All Chapters of The Life Mom Was Meant to Have: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

I was floating in the air when I saw Mom at 18. She wore a beautiful dress, her face bright with a carefree smile.My heart ached. I'd never seen her smile like that before. The Mom I knew was always screaming and flying into rages.Without thinking, I whispered, "Mom."To my surprise, she stopped and looked around warily. "Who said that?"She could hear me!My heart leaped. I hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Mom, I'm your son. I'm from the future."A bitter smile crossed my face.She'd never let me call her Mom. She called me a bastard and said I was the monster who had ruined her life.I remembered trying to get close to her when I was little. I'd called her Mom as sweetly as I knew how.She'd been perfectly calm one second. Then she snapped.She slapped me across the mouth again and again, screaming, "Don't you dare call me Mom, you little bastard! You don't deserve to!"She hit me until my lips split and bled. Even now, my speech was still a little slurred.Af

This time, I arrived in the story on the very night Mom was attacked.I froze in midair. Her once-cozy home had been completely trashed, with furniture overturned and scattered everywhere.Grandma and Grandpa lay on the floor in pools of blood. Mom was pinned beneath Alan, his face twisted with rage.He slapped her hard across the face. "Still fighting me, huh? Let's see how long that lasts."18-year-old Mom lay beneath him, tears streaming down her face."Help me! Please, somebody help me!" she cried hoarsely.Rage surged through me. Then I realized I could actually touch things in this world.I grabbed a broken chair leg and brought it down on Alan's head with all my strength. He never saw it coming.I hit him once, twice, then a third time. I didn't stop until the back of his head caved in and he collapsed motionless on the floor.A wave of weakness swept through me.Mom sat up, stunned, and looked around."Was that you? Are you some kind of god? Did you save me?" she whi

Mom scrambled out of bed and hurried to get ready. She changed into a pretty floral dress and put on some makeup. After breakfast, Grandma and Grandpa drove her to campus.I watched Mom walk into one of the country's top universities with Grandma and Grandpa beside her, and something ached in my chest.Mom had always been this talented. If it hadn't been for me, this was the life she would've had all along. She would've studied at a great university and gone on to have a bright future.After she finished checking in, she waved happily to Grandma and Grandpa, then headed into her dorm with confidence.Mom was warm and outgoing. It didn't take long for her to hit it off with all three of her roommates.I floated beside her, unable to stop smiling.Before I knew it, a year had passed. I'd stayed by Mom's side the whole time, watching her grow.Just as I'd expected, Mom thrived. After her first midterms, she was already at the top of her class, and no one ever managed to knock her o

I didn't deserve Mom's love anyway. I was the reason she had suffered so much, so I had no right to expect her to love me.I kept telling myself that over and over, but the ache in my chest never went away. I didn't want to stay with her anymore.I'd seen for myself that Mom was finally happy. It was time for me to leave. But no matter what I tried, I couldn't leave her side.I didn't understand why until one night, Mom had a nightmare. She kept murmuring in her sleep."Get away from me, you monster! Don't touch me."I'm sorry, my son. It was my fault. You were innocent. I never should've taken my anger out on you."Dwight woke at the sound of her voice. He pulled her gently into his arms and patted her back."Wake up, Lizzie. You're having a nightmare."Mom opened her eyes, her face pale. She stared blankly ahead, and the usual happiness in her eyes dimmed.I clasped my hands, suddenly nervous that she might have remembered everything. The next second, she threw herself into