While I was hugging my lover and sleeping, my son suddenly called, “Dad, mom is getting married tomorrow. Are you coming home?” I ran home with my clothes still disheveled, and was shocked to see the scene before my eyes…

That night, I was sleeping soundly with my lover when suddenly the phone vibrated. With my eyes half-closed, I heard my son sobbing on the line:

–  “Dad… mom is getting married tomorrow… will you come?”

That sentence made me wake up, my whole body shaking. I stuttered, my heart pounding. Before I could ask anything, the other end of the line hung up. I panicked so much that I put on my disheveled clothes and drove all the way home in the night.

The next morning, as soon as I stepped into the gate of my old house, I heard the sound of drums and trumpets, and the sound of laughter and chatter. A thousand questions swirled in my mind:  “Is she really getting married? Why so soon? How will my child cope?”

I pushed my way through the crowd, and then…

I was stunned on the spot.
Before my eyes was not the scene of my wife in a wedding dress walking with someone else, but the scene of…  my son holding his mother’s hand and walking up to the podium, choking up as he declared in front of his relatives:

– “I’m organizing today on behalf of dad, not a wedding, but…  the day mom officially cuts ties with dad, and is free to start her life over. ”

Everyone around applauded, but my face was pale.

On stage, my wife wore a bright red ao dai, her lips smiling proudly. Next to me, my son glared at me, his voice bitter:

– “Is that you, Dad? How dare you come back here? Ten years ago, you abandoned me and my mother to run after your lover. Today, do you see that Mom is more radiant than ever? Without you… she can still live happily, and still have someone who loves her.”

All eyes were on me. Some pointed, some whispered. I wanted to crawl into the ground.

And at that moment, a strange man stepped forward, handed my wife a large bouquet of flowers, and gently held her hand. The son raised his head, his voice firm:

– “From now on, this is  the man worthy of being with you and your mother. “

I staggered and almost fell. It felt like I had been slapped in the face. I walked away, my steps heavy, my son’s words echoing in my head:  “Dad, do you still have the nerve to come back here?”

Part 2 – Memories come flooding back

I staggered forward, my heart aching. The laughter and music behind me suddenly turned into knives piercing my chest.
For years, I thought I was happy, that leaving my wife and children in the poor countryside to run after a young and beautiful lover was a “worthy” choice.

But today, when I saw my son’s tearful yet determined eyes, and my wife’s bright yet proud smile, I realized: I had lost everything.

Memories of the past suddenly came flooding back:
– During the poor meals, she gave me the best food.
– During the rainy nights, she held her baby, waiting for me to come home late from work.
– The day I fell ill, she worked in the fields and ran around to get medicine…

But just because of a flirtation, a young girl, I turned my back, leaving my wife and children.

Part 3 – The Confrontation

I turned around, my feet glued to the ground. All eyes were on me.
I stammered:
“I… I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

My wife smiled softly, her smile no longer gentle, but like a declaration of victory:
“You don’t need to apologize anymore. I’ve cried for you for ten years. Today… is the day I stop crying.”

My son stepped forward, blocking me and his mother. His eyes were blazing:
“Dad, do you think money and love are everything? For ten years, Mom raised me alone, being both mother and father. I hated you, hated you to the core. But today, I don’t hate you anymore… because seeing Mom free and happy, I feel that’s enough.”

I choked up, wanting to hug my child, but he backed away. My outstretched arms fell into empty space, empty and painful.

Part 4 – The New Man

The strange man approached, holding my wife’s hand tightly. He nodded slightly at me, his voice gentle but firm:
“Don’t worry, from now on I will take care of them for you. What you left behind, I will cherish.”

I was stunned. A stranger, but he could do what I – a husband, a father – had failed to do completely.

Part 5 – Conclusion

The ceremony ended with applause. My wife walked down, hand in hand with her new husband. My son held his mother’s hand tightly, his eyes shining with faith.
As for me, I stood alone in the crowd, with no place for myself.

I left, my feet dragging on the dusty village road. On my shoulders, the afternoon wind blew cold.
In my head, only one sentence echoed:

“Dad still has the face to come here?”

Tears rolled down my face. I knew I had lost my family forever, lost the chance to be a father, a husband… and there was no way to get it back.

✨ Lesson learned:
In life, there are mistakes that can be corrected, but there are mistakes that cost a lifetime. Betraying family is one of them.