Chapter 13 Unbelievable Truth

“What are you saying, Mom?” I was perplexed and inquired. A solitary tear streamed down her cheek, and I could finally see the pain in her eyes.

"He was your stepfather, Mia. When you were two years old, your biological father died in a car accident; you were his princess.” As Mom revealed this information to me, my eyes dilated in disbelief.

She continued, “I married him out of necessity since I had no money left, and he placed a condition in front of me that if I ever tried to meet you and love you after our marriage, he would give me a divorce. I was forced to accept his condition since I had no other option, but I had no idea he would make my life a living hell.”

She placed her hand on my face and cried, and I felt a sudden pang of guilt because she was suffering right in front of my eyes, and instead of helping her, I had always loathed her.

"He started abusing me after a year of marriage because he enjoyed watching me in misery, but I never allowed him to touch you," She told me this in a stern tone, shaking her head. “Whenever I tried to talk to you, he always interrupted me and reminded me of his condition. I used to stare at you from a distance whenever you cried for me. He was a monster, Mia, and he had been torturing me for the past seventeen years."

She clasped my face, her lips curved in a contented smile, and I just stared at her incredulously. "We should be grateful for our freedom today, Mia. Now I can love my princess as much as I want." As she spoke, tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

Mom told me an unbelievable story about her life, and I was astounded. So this was why my mother never loved me. I had yearned for my parents' love and concern since I was a child. I never imagined that this would be the reason for not receiving their love.

"I understand that accepting the truth is difficult for you, Mia, but it is the truth, and you must accept it. From today I'm here for you, my child." As she kissed my forehead, tears of ecstasy flowed down my cheeks. My entire anguish subsided with just one little movement because I felt contented to get my mom’s love.

I just drew her into a tight hug with a blissful smile. I was the happiest soul in the world to get my mother. In her arms, I felt so safe and warm. My cheeks were flushed with joy as tears streamed down my cheeks. After a long time, I experienced true joy.

As we pulled apart, she caressed my hair with both of her hands, gazing at me lovingly. "Mia, I love you so much. You have no idea how relieved I am to have my daughter back. I can now love you as much as I want." She kissed every inch of my face with delight, and my heart danced with joy inside, and I had a beatific smile on my face.

I clasped her face and gently wiped her tears before squealing with glee. "I love you too, mom, and I'm also happy that I got you." We both beamed at each other, our eyes shimmering with happiness. Our joy had no bounds since we both received what we had been yearning for a very long time.

"I apologise, my child, for never loving you when you used to weep. I apologise for not being there for you when you most needed me and for allowing you to cry. I apologise because even though I noticed you taking antidepressants, I did not stop you.” Guilt engulfed her and she cried hysterically, and I constantly shook my head, wiping her tears from her cheeks.

"It wasn't your fault, mum, and I'm not mad at you. I was angry at you till yesterday, but now I'm not mad at you anymore; in fact, I feel bad for you. I apologise for not understanding your suffering and always blaming you for everything." I begged my mother's forgiveness because I was also guilty of ignoring her pain and failing to help her.

I wiped off my tears. “I believe we should both move on and forget about the past because everything is fine now. This was not our fault; it was God's will. It was written in our fate.” As I stated, holding her face, a beatific smile flashed on her face, and she placed her hand on my face, gazing at me with pure affection in her eyes. I moved closer to her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Today, I will prepare lunch for you with my own hands and will feed you. I am so happy, Mia, I love you so much." Mom whooped cheerfully and pulled me into her warm arms. I smiled contentedly, burying my face in her chest. It was the happiest day of my life.

After that, we both stood up, beaming ear to ear.

"I just come." Mom rushed out of the room to prepare lunch for me after giving me a peck on my cheek. We were both giddy with anticipation. She was excited about cooking for her daughter, and I was excited about eating the food that my mother had prepared.

Jonathan was the source of our joy. He certainly knew my father was a monster, so he murdered him. Now I felt bad because I had doubted my love, yelled at him, and asked him to never show his face to me again.

‘Oh my God, what did I do? Jonathan is no longer with me, and it is entirely my fault. Why did I believe him? Why did I let him go? What am I going to do now? He will never return; he has won today. Oh no, I made a huge mistake. I want to thank him for bringing me the most joy in my life. I will get him back at any cost. I need to think about something.’ I sat on the bed, staring straight at the wall, pondering about how to bring Jonathan back.

My eyes sparkled and a smile touched my lips as an idea popped into my mind. "Yes, this is a good idea." I rose from the bed and squealed with delight.

"Tonight I will carry out my plan, and if he truly loves me, he will come. Then I'll apologise and thank him for giving me my mother. No matter what, today I will persuade him to accept that he also loves me, and then I’ll captivate him in my arms and never let him go." I conversed with myself, adamant to bring Jonathan into my life and make him accept that he had feelings for me. My plan was dangerous, but I had no choice.