I rush into the operating room at the immediate call of the emergency. After more than 4 hours fighting to save a life, I leave exhausted, almost dragging my feet through the hallways, when suddenly I see my husband and son with a woman.

I want to go in, but my feet won't move, especially after hearing their conversation.

"Mommy, you have to get well soon."

"Yes, honey, Mommy will be fine soon."

Mommy? Wasn't Saul's mother supposed to have died during childbirth? What is happening here, and who is this woman, really? A nurse was already changing her IV, so as she left, I rushed to ask her.

"Who is your patient?"

"Oh, a young family of three. The woman hurt her ankle skating with her son. Can you believe how that little one was taking care of his mother?"

"I see, how sweet."

I couldn't take the intrigue anymore, and the nurse's words only caused more doubts and pain in my chest. I enter without even knocking, with my professional smile.

"Good afternoon, everyone. What do we have here today?"

The astonished face of my husband makes it clear that he didn't expect to see me at all, while my son's gives me chills. He clings with great determination to that woman while giving me a threatening look.

"What are you doing here, Emily?"

"I work here. We've been married for 7 years, and you still don't know it, Ricardo."

The woman finally speaks, noticing the tension in the room. "She's your wife, Ricardo?"

"That's right. She's Emily."

"I see, nice to meet you. I'm Sabrina, doctor."

"Can we talk outside, Ricardo?"

"Yes, we can. I'll be right back, son."

Saul ignores me completely as he continues to cling to her arms. Am I really worth nothing to this child, to whom I dedicated 7 years of care and love? Ricardo reluctantly leaves and corners me to one side, but I'm not going to give in.

"What is happening here? Who is that woman, and why does Saul call her Mommy?"

"She is my son's mother."

"You told me she died during childbirth."

"I lied to you. She left, and now she's back to be with him. You can't be so cruel and deprive the child of sharing with the woman who gave birth to him, Emily."

"I'm the cruel one for wanting to know what's going on? I, who took her place and her responsibilities for 7 years, am the bad one, while the woman who abandoned him just hours after birth is the exemplary mother."

"Don't say those things, you don't know anything."

"You've been seeing her all this time in secret, taking advantage of my work hours, that's why Saul feels so comfortable with her. Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"It was a family matter, something that doesn't concern you."

Now I understand everything, his cold look tells me what his cowardly mouth keeps silent. I never meant anything to Ricardo or Saul, they just needed a woman to take care of them while this woman decided to come back.

"Fine."

I turn my back to get as far away from him as possible.

"Don't behave like a child, Emily, this is not what you think."

Every word he says is another knife in my heart. I met Ricardo when I was in a children's hospital doing my internship, he arrived agitated one night with a baby just over 4 months old with a high fever. I felt so sorry for him when he told me that he was a single father taking care of the baby alone and that he didn't understand many things.

His tears of desperation and pain at seeing his little son in that state melted my heart. The following days, while I was taking care of the baby, Ricardo began to tell me his story, and little by little we became closer. I loved Saul in that short period of 10 days, and little by little I grew to love Ricardo.

When the baby was well and discharged, Ricardo invited me to a dinner as a thank you, and since then we have been inseparable. Only a year later we got married. I thought we had a beautiful love, one of those that only appear in soap operas, with a chance encounter that unites two lives, in this case three.

I always saw and loved Saul as my own son, after all, I saw him take his first steps, I also heard his first words, his first tooth, how can I forget the emotion and sadness of his first day of school. All those moments were an invaluable treasure for me until today, when I discovered that everything was a lie and that even that little one who ran into my arms and called me Mom now turns his back on me as if nothing.

I collapse on the emergency stairs, letting out what is killing me, so many mixed feelings, so much disappointment to see that I was never considered part of his family.

After composing myself enough, I continued with my work until closing time. Before leaving, I went to that woman's room, and they were no longer there. I knew that when I got home, I would have to ask for clear explanations of what was happening. I couldn't stay with the uncertainty and simply watch as everything I had worked so hard for over the years fell apart before my eyes.

"Emily, do you want a ride home?"

"Thanks, Andres."

"You don't look well. Is something wrong?"

"I'm exhausted."

"I heard about it, the man who arrived urgently with a punctured lung. You did a great job, Emily; you saved his life."

"It's our job, Andres; we save lives."

The rest of the trip was in silence, and I appreciated that he understood that I didn't want to talk. I got lost in the familiar landscape, but at the same time, so unknown this time. When I arrived, the lights were on, and I felt a strange lump in my throat.

"Thank you very much, have a good trip."

"See you tomorrow, Emily."

My hands tremble on the doorknob, but I open it ready for anything. He was in the living room.

"You finally arrive."

I leave my bag to my side and sit in front of Ricardo. "Now you're going to tell me what's going on."

"Emily, it's true that I lied to you that time. I was a father who was alone with a newborn in his arms, all the pressure plus the fact of abandonment was too much for me, and I didn't want you to see me as a poor failure."

"You know I wouldn't have judged you."

"We were two strangers."

"And then what? You had too much time to confess the truth."

"Please Emily, I know it's difficult, but understand me even a little."

"What is she doing here and why do you let Saul call her mother?"

"Because she is and because she is sorry and wanted to meet and share with her son."

Ha, he really doesn't hesitate even a little when blurting out all that garbage, and I always thought this man was extremely intelligent.

"So, what's next now, Ricardo. Where do I stand in all this?"

