The Mother Who Disowned Me

IRINA

"How did you find me?" I screamed.

I only took three steps away from him. I thought I was free, but he didn't explain anything when he let me go. The only sentence I remember is that lions like to play with their prey.

"I wonder, how can a girl with a life of debt stand in front of me so arrogantly?" he said.

More precisely, I just persisted in killing my fear. Standing in front of Miron is not easy. He is the embodiment of fear, misery, and darkness.

"And why do you judge me that way ? I'm simply standing in my convictions before you," I replied.

"Is your grandmother enjoying her new room?"

My eyes widened. There was a threat behind the question. His tone was calm, but the meaning of his sentence was not.  Am I hallucinating?

"H-how did you know my grandmother moved rooms? Were you the one who…" I stopped, my voice feeling like it was stuck in my throat.

"As you think," he replied.

I don't need to ask twice. His answer cleared up the doubts I'd been feeling. I thought that by lying to him, he'd let me go. How foolish of me to believe he was someone so easily deceived.

"A-are you the one who paid my grandmother's hospital bills?"

"Yes!"

"And you were the one who arranged my grandmother's surgery schedule?"

"Yes!" he replied again.

His handsomeness is indeed undeniable, but the thin smile on his lips at this moment seems to be killing my mind slowly. He wanted to show me that I had made a big mistake by underestimating him.

"But why?"

"You risked your life for a dying old woman; that makes me even more curious about you."

Curious about the words? Doesn't he think the reason I risked my life for my grandmother? Doesn't he have a family? If so, I really don't see any compassion in his eyes.

Suddenly, two men came from behind. One of them was carrying a brown envelope. He took a sheet of paper from the envelope and handed it to Miron.

Let me be clear, Miron has learned this much about my life in just a few days. If he can do something like this, I can't imagine how much more he can do with this power.

"You have 2 hours to sign this contract!" he said, handing me the sheet of paper.

"What contract?" I snatched the sheet of paper from him anxiously. My lips murmured reading, the title of the contract in question, "Contract Lover?" I lost the sparkle in my eyes. "W-what does this mean?"

"Sign it, you can read it after signing."

"I’m sorry, sir, it seems you misunderstood. I have no intention of being bound by any contract with you."

"It's not you who decides, but I who chooses. You owe me, and it seems you are smart enough to understand this situation, without needing an explanation from me," he said.

Miron just left, getting into his limousine. Paralysed. My legs feel numb. He said he wanted to play with me like his prey,

In a matter of seconds, he knew my life so far, and now he's trapping me with a bullshit contract, when I never asked for his help?

I won't sign this contract. If it's my fault, I'd rather go to jail than get involved in Miron's life. I'm just a stranger, how could I risk becoming that damn mafia's contract lover?

Will never.

I threw the contract in the trash and returned to my grandmother's room: no doubt, no confidence, just courage.

I won't let Miron control my life, didn't I offer my life? He should know that I'm not even afraid of death.

"Cessie, where are you? We need to talk," I said, thinking about discussing this matter with Cessie.

"I'm sorry, I'm still out of town and…."

"Are you serious? You ran away after everything that happened to me?" I protested. Since I told Cessie what happened to me, I felt like she was deliberately running away, even keeping her distance from me.

My footsteps stopped in front of my grandmother's door. My grandmother's voice was screaming for help. And when I walked in, my mother was there, pulling my grandmother's hair. Letting out her emotions, as she always did,

"Mama? What the hell, what are you doing?" I screamed in shock. I tried to release my mother's grip on my grandmother's hair.

My grandmother winced, crying to hold back the pain in her head.

"Let her go, Mama! Oh my God"

"Don’t interfere!" my mother shouted at me. She pushed me, but with little effort. I managed to get her hand out of my grandmother's hair.

"How brave of you. Is it because you are rich now? Where is your money? Give it to me!" she said. My mother rummaged through the cupboards in this room. She didn't care at all about the medical equipment attached to my grandmother's body.

"Mama, please! Stop! I don't have any money." I whined, hoping she would take pity on me.

"You think I'm stupid? You've already paid off your debt with that Russian loan shark. You even transferred VIP treatment to this older woman. Where did you get the money?" Give it to me now, you still owe your stepfather!"

I shook my head sadly; my chest felt tight every time my mother defended my stepfather, instead of me.

"Gavin needs money for university, try to repay the favor! I raised you with so much effort! Give me the money, or I won't stop attacking this old woman.”

Couldn't I take it anymore? "Mama? How could you attack your own mother? She's your mother, she's my grandmother!" My voice rose.

"Oh I don’t care, because of this damn old woman I lost your father! Now, give me the money or…."

"STOP!" I raised my voice, my breath becoming labored. "How much do you need?" I asked, hearing that. My mother's lips curled into a satisfied grin.