to endless corporate dinners, swallowing down nausea to secure the contracts that saved us. The very day our first multi-million dollar funding arrived, I was rushed to the ER with severe complications. I spent the rest of my pregnancy on strict bedrest, receiving painful daily injections to keep Oliver alive.

Back then, Kai wept by my bedside, swearing he would spend the rest of his life making it up to me. Because Oliver was born premature and spent weeks in the incubator, I vowed to dedicate all my maternal love to him alone. No matter how much my in-laws sneered or tried to poison his mind against me, I refused to put my life on the line again.

As the company flourished, Kai appointed me as the vice president. "Fiona, we wouldn't have any of this without you. You're the real boss," he used to say.

Yet, our son grew up believing I was nothing but a parasite. A month ago, Oliver had proudly slammed his first wish card onto my lap. I had smiled, thinking he wanted a new Lego set. Written in his messy, childish scrawl was: Mom must quit her job.

I chuckled, kissing his forehead. "What's this about, sweetie? Do you feel like Mom works too much? I'm sorry, I'll make more time for us to play."

But he frowned, shaking his head. "You just sit around the house anyway. Why are you holding onto the VP title? Brooke went to a top school. She should have your office."

The smile died on my face. "Oliver, who is Brooke?"

"She's Dad's assistant! She's so pretty, and she always gives me candy when I visit," he said, swinging his legs. "Dad's company doesn't need dead weight, Mom. You should do the right thing and step down so you don't embarrass him."

His words chilled me to the bone. An eight-year-old didn't use terms like "dead weight" or "embarrassing" on his own. Someone was feeding him these lines.

The next day, I looked into Brooke. She was a fresh graduate from an elite university, hired as Kai's personal assistant six months prior. Whenever I had brunch with other executive wives, I would leave Oliver in Kai's office. This woman had been slowly dripping poison into my son's ear.

I went straight to Kai's office to confront her. "Brooke, what exactly have you been telling my son?"

She immediately looked like a kicked puppy. "Nothing, Fiona. I was just babysitting him."

"Save the helpless act," I sneered.

The next second, she shrieked, dramatically falling backward onto the carpet just as the door burst open.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Kai roared, shoving me aside to pull her up.

Brooke whimpered, wiping non-existent tears. "It's fine, Kai. Fiona just reminded me that I'm just an assistant and that I'm a bad influence on Oliver. I'll stay away from him from now on."

Kai's fists clenched. "Apologize to her, Fiona."

I stared at him, unable to recognize the man I had built a life with. "I didn't even touch her. You honestly believe her over me?"

"Brooke has no reason to lie," Kai hissed. "And she's overqualified as an assistant anyway. Since you barely show up to the office anymore, she'll be taking over your position as Vice President."

"You wouldn't dare," I gasped.

Kai let out a cold laugh. "It's my company. I decide who works here."

The sound of keys rattling in the lock brought me back to the present. The three of them walked in, laughing and chatting, looking for all the world like a perfect family. The moment they saw me, the laughter died. They exchanged glances and then let out a collective, mocking chuckle, like they shared a private joke I would never understand.

"Kai, we should head back to the office. The new project files need a final review," Brooke suggested softly. Kai nodded instantly.

"Can I come too?" Oliver whined.

"No, buddy. It's past your bedtime," Kai said, looking at me. "Fiona, put him to bed."

Brooke pinched Oliver's cheek playfully. "I'll play with you tomorrow, okay?"

Oliver pouted but agreed. As he walked past me, he glared. "If you weren't here, they would have taken me with them."

I said nothing. I was leaving anyway.

In the middle of the night, Kai climbed into bed, smelling of cheap, sweet perfume. "Are you still throwing a tantrum?" his voice was unusually soft. "You didn't wait up for me tonight."

He was used to me staying up until 2 AM to make sure he had warm tea after his late-night meetings.

"You went too far today, Fiona. Bringing up divorce in front of Oliver? Imagine how uncomfortable that made Brooke. Don't let it happen again."

"I was serious," I said, my voice dead calm. "Oliver used his third wish card. He wants Brooke to be his mom, and he wants us to get a divorce."

Kai laughed, annoyed. "Are you seriously taking a kid's game to heart?"

But wasn't he the one who had taken the cards seriously before?

Two weeks ago, Oliver had practically thrown the second wish card at my face. I want a smart sibling.

I had sighed, trying to explain that he would always be our only child.

"I don't want you to have one!" Oliver had sneered. "You're too dumb, Mom. If my sibling has your genes, they'll be a failure. Dad is a genius, and Brooke is smart. They should be the ones having a baby together."

For the first time in his life, I snapped and yelled at him. When Kai came home, Oliver threw himself into his arms, sobbing. "Dad, Mom screamed at me!"

Kai frowned at me. "Why can't you talk to him calmly?"

