Chapter 3

Chapter 3

[CORNELL’S VILLA] TIME: 1 P.M.

LEXI CORNELL

‘Tell me what you think, Kira. I want your honest opinion,’ I questioned as I moved to the window of my room.

I swept my gaze over the little garden I had grown with my mother, as I settle down on the windowsill overlooking the compound. Bright light from the sun illuminates the whole place, creating a burst of colour from the beautiful flowers and the vegetables in the garden, giving them a vibrant glow, and a smile finds its way to my lip.

The sound of footfall fills the room, and I turned my head to look at her. ‘It might not be as bad as you are trying to make it, Lexi.’ Kira walked over to the foot of my bed, collected the gold necklace spread on it and twirled it around her finger.

‘How did you feel when she announced it?’ she asked, and I frowned immediately.

I couldn’t decipher my feeling at the time since I was bombarded with various emotions. I felt angry, sad, betrayed, and shocked. It was so much that I couldn’t latch onto one. That is why I called Kira over.

She called in sick at work two days ago, so it was easy for her to come and stay with me. I didn’t want to be alone while dealing with my feelings once again.

‘I don’t know what to feel or say; I haven’t spoken to her since our conversation this morning.’ Taking my bottom lip into my mouth, I chew on it. ‘You see, it has always been my mom and me since dad died; you of all people know how hard it was for me to take care of her.

‘Having to put aside my dreams just to take care of my dad’s company and find a way to get it back on its feet. On top of that, I had to put aside my pain and pretend all is well with me just to keep mom from slipping into depression and becoming a shadow of herself. Imagine how surprised I was to hear that she had been seeing someone else behind my back, and she didn’t think to tell me all this time.’

‘Seeing how you are reacting, I guess she must have felt you wouldn’t accept her boyfriend.’ Kira cocked her eyebrow at me.

‘That is bullshit! It wasn’t her decision to make; she should have told me and let me decide whether or not I would accept her boyfriend. She had to wait until he proposed before telling her daughter!

‘Do you think if she informed me and I didn’t accept her new man, that will stop her from being with him? Do you think she will sacrifice her happiness just because I don’t like the man she is in love with? Would my opinion have mattered at all?’ I rambled on, breathing so hard.

‘You have to calm down, babe.’ I scoffed. 

‘Calm down? Yeah… You are not the one whose feeling wasn’t taken into consideration by the one you sacrificed everything for, and you aren’t the one who would have to put up with a stranger just for the sake of your mother’s happiness.’

‘You do realise you will have to stop calling him a stranger once he’s married to your mom?’ Kira narrowed her green eyes, shaking her head at me for acting like a deprived teenager.

‘I will take that step once we get there. But right now, I will continue to address my mom’s fiancée as a stranger,’ I almost snapped but refrained from doing that, I was becoming too short-tempered these days, and I quickly got edgy.

From the moment I walked in through that door and mom waved her engagement ring in front of me, I knew something was about to change but I could not place a finger on what exactly it was. I know the way I reacted this morning was out of line, but I felt betrayed that she would choose to hide her relationship from her child just because she believed I wouldn’t approve of him.

After dad died, all I prayed and wanted was for her to find happiness. I was ready to do anything to see her smile again. 

It crossed my mind that she may one day find someone other than me who would make her happy, and I had been preparing myself for when that day would come. I didn’t expect her to keep it from me until he proposed to her.

The only reason she had to break the news to me is because she knows she can no longer keep it a secret. If it were possible for her not to tell me, I’m sure she would have married her lover secretly.

‘You must get away from that window, Lexi, and help me move all these boxes,’ Kira’s whining snapped me out of my thought, and I turn my attention to her again.

‘Why should I help you move them?’ I frowned from where I was seated, turning my gaze back to the garden once more. I always loved the view; it made me imagine how beautiful paradise would be if it had flowers growing in it.

‘Because I’m not the one who bought too much stuff, so why should I be suffering right now?’ She groaned as she dragged yet another bag.

I placed my hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing so hard when I saw her shove the bag away from herself.

‘What is so funny?’ Kira huffed, her eyes flashing.

‘Oh! Nothing,’ I giggled.

‘That. Is. it!’ she threw her hands up. ‘I am not lifting a finger anymore.’

I burst out laughing, the action causes me to move away from the window. I placed my hand on my tummy, unable to stop the laugh.

‘You should have seen your face, Kira; you look like a squashed tomato,’ I laughed, causing her to fold her arm over her chest.

A heavy frown lined her forehead as she glared at me. ‘Go tell that squashed tomato to help you with your bags,’ she turned to leave but I grabbed her arm.

‘Oh! Come on,’ I chuckled. ‘You know, I was only joking. Why do you like taking my jokes so seriously?’ She pouted and turned away, but I knew she was only faking her anger. So, I engulfed her in a warm sisterly hug.

‘You should know by now that you mean a lot to me. You didn’t have to act like someone took your candies away.’ I added that last part on purpose, and sure enough, she glared hard at me, causing me to smile sheepishly, as I bat my eyes at her.

She finally relented, sat on the bed, and patted the space beside her, but I had a better idea. I pulled her to the window and sat her down by the sill, so she could see the beauty that stared back at me every day I looked out.

‘This is beautiful,’ she cooed, and I smiled; I knew she would love it as much as I did. My mother and I planted it in my father’s honour.

I gave it everything I have in me, tending to it daily to make sure the flowers are blooming and growing well. Silence descended into the room as we both stared at the flowers without saying a word.

‘Don’t be sad babe, and don’t keep your mom waiting for long,’ Kira said out of the blue. ‘I know she’d already be feeling bad for keeping it from you so don’t take it out on her, okay?

‘You will hate yourself if she feels guilty and then calls off the wedding just because you are sulking around,’ Kira turns her gaze away from the garden and wrap her arm around me. ‘’All the prayers and wish for her to find someone who would love her as your father did finally came to pass, so treat it like you knew about this mysterious man from the beginning and accept him just as you promise to do once she finds that special person.’

I leaned my head on her chest and took in huge gulps of air to calm my racing heart. This is what I hate myself for, I am too weak to stay mad at my mom for too long even if what she did hurts me so much.

The urge to always sacrifice my happiness for hers is so stifling that I want to crawl into a dark corner and cry my heart out. I have been forced to take on the role of a mother—when I should have been the one receiving her love and attention. And now I don’t know how to act otherwise.

It breaks my heart to know I would pretend to be okay with her marriage so she can be happy while I continue to be miserable.

‘Thank you,’ I whispered against Kira’s chest. ‘I don’t know what I would have done if you aren’t here.’

‘So…’ Kira drawled. ‘Where is it you are moving to?’

‘I don’t know yet,’ I chewed on my tongue. ‘But I overheard her saying something about Ansterdale. What makes you think that I would want to move in with her once she is married to her fiancé, I’m old enough to live alone and make my own decisions.

‘I’m twenty-four not a twelve-year-old child.’

‘When are you leaving for the wedding then?’ I felt her stiffen as if she didn’t want to hear the answer and a smile split my face.

‘The date hasn’t been fixed so I can’t tell when we would have to leave, but I know for certain that we aren’t leaving this month.’

I wanted to assure her that everything would be fine, but she beat me to it.

‘Come on, girl, don’t let that weigh you down,’ she pushed away from the window and stared at me, her green orb shone brighter, and without being told, I knew she already had a bad idea brimming around that tiny head of hers.

‘Let’s hit the bar,’ she squealed.