#viral #aita #storytime #us #usa

That's the most unhinged thing you've done that you're not sorry for. Six months after my child died, my best friend set me up on a blind date. Her logic was that a loving partner would help me grieve, and I was too exhausted to explain that that's not how grief worked. I showed up to the restaurant 15 minutes early in an old dress that still had a stain on it and sat at the table staring at the menu without reading. Then the door opened. I looked up and saw my ex-husband walking in, he was holding flowers, smiling nervously. He sat down across from me like this was completely normal. I stared at him with my mouth at gate, I know things ended badly between us. He said, "But the past is the past. I've had a lot of time to think. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move." I bought you this, he then stood up and got down on one knee right there in the restaurant. The whole room went silent, heads whipped around, phones were coming out, capturing the moment. He opened the box with a ring. Will you marry me? The whole restaurant was watching, waiting for my answer. What you need to know about my ex-husband is that we got married eight years ago. From the very beginning, he wanted kids more than anything. He talked about it constantly. How much he wanted to be a father? How it would complete our family? But I never wanted children. I told him that before we got married. He said he understood. He said we'd figure it out, but he just kept pushing. Year after year. Until I finally gave in. One child. I convinced myself I'd learn to love it. He was overjoyed. After three months, everything felt okay, I was hopeful, then the doctors found something. Our son had spinal muscular atrophy. They told us he would likely not live past four years old. That night, I sat my husband down and told him I wanted to terminate. I couldn't do this. I already didn't want a child. And I definitely couldn't watch one die slowly for four years. But my husband refused. He called me a murderer. He said he would leave me if I went through with it. Then he did something I'll never forget. He took my hands, looked me in the eyes, and made me a promise. He swore he would do the work. The medical equipment, the sleepless nights, the feeding tubes, all of it. I will take care of him. He said I promise you. Just let him live. So I did. We brought him home from the hospital. We named him Sam. The first night was a nightmare. Machines beeping, tubes coming out of our tiny baby. Neither of us left. I passed out from exhaustion at 9 AM. Four hours later, I woke up and his side of the bed was empty. At first, I thought he was feeding Sam, but I didn't hear any sounds from Sam's room. I stood up and noticed his wallet wasn't on the nightstand. His keys were gone too. I looked out the window and saw his car wasn't in the driveway. I panicked. Grabbed my phone to call him and realized he'd locked me. I opened his closet. Empty. Every single thing he owned. Gone. That's when I realized he'd left. I walked into Sam's room where Sam was sleeping, hooked up to seven different machines, and cried for hours. One night, that's all it took for him to break every promise he ever made. I raised Sam alone. For four years. Every feeding tube. Every doctor's appointment. Every seizure. Just me. And somewhere along the way, that little boy became my world. He was funny. He was brave. He laughed at everything. And called me mama until the day he died. Four years old. Just like the doctor said. I held him in my arms at the end. And now his father was on one knee in front of me at a restaurant, wanting to try again. I looked at him. And all I could see was Sam's face. I looked around at everyone staring at us. And something in me just broke. I didn't say yes. I didn't say no. I just started sobbing. My ex reached for my hand and I yanked it away. I was shaking now, voice cracking. I didn't care who heard. You left us. You left your son. One night, and you disappeared. He tried to speak, but I didn't let him. I raised him alone. I watched him die alone. And you show up six months later with a ring. The restaurant was dead silent. Every single person staring at him. You waited for him to die. Didn't you? So you could come back and pretend none of it ever happened. His face went pale. He opened his mouth, closed it. That was all the confirmation I needed. A manager rushed over and touched my arm gently. Ma'am, let me help you outside. As they escorted us both toward the door. A kid at a nearby table pointed at my ex and said loudly, "Mom, that guy sounds like someone who deserves to be bullied. The mom didn't correct him." Two days later, I was in bed still processing everything when I learned that someone had posted the whole thing in our town's Facebook. The whole community saw it. My ex lost his job. His landlord didn't renew his lease. His car was spray-painted and egged. I cut off my best friend, too. Turns out the only reason she set us up was because he paid off her credit card debt. She sold me out for $8,000.