Trembling with rage, I repeated what Oliver had said. Kai laughed it off. "He's a kid, Fiona. Why are you taking him so seriously?"

"I mean it!" Oliver sniffled, pulling out a report card with a failing grade.

I was stunned. Oliver wasn't a prodigy, but he had always gotten straight A's.

"It must be Mom's fault," he whispered, his eyelashes fluttering nervously. I knew that tell: he was lying.

But Kai bought it. "Fiona, how are you even helping him with his homework? He's only in the second grade and he's failing?"

Three days ago, an anonymous number sent me a photo. It was Kai, standing beside Brooke in the waiting room of an OB-GYN clinic.

That was the moment the last ember of warmth in my heart died.

When I handed him the printed divorce papers, he tore them to shreds without looking. "You won't do it. You grew up without a family, Fiona. You'd never break ours apart. Brooke is brilliant, and Oliver loves her. Stop this childish jealousy before you ruin her reputation."

I stared at the torn papers on the floor. He was wrong. Oliver's first two wishes had been granted. It was time for the third.

The next afternoon, I went to pick Oliver up from school. His teacher looked at me with an awkward, apologetic expression. "Mrs. Pendelton, Oliver was already picked up. He told us she was his new mother."

When I got home, the living room was filled with laughter. Brooke was helping Oliver build a Lego tower, while Kai sat nearby, watching them with a gentle smile.

Brooke smiled warmly as I walked in. "Fiona, you're back. Oliver wanted me to pick him up today, and I forgot to text you. You don't mind, do you?"

"Brooke is my real mom now," Oliver announced loudly. "She should be the one picking me up. She's moving in with us!"

Kai coughed, clearing his throat. "Brooke offered to tutor Oliver. Besides, she's a young woman living alone, and her apartment complex isn't safe. I thought it made sense for her to stay in our guest room."

They all watched me, braced for an explosion. But I only smiled, walked past them, and went straight to my room.

Over the next few days, Brooke acted like the lady of the house, taking Oliver out to theme parks and restaurants. I enjoyed the peace, spending my time drafting the custody and asset paperwork.

Then, I saw a video Brooke posted on social media. The camera was shaking, showing Oliver struggling into a poorly fitted wetsuit with the vast, dark ocean behind him. My heart leaped into my throat. He was only eight, and she had taken him deep-sea diving!

Panic overriding everything, I drove straight to the marina. I rented a speedboat and raced out to their coordinates. When I arrived, only Brooke was climbing back onto the deck of their boat.

"Where is Oliver?" I screamed, my voice cracking.

Brooke jumped, her eyes darting around guiltily. "He... he should be up by now. I don't know where he went..."

My knees buckled. "Call search and rescue! Now!"

Ten minutes later, Oliver was dragged out of the water, unconscious and deathly pale. I rushed him to the hospital, refusing to leave his side until the doctor assured me he was out of danger. For a brief second, my resolve to give up custody wavered. How could I leave my child with a monster like Brooke?

Slap!

The force of Kai's hand knocked my head to the side. "How could you be so careless!" he roared, his face contorted in rage. "You almost got him killed!"

My ears rang as I forced myself to stand up. "Kai, your precious VP took him into the open ocean!"

"Stop lying! You've been terrified of deep water ever since Oliver fell into the lake as a toddler. You would never go near the sea, let alone take him there!"

Kai's face flickered with a sudden, uneasy realization. "Fiona, I..."

Just then, Oliver groaned, his eyes fluttering open. I ignored Kai and rushed to the bedside. "Oliver, does anything hurt? Tell Mom."

Oliver looked at me, and his eyelashes began to flutter rapidly. A wave of dread washed over me.

"Dad," Oliver whimpered, "Mom made me go into the water. The ocean was so scary..."

I stared at my own son in sheer disbelief. He quickly averted his eyes, burying his face in his pillow.

Brooke burst into tears right on cue. "Fiona, I was the one who jumped in to drag him out! How could you accuse me of such a horrible thing?"

"I can't believe I married someone like you," Kai said, his eyes filled with absolute disgust. "To get rid of Brooke, you'd risk our son's life? You are a sick, twisted woman."

His words no longer hurt. My heart was entirely dead. I pulled the divorce papers from my bag and tossed them onto his lap. "Sign them."

Kai hesitated, but Brooke whimpered, "Fiona, I know my presence is the issue here. I'll resign. Kai, thank you for everything. Please don't let her use Oliver's life to control you anymore."

That was all it took. Kai grabbed a pen and signed his name in sharp, aggressive strokes. "Are you happy now? You thought you could use this divorce to threaten me, but I'm done playing your games."

I took the signed papers and walked out without looking back.

The day Oliver was discharged, I blocked Kai's number, packed my bags, and boarded a flight to a quiet, misty town on the Oregon coast. For ten years, my life had revolved around that house. It was time to start living for myself.