5. A Plaything

My mom's eyes appeared swollen. She must have been crying for a long time. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Not a single word escaped our mouths. 

I felt my eyes starting to well up, and so did my mom's, her eyes becoming watery. She gazed at me without blinking, showering me with a disappointed look. 

My mom's face looked incredibly tired. Probably because she came straight here from the airport. But who informed her about my whereabouts in this apartment? 

"Did you...not invite me in?" my mom asked, holding back her tears. 

"I-It's mm—my apartment, Mom. Did you need to ask for permission?" I awkwardly replied, wiping away my tears with my fingers. 

"No! I never bought you an apartment or even gave you extra money to rent such a luxurious one," my mom said, closing her eyes, and causing the accumulated tears on her eyelids to flow down together. 

My mom's words sliced through my heart painfully. I sighed, trying to be strong and face whatever my mom was about to say. 

I took my mom's suitcase and handbag and led her inside. I helped her sit on the couch and handed her a bottle of mineral water. 

"At first, I didn't believe that your dad was cheating. But it turns out I was mistaken all along. Your dad isn't a good husband who's understanding and supportive of my career," my mom said after taking a sip of cold water from the bottle. "So...I've decided to divorce your dad immediately." 

My chest tightened. Divorce was a natural outcome after witnessing my dad's behavior firsthand. However, I didn't know why, when it actually happened, my heart still shattered. 

"Mom, I—" 

"What your dad did was incredibly painful, dear!" my mom interrupted my words. "But what truly breaks my world isn't that. It’s not him."

My mom's eyes stared at me intensely. I felt terrified about what my mom would say next. I turned my face away, looking at anything but my mom's eyes. 

"I didn't believe it when I received a photo of you with this man! Tara's father! I couldn't believe it! I desperately hoped it was all a lie! Someone tried to frame my baby daughter," my mom whispered through increasingly sobbing tears. "However, when I came to this place, and it was you who opened the door, how could I deny it?" 

I couldn't contain the tightness in my chest. I immediately fell to my knees in my mom's lap, begging for forgiveness. 

"Forgive me, Mom! Forgive me please...!" My mom shook her head, sobbing even harder. 

"Which mother can bear to see her beloved daughter become a homewrecker?" 

"I didn't wreck anyone's marriage, Mom! Uncle Vincent and Aunt Freya were already separating!" I pleaded, clutching onto my mom's legs so she wouldn't push me away. 

"You slept with a married man! It's even worse! You are Vincent's mistress! Your friend's father!" my mom wailed, her voice rising. Her eyes reddened with anger that she had never directed at me before. The profound disappointment was clearly visible. 

"Forgive me, Mom!" I begged, unable to hold back my tears, hoping they would soften the heart of the person who gave birth to me. However, in her swollen face at this moment, I didn't see even a hint of compassion, not even a little. 

"Did I not give you enough pocket money all this time? Is your dormitory filthy? I've worked day and night to provide for you! So that you could focus on your study and graduate from college with no financial issues! But what do you give me in return? You turn into a shameless whore!" my mom rambled, her voice growing louder and piercing. Each of my mom's questions pierced my heart with pain. 

"What kind of people are you associating with? To the point where you've become a whore who ruins someone else's marriage?" 

"Mom..." I whimpered, pleading, reaching out and shaking the hand of the woman I respected. 

"I never expected that all my hard work was just to raise a whore!" my mom shouted. Words I never expected my mom to direct at me, her own child. "I shouldn't have worked! I should have been a housewife so that I could take care of my only daughter. It doesn't matter if we're poor as long as you and my husband are righteous!" My mom collapsed in despair, blaming herself for the hellish world that was befalling her. 

"Mom, I love Uncle Vincent, Mom!" I spoke honestly, hoping that my mom would understand and remove her bad insult to me. 

"Love, you say?" My mom shook her head vigorously, staring at me intensely. "Your love is misplaced! This isn't what love is supposed to be. True love doesn't blind your eyes! Don't justify your shameless actions in the name of love or anything!"

I cried, embracing my mom, still hoping that she would forgive me. However, she forcefully pushed me away. 

"From today on, you're no longer my daughter!" my mom whispered with a trembling voice. 

I froze. 

My mom's words felt like an unexpected explosion. My heart stopped beating. Did my mom disown me? 

"Mom! Please, Mom!" I whimpered, begging my mom to lift her terrifying curse. 

"You have chosen your love for Vincent over your respect for me!" my mom shouted uncontrollably. "Live with your love, Sha! Never appear in front of me again." 

"Mom!" I pleaded, reaching for my mom's hand. But she forcefully brushed me off. Without saying a word, she left me behind. She ignored my calls. It made me feel even more devastated. Seeing my mom leave like this, in a way I never imagined.

***

My days became darker. My mom no longer acknowledged me as her child. All because of Tara's actions. I had to ask her for an explanation. 

Therefore, I planned to go to Tara's house to talk to her face-to-face. She needed to know that her mom started it first. She easily blamed everything on me. 

If only that night Uncle Vincent didn't mention that Aunt Freya was having an affair, I wouldn't have slept with him. If I intended to be a homewrecker, I would have started long before that night. 

If I intended to steal Uncle from Aunt Freya, surely I would have seduced him long ago with my young and sexy body, which undoubtedly was far more enchanting than his wife's. But, in the name of friendship and maintaining the family's reputation, I restrained myself no matter how much I desired him. 

Enough! 

I have to explain everything to Tara openly. I want my life back. I want my mom back. 

The taxi I boarded stopped in front of Tara's house. My heart was pounding. I felt a little scared. As I touched the gate handle of her house, I saw Uncle Vincent and Tara arguing. He held Tara's shoulders and shouted, trying to convince his daughter that it wasn't solely his fault. 

They were both so engrossed that they didn't notice my presence. 

"You misunderstood, Tara! Your mom had an affair with Sasha's dad first!" Uncle Vincent asserted, shaking his daughter's shoulders vigorously. 

"Lies! There's no way Mom would do that!" Tara protested, not believing her father's words. "Mom is not that kind of person!" 

Uncle laughed hysterically. "You trust your mom too much, Tara!" Uncle Vincent's face tensed. 

He then took out his phone and showed pictures that I assumed were of Aunt Freya and my dad. Tara's eyes widened in disbelief. She covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming hysterically.

Tara and her father fell silent. And there I was, frozen and weak. It turned out that Uncle Vincent had known all along that my dad was Aunt Freya's affair! 

Damn! I was so stupid to think that he didn't know. 

Unfortunately, the surprises didn't end there. The statement I heard next shattered my world when I heard Uncle Vincent say, "I used Sasha only for revenge. Don't leave me, dear!" 

My ears heated up as if struck by lightning. I couldn't even tell if this was a dream or not. But what I heard next only confirmed that this was not a dream. I was just a plaything for the man I loved.