Chapter 82

Clara's POV

Before the evening started, I thought the worst disaster would be getting caught and Derek finding out about everything. I didn't know we would be sitting in this awkward silence with my mother and Layla sending each other looks from across the table.

Even the food became difficult to swallow, and I tried to think of things to say to break the tension.

"So, the weather outside seems great," I said, clearing my throat. "I thought it would surely snow today," I added.

The only response I got was the sound of forks beating against the plates, which got even louder.

"The weather can be unpredictable, can't it?" Derek added awkwardly.

I noticed Katy lowering into her chair. If given the chance, I'm sure she will find a way to escape.

Mom cleared her throat, loosening her grip on her fork. "Since I first met your son, I've been curious about the kind of people who raised him," Mom said. "Can you believe the first time I met him, he was sneaking around and dropping my daughter off at some corner like a common criminal? "Mom added.

Derek's father coughed, nearly choking on his food.

Why was Mom bringing this up? I thought we had gone through this situation already.

Layla shot a look at Derek before returning to her calm expression. Of course, I had already told her

"I'm sure he must have had a reason; otherwise, he wouldn't have done what he did," she argued in his defense. "Besides, we raised him to be an honest, decent, and hard-working young man. He has always done so well. You wouldn't believe the number of medals he won in high school. We didn't have anywhere to put them." She added.

Why did it feel like I was trapped in a parents' meeting?

Mom chuckled. "Too bad medals can't teach a child manners," Mom remarked.

"Mom," I whispered to her in a warning tone. She was taking this too far, and she needed to be stopped.

By the look on Mom's face, it didn't seem like she would stop anytime soon. She was determined to win this one.

“Clara," Katy turned towards me. "Weren't you sneaking out in the middle of the night so you could go to a party?" she asked.

Of all the times I considered digging a grave for my sister, I have never been more desperate to find a shovel than I am. Of all the times she could have brought this up.

Mom's eyes widened as she stared at me with a murderous glare. After all these years, she still hadn't found out. I thought giving Katy all my candy during that year's Halloween was an incentive enough to ensure this was never spoken about again.

I shot Katy a look, which surprisingly worked in silencing her.

And, of course, Layla used this as an opportunity to brag about what a great mother she was. "Derek would never have done anything like that. He was too busy being one of the most successful businessmen in the hotel industry." Layla bragged. "I will always be proud of him," Layla added.

"It's easy for you to say since it wasn't your car that he crushed at fifteen." Derek's dad remarked.

"You know, no child is perfect. "Layla answered, shooting a look at her husband. "By eleven, he was smarter than most people his age." She continued.

"I used to skip classes, too," Derek added casually.

He wasn't trying to help himself much.

This somehow left Layla speechless, even though she didn't have a rebuttal to that one. "Both of our children are idiots, aren't they?" Layla muttered.

I expected Mom to comment, but instead, she nodded, agreeing with Layla. "That we can both agree on." Mom shook her head at me, showing her disapproval.

I thought this evening would never get better, but the one push they needed was to start hating on their kids.

Although my mother had decided never to drink, a few glasses of wine with Layla was enough to seal their newly formed friendship. The two of them were on the couch, laughing and talking together.

"He was such an idiot. He was four at the time. I caught him in the kitchen with chocolate all over his face and hands. I asked him about it, and he completely denied it." Layla laughed. She took a sip of her wine.

“Clara did the same, too. She took some cookies from the cupboard, and I found a trail of crumbs on her bed. She was covered with it all over her face and her hands." Mom laughed.

At this rate, I'm surprised they both haven't started braiding each other's hair. Maybe they were better off hating each other.

Derek was around the kitchen corner speaking to his father something about business. Otherwise, I would have rather joined their conversation. Katy disappeared upstairs the first chance she got. I was left third-wheeling my mom and Layla while listening to them talk trash about us. By the way, they sounded, they'd wanted to join a support group for a long time.

I excused myself from the living room, stepping outside to breathe in our small backyard. It didn't surprise me that no one noticed I was gone.

I sat on the bench. We didn't have space for much outside except the court and a few of my mom's flowers. I'm sure she loved them more than us.

I looked up at the stars. It was my calm in this storm I'd dragged myself into. Surprisingly, the weather wasn't nearly as cold as I expected.

I was nearly startled when a figure sat beside me. I hadn't even noticed it when Derek stepped in.

"Are you okay?" he asked, settling beside me.

I nodded. "Our parents hate us, you know," I said.

"You think?" He looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "My mother once told me that if she didn't have me, she'd probably be a supermodel." He answered.

"Oh, yeah," I replied with a chuckle.

"I don't think it was true, though, because then that would mean she would have to work." He joked.

I couldn't help but laugh. "She might hear you and take back all those nice things she said about you." I laughed.

"I thought your mother loved me. What happened?" He asked.

"I'm sure it wasn't personal. She would even throw me under the bus to be right." I answered.

"By the way, who were you sneaking out to meet?" He skipped to his next question.

"If my mother ever asks, I sneaked to go to the library. I was a very good girl." I answered jokingly. I didn't think he wanted to know about my failed attempts at being rebellious. "We should probably get back in there in case they change their minds and decide to murder each other," I answered.

I stood up, ready to return to the house. Derek stopped me, grasping my hand in his. "Wait," he whispered.

I returned my attention to him, watching him intently.

He stood up, his figure towering over me while his hand still held onto mine.

He paused, his eyes meeting mine. He all of a sudden seemed anxious about something.

"Since I met you, our journey has been a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs. I can't think of anyone I want to spend every moment with. I think about you every day. The more I think about it, the more I realize that..." He paused. "I'm in love with you." He whispered.