Chapter 14 Real

<Mia>

"Lorena, mistress!" I shouted. "When I say the name, you say 'mistress'!" I chanted.

I was in the middle of the living room, holding a pink rechargeable microphone.

"Lorena!"

"You bitch!"

I chuckled as she suddenly cursed and gave me a nasty look. Oh well.

I truly believe that mistresses will never die.

"If you're here to judge me, then you better leave," she snapped, continuing to fix her ugly nails. Her hand had so many warts.

"I was checking on you."

We left her on the street with Ethan late at night. Miraculously, she's still alive.

"Oh, really? I don't need that. Get out of my house. You suddenly show up without being welcome," she said bitterly.

I approached her to see what she was doing, and I cringed. She was applying nail polish all over her nails, and it didn't suit her at all. Being a mistress suits her better.

"You should be grateful that I'm asking how you're doing!"

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me again.

"Wow!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "After saying those things to me, now you want to know how I'm doing? I hope you're okay, Mia."

"Oops! Well, it's true!" I defended myself. "You're destroying a relationship!" I retorted.

I was taken aback when she forcefully let go of the pusher she was holding. "Do you want me to tell your husband that you have a mistress?!" she shouted at me, clearly frustrated. She even pointed at me, saying, "I'm not the one destroying a relationship! If anything, you're the one who doesn't want things to be fine! You're ruining your own marriage!" she said angrily, with both hands on her waist.

I didn't back down and faced her.

"Who are you threatening, Lorena? Does it hurt to hear that you're a mistress and you can't accept it?!" I fought back, locking eyes with her. "Besides, Ethan won't believe you!"

That man was completely infatuated with me, so he would only believe me.

"And besides, I just advised you not to do it, and you got angry!" I added. "You're too defensive."

Lorena tightly clenched her fist.

"Fine! I'll expose you too! Be grateful that I didn't tell your husband about your affair that night! Did you think I couldn't say it?" she challenged me. "Go ahead, Mia, keep annoying me, and I'll reveal all your dirty secrets to your entire family! I'll expose all your skeletons!" she angrily said to me.

Is she threatening me?!

"Fuck you! Are you trying to scare me?! And for your information, Ethan won't believe you." I smirked. I still have the trophy.

I couldn't help but curse. This woman really knows how to provoke me. I traveled so far just to check on her, and she treats me like this?!

"Try telling Ethan, and I'll rip you apart!" I threatened back. I won't let a mistress win. She infuriates me. I'll tear off her wretched head.

"Get out of here!" she shouted, throwing a toy gun in my direction. Luckily, I managed to dodge it.

"Lorena, if you dare tell Ethan, I'll forget that we were ever friends." I calmly threatened. I still have the confidence that Ethan won't believe her.

"I'm not afraid of you! Friendship is over!" she yelled. "Leave!"

I didn't respond and left her house. I just wanted to advise her, but she suddenly gets so angry. She can't accept that she's a mistress. I'll just visit Jarold, that gay friend of mine.

I was about to board the helicopter when my phone suddenly rang.

I snatched it from my pants pocket, and my eyebrows furrowed when I saw the name of my old grandfather.

What does this old man want from me now?

I reluctantly answered his call.

“H-hello?”

"Where is your husband?" the elderly person greeted me.

They didn't even ask how I was doing.

"He's... he's probably at work," I stammered in response.

"Come to the house, let's talk," they said seriously, and my heart started racing.

Do they know?

Have they found out again?

What do they need from me?

I could feel sweat forming on my forehead out of nervousness.

Yunnie and I have been careful.

They rarely call, but whenever they do, they always scold me.

I'll die if they find out again.

I'm afraid they'll imprison me or hurt me.

I’m now at our house.

"S-sister," I weakly called out to my older sister. I'm really nervous.

She looked up and approached me, embracing me tightly.

"Mia! Why did you visit the house just now?"

I didn't answer her question. "Sis, is Dad there? He called me and asked me to come home. W-what does he need from me?" I whispered to her nervously.

My Sister brow furrowed. "Huh? I think he's on the balcony. Why did he ask for you?" She pulled me down to sit on the sofa.

"I don't know, but I'm really anxious." I tightly held her hand.

I glanced at the staircase and saw Dad coming down.

"Follow me to my office," he said sternly.

My heart pounded with anxiety.

He ascended back upstairs, and my sister and I exchanged glances.

"Mia, did you do something again?" my sister asked, concerned.

I bit my lip, remembering that I met up with Yunnie. Did Dad follow me? But Ethan was with me that time, and that guy didn't know anything about Yunnie and me.

I didn't respond to her.

"Mia, come on," she said with disappointment. "Tell me the truth. What have you been up to? We can't keep defending you to Dad anymore."

