Alethea
I see a face that stops me in my tracks. It’s hauntingly familiar, a face that mirrors my son’s in so many ways-blonde hair and piercing green eyes.
He looks almost divine, like an ethereal being, too perfect to be real.
A shiver runs down my spine at the recognition. “Asher,” I whisper, the name slipping from my lips as if it has been waiting in the depths of my memory all this time.
The moment he hears me, he turns his back without hesitation, as if I don’t belong here.
My heart clenches as I instinctively stretch my hand toward him, desperate to stop him from leaving. But no matter how far I reach, he seems to drift farther away.
A sharp, crushing pain blooms in my chest. It’s like my heart is breaking, the ache spreading through me. I clutch my chest, trying to hold myself together as the pain threatens to overwhelm me.
Then, out of nowhere, I see her-Maya. She steps into view with a purposeful and graceful move, she closes the gap between herself and Asher.
To my horror, Asher’s face lights up with a breathtaking smile, full of warmth and admiration that it feels like a knife to my chest. He looks at her like she’s the center of his universe like there’s no one else in the world who matters.
And I’m left standing here watching my heart shatter that he doesn’t look at me the way he looks at Maya.
When Maya starts to turn her face toward me, panic surges through my veins. Without thinking, I duck out of sight, pressing myself against a wall to avoid her.
My breathing quickens, and my heart pounds in my chest. I know she wouldn’t hesitate to harm me if she saw me here.
Suddenly, a sharp pain tears through my abdomen, so intense it feels like my body is being ripped apart.
“What the hell?” I mutter through gritted teeth, clutching my stomach as I try to steady myself.
Curiosity compels me to take another glance at Maya and Asher. My breath catches in my throat. My eyes widen in shock as I see they are locked in a passionate kiss.
Their hands roam each other like they’re moments away from losing control. The sight is like a cruel dagger twisting in my chest.
Unable to endure another second, I turn and run, my heart breaking with every step. Tears blur my vision, but I don’t stop until I’m home.
The moment I step inside, Selena is there, with her open arms, her face etched with concern. Without hesitation, I throw myself into her embrace, the tears spilling freely down my cheeks.
“Selena, it hurts,” I whisper, my voice trembling as I clutch onto her like she’s the only anchor keeping me.
Just as her warmth begins to soothe me, and everything vanishes. My eyes snap open as I sit up abruptly, gasping for breath.
It was a dream-but it felt so real
“Thank goodness you’re awake,” Selena whispers, with her soft voice as she cradles my arm. For a moment, I feel her warmth, but it’s too much. I can’t take it-not now.
I pull my arm away sharply as if her touch burns me. The confusion, the betrayal, the sheer weight of everything she’s just told me feels like it’s suffocating. I need space.
Selena looks hurt, but she doesn’t say anything as watches me with sad, pleading eyes, but I can’t see her gaze. I know she told me she’s my mother, but how am I supposed to accept the life I thought I knew?
The woman I grew up calling “Mother” wasn’t my mother. And Selena-Selena, the woman who had been a part of my life for years-was the one who gave birth to me. How does that even make sense?
Could it be that Selena and my father had a relationship? Was she involved with him while he was still with Sally, the woman I had always believed was my mother?
It explains so much. The coldness, the distance, the way I was treated so differently from my sisters. No wonder Sally hated me. No wonder I was always the outsider, the black sheep of the family.
But what hurts the most is the thought of my father. He knows and he watched as I was treated like I didn’t belong. And yet, he said nothing. He did nothing.
My chest feels tight, and my throat burns with unshed tears. How could he just stand by and let this happen?
I pull my knees to my chest, curling into myself as I try to process the storm of emotions raging inside me. Selena reaches out again, but I shake my head, my voice trembling as I whisper, “I need time. I just… need time.”
I remember when Xavier’s father had come to my father, eager to seal the deal-my future as Xavier’s Breeder decided without my input. I had stood in the shadows that day and witnessed something rare: Sally and my father arguing.
With a low but sharp voice, I remember Sally’s words clearly. “She deserves to know the truth,” she had said, her voice trembling with frustration.
My father’s reaction was instant and explosive. “Don’t you dare, that’s for me to decide, not you. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
Now, as the pieces fall into place, the truth is undeniable. Sally wanted me to know. She wanted me to understand that she wasn’t my mother, but my father refused.
I clutch the pillow in my hands, my tears flowing freely as my chest heaves. The pain is unbearable, a deep ache that refuses to let go. My lips tremble, my breaths come in ragged gasps, and still, the tears won’t stop.
In the haze, I nearly forget that Selena-no, my mother-is still here. But then I hear her. She’s crying, too.
I glance up and see her, sitting close, her face buried in her hands. The sight shatters me all over again. This woman, the one who has cared for me, is breaking apart right in front of me.
My heart aches for her. I want to reach out, to comfort her, but my arms won’t move, my hand feels too heavy to lift, and I can’t bring myself to close the distance between us.
I know I have so many questions, questions that could change everything I thought I knew about myself. But the truth is, I’m not ready. I’m not ready to hear the answers.
“Can you please let me be for a while?” I choke out the words, my voice barely above a whisper. I avoid looking into Selena’s eyes, afraid of what I might see there-regret, sorrow, maybe even love. “I’ll call you when I feel I’m in the right state of mind.”
I see the hesitation in her, and respecting my need for space. “Please,” I murmur again, my voice cracking with emotions. “I’ll call you.”
Selena stares at me, her eyes filled with a pain that mirrors my own. Then, without a word, she leans down and presses a soft kiss on my forehead. The gesture is tender and it breaks something inside me all over again.
As the door clicks shut behind her, the dam I’ve been holding back bursts. I clutch my chest as fresh tears stream down my face.
I’m hurt-deeply. By Sally, who treated me like I was less than her daughter. By my father, who stood by and allowed it. By Selena, who found me, cared for me, and yet kept me in the dark about who I truly was for three long years.
I should be grateful to her. She saved me. She gave me a home when I had nowhere to go. But the fact that she let me live without my memories, without any answers, makes the gratitude feel hollow.
My body is drained from the weight of my emotions. I sink into the bed, my tears soaking the pillow. As sleep pulls me under, one desperate prayer lingers in my mind:
‘Please, no dreams tonight. Not of Asher. Not of his rejection.’
Because right now, the last person I want to see-even in my dreams-is Asher.
Before I can fully sleep, a sharp knock sounds on my door.
“Who is it?” I manage to croak, my voice rough from all the crying. I sound pitiful like a frog straining to speak.
“It’s me,” comes the voice from the other side.
The voice stops me cold. My heart skips a beat, It’s a voice I’d know anywhere.