Scattered illusions.

Sophia's P.O.V.

I glared at my mom as my eyes flared up with anger. "Mom, you can't keep me in the dark for long. Who is this man?" I yelled at the top of my voice,my eyes welling up with tears .

Just as my mom was about to answer, her phone rang. She hesitated for a while before picking it up. "Hello?

I could hear the voice of my father on the other end, and the guilty look on Mom's face slowly transformed into neutrality. "Hey, yeah, lunch is still on. What's up?"

There was a pause, and then Dad said something that made Mom's eyebrows rise. "Oh, okay. Well, that's fine. Bring them along."

My mother hung up and turned to me, a hint of a smile on her face. "Your dad is bringing some guests to lunch."

I felt a surge of anger and betrayal. "Guests? What guests? His new girlfriend, I presume?"

My mom's smile faltered, and she looked at me with a mixture of frustration and guilt. "Sophia, let's not assume anything, okay?"

But by now I was beyond reason. "Assume anything? You're the one who's been lying to me, who's been cheating on Dad, and now you're just going to bring some stranger into our home and expect me to be okay with it?"

My mother's face turned grave and her voice rose, "Sophia, stop being so selfish! You know, this is not all about you; the world is not going to dance to your tunes just because you are upset.

Her words cut deeper than she'd know, but I didn't back down. "I wouldn't have to deal with the world not dancing to my tunes if you hadn't cheated on Dad! If you hadn't ruined our family!"

The silence in the car, with just the hum of the engine, the tension between us, was as cutting. Mom was pale; her eyes looked haunted. In a bizarre, strange sort of moment, I could have sworn I almost saw a flicker of regret, an apology in her eyes. Then, however, her face hardened, and she looked away from me, fixing her gaze on the road.

The rest of the way home, we drove in dead silence. The air was thick with unspoken words and unresolved emotions. A lump formed in my throat, anger and sadness welling up inside of me. I didn't know how much more of this I could take, how much more of my family's drama I could handle.

The closer we were to our driveway, the more my feeling of foreboding mounted. What would we face in a few hours' time? My father, his girlfriend, and a lunch that was sure to be uncomfortable and strained.

I took a deep breath,preparing myself for what was ahead. But as I looked at my mom, the feeling of betrayal, of hurt, just filled me. She had torn our family apart, and now she would just move on, as if nothing was wrong.

I trudged up to my room, feeling defeated and angry. I took a long, hot bath, trying to wash away the tension and emotions that had built up through the morning. But as I got dressed and came downstairs, I knew I couldn't live in a fantasy about what my family was anymore.

My mother was in the kitchen, busily preparing lunch. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should help her, but then I decided to put aside my anger and assist her. We worked in silence, the only sound the sizzling of vegetables and the clinking of dishes.

After a few hours, I heard the doorbell ring. Right there and then, my heart went to my stomach as I thought that my father had arrived and he was accompanied by this guest. I took a deep breath and followed my mom into the living room where my dad was standing with a young woman who looked only a few years older than me.

"Hey, kiddo!" my dad said beaming at me. "This is Mira, my girlfriend."

I felt a wave of shock mixed with disgust run through my body. "Girlfriend?" I repeated neutrally.

My dad nodded, placing his arm over Mira's shoulders. "Yes, we've been seeing each other for a few weeks now."

It wasn't what I heard, for God's sake: two months ago, Mom and Dad were okay, and yet there was Dad, asking me to come and meet his new girlfriend. It did not feel right at all.

"Two months, Dad?" I asked, trying to keep the quiver from my voice. "That's all it takes to replace Mom? You're just going to move on with some.some-" I spat the words out "-young, stupid girl who doesn't even know you?"

Mira gasped and stepped back, offended. My dad tried to interject, but I was beyond listening.

“Sophia, we do not-“ my mum tried to reason with me but I cut her off.

"No, Mom, this is all your fault!" I exploded to my mom, anger boiling inside. "If you hadn't cheated on Dad, he wouldn't be here with.with this.this trash! You're just a cheating, lying, selfish-"

Mom's face whitened, and her hand went up while her eyes blazed in fury. "That's enough, Sophia!" she screamed.

But I didn't stop. "You're the one who ruined our family, Mom. You're the one who broke us. And now you're just going to stand there and let Dad bring home some.some."

My mom's hand came down across my face in a stinging slap, the crack echoing through the room, sending me speechless.

"You will say no such thing to your dad or his girlfriend ever again!Just because you are our daughter does not mean we can not live our lives okay! Do we love you? Yes, will we be there for you? Yes, will you dictate how we live our lives? No! No, you won't Sophia!"

I stood there, my cheek stinging, my eyes welling with tears. My mom was twisted in anger, her chest heaving with emotion.