Christmas Eve: Mom Lied About My Chastity

Dad had tried to reassure me. She was my mom, after all. No matter what, during moments like these, surely she had my best interests at heart.When we arrived at my parents' house, Mom greeted Louis quite warmly. I felt slightly relieved.I thought Dad could have been right. When it came to moments that mattered, Mom really could be different.But then, she spent the entire afternoon talking badly about me to Louis."Look, this is what Yvonne looked like in high school. She was so freckly and chubby. So tall, too. When she stands, she just towers over everyone else awkwardly."Mom held up my high school class photo for Louis to see. At that time, I had gained quite a lot of weight due to academic stress. I'd even been bullied for my appearance.Mom knew all that, yet she chose to turn it into a joke regardless.Fighting back tears, I managed to say, "At that time, the workload was impossible to finish. After dinner, I'd go straight to my room to do my homework, and I wouldn't sl

"Why on earth do you still have that?" Mom trembled uncontrollably. The bowl of popcorn she'd been holding spilled all over the floor.I watched her in amusement. "How could I throw something so important away?"Dad stood up curiously and moved closer to take a look. Mom darted forward and pushed him back down. "There's nothing to see here. Don't listen to her nonsense."Perhaps it was instinct—this time, Dad did not side with Mom. Instead, he gave her a long, hard look before taking the paper out of my hand.One glance at its contents was enough to make his eyes turn red-rimmed."What does this mean? So, the company knew I was framed all along?"What Dad held now was a written statement.The aged paper had turned slightly yellow, the once-vivid red seal now smudged at the edges.Still, the document clearly stated that the damaged company property had been destroyed by an unrelated outsider and had nothing to do with Philip Lawson.Years ago, Dad had been falsely accused of da

For nearly 30 years, Mom's control over my life had been all-encompassing.Even though I was married now, this place remained firmly under her control, from the fake flowers next to the TV to the lace doily draped over the fridge and the cheap laundry detergents next to the washing machine.Looking at all the traces Mom had left behind, I let out a long sigh.Louis waved his phone in front of me."Honey, would you like to move into a new place?" he asked.Startled, I turned around and took his phone.There was a message from HR on his screen. Louis had been appointed the vice president of a new company.As for the location of said company, it was in Coralsville—the coastal city I'd always dreamed of living in."You didn't just find out about this now, did you?"Louis tilted his head and gave me an innocent puppy-eyed look."But you've never mentioned it before!""You just don't pay enough attention to me." Louis pouted while he handed me a business license. "And, this is my

I was stronger than before now. Hearing those words simply made me bored."In your eyes, is a woman only beautiful if she has unblemished skin?"If you're so beautiful yourself, why are you sneaking around and spying on me? Where are all the people who love you? Why aren't they by your side?"Mom's lips twitched. She seemed like she was struggling to find more rebuttals against my words."Also, have you forgotten what Louis said to you last time?"Is your goal to make everyone around you hate you? Will that finally make you happy? And, is accepting your age really that hard?"So what if you're slimmer than me, or have perfect skin? What does any of that actually change?"Ever since coming to my senses, I couldn't understand why Mom, at her age, still clung so desperately to superficial things like appearances.Later, I finally understood.She knew perfectly well that she had nothing else left. She had no future to look forward to, nor any personal achievements to rely on.So,