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“A Billion-Dollar Proposal: A Ring, a Refusal, and an Unexpected Turn”

22 September, 2024

Among my close friends, I have a friend of the opposite sex with whom I have been friends for over a decade and consider a kindred spirit. Although we are just friends, he is two years older than me and already has a wife and child. However, five years ago, his wife passed away due to cancer. Currently, he is a single father raising his six-year-old son.

The child is very fond of me, and since his father and I are best friends, we always share everything with each other in life. Out of compassion for my friend’s situation, I have been like a foster mother to his son over the years, hoping to compensate for some of the unhappiness in the child’s life due to the early loss of his mother.

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However, as the saying goes, proximity breeds familiarity, and love can blossom even in the most unexpected places. After over a decade of friendship, we developed romantic feelings for each other. On a beautiful day, he invited me out to eat as we usually did, but little did I know that he had secretly planned a marriage proposal, even going so far as to prepare a diamond ring worth almost a billion dong.

Nevertheless, I turned him down, not because I didn’t reciprocate his feelings but because I was afraid and lacked the confidence to become a mother figure to his son. I also didn’t have the courage to face his son, fearing that he would detest me. After all, up until that point, the boy had regarded me as a close aunt figure, and I didn’t want to be selfish and only consider my happiness at the risk of inflicting another blow on a child who had already endured so much.

My rejection saddened my friend, but he probably understood the fear in my heart. I thought he would give up, and we would remain kindred spirits. But, to my surprise, that very night, he brought his son to my house, and whether the child was coerced or persuaded, he said something that touched my heart deeply.

The six-year-old boy stood in front of me, placed his hands on my cheeks, looked at me with shimmering eyes full of entreaty, and said he wanted a mother and for me to become his mother. He added that he wanted to see his father smile and not be sad or cry anymore. He believed that if his father smiled, his mother, watching over them from heaven, would also be happy and at peace. It is heart-wrenching to hear such words from a child who has experienced so much pain and loss at such a young age.

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That little boy was the biggest obstacle in my heart, and he also became the one who untied the knot. How could I refuse such a considerate and understanding child? If he was truly ready for this journey and accepted me, I would undoubtedly be willing to become a loving mother figure to him, ensuring that his future would be filled with happiness and devoid of the pain and loss he had endured in the past.

Confession from hanhhoang…@gmail.com

For single fathers and mothers, remarrying is an extremely difficult decision, mainly due to the children. However, it is something to be encouraged because, as children grow up and mature, their life partner becomes more important than their parents. Additionally, children tend to develop better when raised in a family with both a mother and a father figure.

Nevertheless, before embarking on a new relationship, parents should consider the child’s feelings and try to see things from their perspective. They should also reassure their children that remarrying does not mean abandoning them or sharing their love with someone else. Instead, explain that having a step-parent will bring more joy and happiness to their lives, and if they have a sibling to grow up with, it will be even more fun than being alone.

Furthermore, single parents should carefully choose their future spouse, ensuring they are not only good to them but also to their children. Therefore, always prioritize your children’s well-being when considering remarriage.