Mom Finally Loved Me, But I had Forgotten Who She Was

When I entered the living room, Mom was warmly embracing Tara and speaking to her softly.

When they noticed me, Mom’s smile instantly faded.

"Gosh Serena, you did that on purpose! If you weren’t coming, fine. But now, coming here an hour late and making it awkward for everyone else?"

In truth, I hadn’t meant to.

I had simply woken up to find it was already so late in the day.

But I knew Mom wouldn’t believe me, and I couldn’t be bothered to explain.

"If I come back later, wouldn't that just make it easier for you to avoid seeing me?" I said.

"You!" My mom hissed.

I gave her a mocking smile.

"Aren't I so well-behaved and obedient?" I asked sarcastically.

I had once tried to be dutiful but no matter what I did, Mom always thought I was scheming or trying to steal attention from Tara.

So I thought, I may as well face her head-on.

Tara lowered her head.

"Aunt Margaret, Serena, please stop fighting. It’s all my fault. You two are a family, I shouldn’t be here."

Tara stood up, looking like she was about to leave.

Mom grabbed Tara’s arm and glared at me angrily.

"Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous. She ruined her brother’s life before, and now she can’t accept you. If I had known, I never should have had…"

She didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew exactly what she meant.

If she had never had me, then Michael wouldn’t have died.

I didn’t want to hear anymore. I turned and went upstairs.

Behind me, Mom’s curses followed me.

"You’re running away again! You’re just a troublemaker! I’ve really had the worst luck in the world to have given birth to you!"

I hastened my retreat until I reached my room.

I slammed the door shut, finally blocking out those voices, and collapsed to the floor in despair.

I had heard those words countless times before, yet each time they pierced me to the bone.

This time, though, they seemed to hurt a little less.

I wasn’t sure if I had simply grown accustomed to them or if my illness was starting to take its toll on me.

I hoped it was the latter.

I lost track of time, but eventually, I began to regain my composure.

Slowly, I got to my feet and walked over to the bookshelf where I kept my things.

There, I had stored the gifts Michael had given to me.

A strawberry hair clip, a teddy bear, a Barbie doll…

I hadn’t taken much with me when I moved out of the house,

I was afraid that if I didn’t take them now, I might forget to come back for them.

The desk, bookshelf, and chair were all covered in dust. It was clear no one had entered the room in a long time.

Somehow, I felt a sense of peace at the thought. It seemed no one had disturbed my belongings.

Yet when I opened the cabinet, the box containing my brother's gifts was nowhere to be found.

Albert the housekeeper wouldn’t have touched my things so the only person who would take them was Mom.

I rushed downstairs and shouted at her.

"Why did you take my things? Give me that box back!"

For a moment, Mom seemed stunned, but she quickly composed herself.

"You stuff? Those were Michael’s things.

“Of course, I have the right to take it. You don’t deserve to have those things."

"Don’t deserve it?"

But those were gifts Michael had given me, the only things over the years that connected me to him.

Mom had kept all of Michael’s things, and she forbade me from touching any of them.

She didn’t even let me attend his memorial on the anniversary of his death. Instead, I had to sneak away the next day to honor his memory in secret.

I screamed in a frenzy, all my restraint shattered.

"Give it back to me! Give it back!"

My frantic behavior seemed to have startled her.

Mom hesitated.

"As long as you behave, I can give those things back to you."

I stared at her, my gaze cold and unblinking.

"What do you want me to do?"

Mom reverted to her usual, businesslike tone.

"Tara is going to report to the company tomorrow to take over as the vice president. You need to cooperate with her and not cause any trouble."

I froze, realizing what this was all about.