Staring at Ronan’s silhouette, Mom frowned before turning her gaze to me. Her eyes were filled with anger and displeasure.
“This is the kind of friends you make? How ridiculously rude!”
“Mom, don’t speak of him that way. He has been taking care of me the entire afternoon.”
Hearing Mom berating Ronan, my anger flared up that I defended him. Despite everything, Ronan did take care of me the whole afternoon. I would be lying if I was not blaming Mom for not even checking in with me.
After all, I was not a saint. It would be impossible for me to feel indifferent if my own mother did not love me.
“Taking care of you the entire afternoon? What’s going on between you two? Is he your boyfriend?”
At the news of Ronan taking care of me, Mom’s eyebrows knitted even tighter. Her voice became solemn as well.
“No, Mom. We’re just friends. You’re reading too much into it. He’s younger than me. How could he have been my boyfriend?”
Although taken aback by Mom’s sudden accusation, I still answered her truthfully.
“You’re not young anymore. It’s time for you to find someone and settle down. It’s because of the whole fiasco between you and Justin that your father and I still feel humiliated. We can barely look at anyone back home.”
At the mention of my boyfriend, Mom started bringing up the incident with Justin again. She had repeated it so many times that I pretty much had it stored in my memory.
Even so, I still felt hurt every time Mom brought that up. My past with Justin was a deep emotional trauma. Mom’s repeated recollection of the past was a huge disregard of my feelings.
I had sincerely wanted to marry Justin back then. It was he who cheated which caused the wedding to be canceled. Must I be blamed for that as well? Was it my fault that he cheated?
“Mom, can you not talk about this again? I have yet to find a suitable match for me, and I am not planning to look for one for the time being.”
I snapped at Mom in frustration, irked by her words.
“What do you mean you have yet to find a suitable match? I think Michael is a fine young man, wealthy and handsome. If you were to marry him, you would never have to worry about anything else in your life!”
All of a sudden, Mom somehow included Michael in the topic. Upon hearing that name, my eyes gleamed as my heart ached.
“It’s impossible for anything to happen between Michael and me, much less getting married.”
Suppressing the disappointment I felt, I spoke calmly.
Michael had told me not just once but many times that our relationship was nothing but a fling. He would never take me as his wife. Besides, I knew my place. Someone like Michael would only marry someone of the same family status and wealth, definitely not a nobody from a small village like me.
“How is it impossible? I think Michael seems interested in you. If not, he wouldn’t have paid for all of Steven’s medical bills and the follow-up treatments without a doubt.”
Mom’s eyes lit up as she recalled Michael’s generosity in paying for Steven’s bills. My heart sank. I had assumed that Mom wanted me to marry Michael for my happiness. Turned out she just wanted to leech off Michael for Steven’s sake.
“Michael and I are not dating, unlike what you had assumed. Besides, it’s absolutely impossible for us to be together.”
I looked up at Mom and announced in a firm manner.
“Why is it impossible? Anyone could tell Michael is well off. If you marry him, you will never have to worry again! Do you not think of that?”
Seeing the determination on my face, Mom looked disappointed. She did not even try to hide the panic she felt.
“Instead of saying I will never have to worry again, I think you mean Steven will never worry again. Am I right?”
I stared straight into Mom’s eyes as I finally stated what was on my mind. Even though she made it sound like she wanted the best for me, it was all just for show. Her true intention was to benefit Steven.
I had always been paying for most of our household expenses. In the meantime, Steven was basically living his days carefree with no occupation and throwing away money without a care. My ability to carry the financial burden alone was limited. If I dated Michael, his deep pockets would save Mom and Dad a lot of worries regarding Steven and his debt.
Upon hearing my honest thoughts, Mom’s expression went stiff as a subtle blush crept up her cheeks in guilt. However, it was not long before her face flushed in anger.
“If you truly end up marrying Michael, what’s wrong with giving Steven a little portion of what Michael has if Steven needs it in the future?”
Mom hollered at me, dismissing all of my feelings and emotions.
“It’s exactly because of this that Michael and I will never be together! Mom, if you really want to fix this issue at the source, what you should do is ask Steven to get a job!”
Mom spoiling Steven to no end was the sole reason he ended up the way he was. If Mom had not spoilt him, Steven would never turn out that way.
“How dare you still reprimand your brother even at this time? Anna Garcia, it was all your fault that Steven ended up with broken legs! Yet, you still have the audacity to scold him? I truly have wasted so many years raising such a useless daughter!”
As usual, Mom lashed out at me for criticizing Steven. She despised any criticism towards her precious son, not even if it was for his own good.
“Mom, if you continue to spoil Steven this way, do not come to me ever again if he gets into trouble in the future. I’m not going to care anymore, for I no longer have the ability to do that.”
Seeing how Mom defended Steven without missing a beat, I had no doubt that Steven would find himself entangled in a mess again. Since young, every time Steven made a mistake, she would somehow find a way to deflect the responsibility onto someone else. It was no wonder Steven could never learn his lesson since he grew up in such an environment.
“Y-you ungrateful brat! I truly have raised you in vain. Here I was kind enough to bring you dinner! I should have fed this to the dogs instead!”
Seeing Mom’s face turned redder as her anger flared up, I stopped arguing and picked up the cutlery once again. Before I could take a bite, Mom snatched the box away and tossed it on the ground in rage.
The contents inside the box spilled all over the floor. Staring at the food on the ground, I held back my tongue. The messy sight reminded me of my own broken heart.
It was no secret that my words had completely enraged her. She shot me a death glare before marching out of the room without turning back.
With no one else but me in the room, I threw the covers over my head and started to sob, allowing all of my pent-up feelings to escape through bitter tears.
It truly baffled me how Mom would never listen to a word I said. Could she not tell that I said those harsh words for Steven’s well-being?
Just like that, Mom left and never returned. Does she not care that I’m sick? Does it cross her mind that I have nothing to eat now that she threw my dinner all over the floor? Does she take into account that my body is weak at the moment?
In a span of one day, I had lost count of how many times I had cried. The same questions echoed in my mind again and again as I cried my heart out. My throat was starting to get sore from all the crying. I felt my energy being drained away from my already weak body, causing my body to become limp and haggard.