"Love, everything will be as always, only now that she's back, I want to, and Saul also wants to, keep seeing her."

"Fine."

I get up and go up to my room followed by the cautious steps of my husband.

"Don't be like that, why don't you think about our son's happiness instead?"

"I already said it's okay, what else do you want to hear? After all, you've already made it clear, she's the mother, and I'm just the one who raised and loved him all this time."

"EMILY."

I lock the door and fall on the bed. I have a lot to think about, but the fundamental thing is whether it is worth staying here any longer after all they have made it clear that I am nothing to them.

In the morning, as if the previous day hadn't been bad enough, that woman was sitting at my table.

"Emily, I would like to talk to you, please."

"I have little time."

"I'll be brief. First, I want to thank you for taking care of my son, but please don't take him away from me now that I'm finally back with him."

"Take him away? I never took him away from you; you were the one who abandoned him as soon as you gave birth to him."

Her calm expression turned into a somber one when she saw that I was not as stupid as Ricardo, who with a superficial apology and a fake smile would fall so easily.

"You don't know what I went through and what my reasons were for making that decision, but I could never forget my son, and that's why I came back despite everything, even knowing that they both might hate me. But they both forgave me, so why is someone who has nothing to do with this so harsh?"

"Ha, because you were the one who wanted to talk to me, and although I am not Saul's mother, I love him as if I were, and any mother would do what I do and protect her son's heart from malicious people."

"I am here to get my son back at any price, and as you have already noticed, he loves and accepts me as what I am, his mom, so you will see what you do because no one is going to take me out of his life."

That damn woman is plotting something, and although that child doesn't see me as his mother, I love him as my son, so I have to find out what this woman wants. This is the last thing I'm willing to do for Saul.

Before I could speak, Saul comes running and throws himself into her arms, completely ignoring me.

"Mommy, I'm so glad you're here. Are you taking me to school?"

Sabina smiles victoriously as I grab my bag and leave without saying anything else. That scene breaks my heart in an unimaginable way.

My head is a total mess, I never imagined this scenario, maybe because I stupidly believed Ricardo and thought that woman was dead, or because I never expected to see that I meant nothing to Saul. Even though he is still a child, I can't believe he's so foolish that he doesn't realize that I've always been by his side.

I was the one who loved him more than anything in the world, the one who spent sleepless nights taking care of him when he was sick, the one who told him stories and taught him to talk, walk, ride a bicycle. I feel miserable because I feel like I'm charging him for everything I was born to do for him, but the pain my heart feels right now is unlike anything else.

I always thought that at least I would have a small space in his heart or in his life, sadly I realize that I meant nothing and that I am disposable.

"Everything okay, Emily? You look very sad and dull."

"I have problems at home, my son..."

"Is something wrong with little Saul?"

"He's fine, it's just that he doesn't love me anymore."

"Woman, how can a son stop loving his mother? Surely it's just a tantrum, he'll get over it soon. Don't suffer so much, children are often ungrateful, especially when they enter adolescence. I owe you that one, friend."

Sami is right, I have to try harder and remind him that he doesn't have to choose between his mother and me. Saul can enjoy both at the same time.

After a long day of work, I return home and see my two men in the living room playing. - Good evening my dears, look Saul, I got the puzzle you wanted so much. I thought maybe after dinner we can put it together like all the previous ones.

"I don't want it anymore."

"Can we watch a movie? I rented your favorite one."

"Emily, I want to eat and go to bed."

I leave the gifts on the table and go to the kitchen, I'm not going to give up so easily, after dinner I'll have a little chat with him and show him that I don't hate his mother, on the contrary, I want him to see us both as allies to receive more love.

"I'm sorry, love, Saul is being very rude, but understand him."

"It's okay, don't worry."

"I know that this whole thing with Sabrina has turned our lives upside down, but I also know that you are a generous woman who won't blame the child."

"I'm never going to do that, I love him just as I love you."

"I love you much more, by the way, in a few days I have some business out of town, it's two days at most."

"Are they finally going to give you that promotion?"

"If everything goes well, I'm sure they will."

"I'm proud of you, love. I know you're going to achieve it."

Ricardo gives me a warm kiss that comforts me and then we go to the table to start eating, I see how Saul hurries and then quickly goes up to his room.

"Love, can you wash the dishes, I have to do something."

"Sure."

I go after my little one and see him drawing, I enter without making much noise and stay by his side. What are you drawing, honey?

"My family."

Saul has painted a mom who is clearly not me, a dad, and him in the middle of both.

"Is that a new house?"

"Yes, this will be the house where I'm going to live with mom and dad once you stop bothering us."

His words tear my heart apart. - Saul, I wanted to talk to you, I don't want you to see me this way, I'm not going to compete with your mom, on the contrary, I want us to get along so instead of one you can have two moms who love you much more.

"But I don't want that. I just want my mom and for her to be with my dad."

"Don't you love me anymore? I mean, you've known me forever, we're friends."

I see him hesitate and that fuels a hope in me until he blurts out the most painful words.

"I don't love you, you're nobody to me and because you're here, mommy can't live with me. I hate you for that and I want you to leave my house forever."

"Saul..."

"Because of you, mommy can't be with dad. Get out of my house and out of my life, Emily."

I can't help but cry full of anguish, what have I done so wrong for that sweet little boy to see me full of hatred. Behind this is that Sabrina who fills his head with her nonsense.