"Mia..." I turned to the woman who called me.

"Madam!" I called her and forced a smile.

"Let's talk," she said, pulling me to a secluded part of the house where no one was around.

"Mom, what's going on?" I asked in confusion. They are acting strange. Why did they call me? I'm living a good life away from them. I've been avoiding them, yet they keep trying to approach me.

"Child, where were you last week? Do you still have a relationship with Yunnie?" she softly asked, almost in a whisper.

I avoided her gaze and looked at a plant. "N-no, we don't," I stammered in response.

She caressed my face. "Be careful because a friend of mine saw you together with Yunnie. Take care," she said gently and affectionately.

I find it hard to move freely because they know so many people, and their connections are vast. All their friends and acquaintances know both me and my sister because they always introduce us to everyone.

"He's just a friend; you're making too much of an issue out of it," I said.

Madame smiled at me, but her eyes didn't share the same warmth.

"Is that so?" Her tone remained gentle. Why do her eyes seem so sad?

"Visit our house sometime. It's been a long time since you last came, ever since you got married," she said. I've been avoiding them, and I don't want to see them again. Since I left this place, I promised myself never to step foot in this house again. My life here was never happy, and their family was far from being joyful. They were too controlling.

I didn't respond when a housemaid called me, saying that Dad was waiting for me upstairs.

"Pops—" I paused when he suddenly threw a folder at me, and a bunch of papers scattered around.

What is this?

"Aren't you going to listen to me?" he asked, his question filled with frustration. I couldn't miss his clenched fist.

Is he going to hurt me again?

I picked up the scattered papers and looked at each one of them.

"Explain this to me!" I flinched at his shout.

"P-pops—" I said, trembling with fear. I didn't know what to explain.

"You, you've done nothing right, and you never make me proud. You always bring shame to me!" He said angrily.

"I'll really kill you, Mia, if you don't straighten up." He threatened me while giving me a murderous look.

"Pops, this is not—"

"Where were you last Friday, huh?! And this!" He pointed at the paper.

"You've tarnished my name again! You've humiliated me in front of my friend!" he yelled at me.

"Well, I didn't want this either," I cried.

"You fucking bitch! Even when I'm trying to help you, you still refuse! What are you going to do with your life, huh?" he shouted at me.

I recoiled in fear of him.

"Why do you always force me into things I don't want?! I don't want this! I don't want to study architecture, and I don't want to work here!" I replied to him, tears streaming down my face. He's been pushing me to work for one of his friends, wanting me to be known as a talented architect. But I'm not talented; I used to copy from my classmates and memorize their answers.

"You're nothing to be proud of," he said, shaking his head. "You ungrateful bastard! I raised you, and this is how you repay me?!" he hurled at me.

Who said he raised me?

"What do you want, huh?! Should I always follow you?!"he yelled at me, hitting my feet with the cane he had in his office. He's strong, and I don't know why he has that cane here in his office.

"I'll talk to my friend again, and you better show up, or you'll face the consequences!"

At least Ethan didn't force me into something I didn't want. I wanted to go home because I didn't want to argue anymore. They want to be in control and make decisions about my life. But what about what I want?

I'd rather have a broken family than this.

"I don't want it, Pops..." I pleaded weakly. "And Ethan doesn't want me to do it either." That's my reason. I'm sorry, Ethan, for involving you.

"You're truly embarrassing; why did you become my child?" he said with disappointment, still looking at me with anger.

Why did you become my father? I wanted to ask him. I'm incredibly unlucky to have you as my father.

"If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving," I said disrespectfully.

"You damn bastard!" He raised his hand as if he was about to slap me. I closed my eyes.

"What the fuck?!" exclaimed an angry voice.

I opened my eyes and cried even harder.

"Ethan..."

~

<Third Person>

"How's Etheus?" Nate asked his twin brother as he entered his laboratory.

The laboratory was almost finished.

Ethan paused from his work of scanning equipment and looked at his twin.

"He's fine," Ethan answered shortly.

"I haven't seen him for months already. Borrow him from his mother for a while." Nate commanded him and sat on the sofa. Ethan continued with his work, as he had just come from the laboratory. He was at his own house now, working on various tasks that needed his attention.

"I miss him," Nate added.

"His mother won't give him to me. And besides, Mia is here."

Nate raised his eyebrow upon hearing the name of Ethan's wife. He crossed his arms.

Nate raises his right eyebrow, "so what?"

Ethan didn't respond and went to the other side of the room.

Nate couldn't understand his twin brother because he always acted like he was hiding something.

"Don't look at me like that," Ethan scolded him and returned his gaze to his iPod.

"I don't know about you, bro. I'm going home now. If ever you borrow Etheus from his mother, bring him to my house," Nate said before leaving the room.