One Summer with the Sinner (Monteverde Series 5)

28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

As soon as Mrs. Monteverde let go of those words, I knew she meant them. I knew it was final. I waited another hour in front of the door after she closed them on me, but no matter how many times I rang the doorbell and begged, no one came to answer. Some of the neighbors started looking out their windows, their stares pointed, their faces a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

When the light on the entire street went out, I finally decided to go home. I checked my phone and tried to call Asheng one more time as I drove back, but the call won't go through. I guess my number's blocked now. I guess, I won't ever have an opportunity to talk to her and tell her that I'll fight for her.

My mother was waiting for me in the living room when I arrived. She was still in the exact same attire she was wearing when I saw her this afternoon. I looked at her face and noticed the humiliation plastered in her eyes. I wanted to laugh cynically at her expression. No amount of regret will undo what she has carelessly done. No number of apologies will ever be sufficient to make up for the mistake she has made. She can cry all she wants, but she cannot make me forgive her.

She tried to come closer, to put her arms around me, but I stepped away.

"Vane, please talk to me," she pleaded. "I know I made a huge mistake by coming here to see her."

"Just stop." I held my hand up. I am not interested to hear any excuse she's had the liberty and time to practice while I was out there, waiting hopelessly outside the home of the woman I love, begging her parents to hear me out and give me a chance. "Just leave me alone."

"Vane!" She held my hand and I snatched it away. "Listen to me!"

"WHAT?" I snapped. "What do you have to say other than you've been judgmental and discriminative towards Asheng? What else do you have to say other than you've destroyed my only chance at happiness? What? Come on!" I smirked. "What do you have to say about that, mother?"

"I'm sorry." Tears welled her eyes as she hugged herself. My heart ached, but not for her, but for the lack of empathy I feel seeing her cry in front of me. "I'm sorry, son. I thought... I thought I was doing what a mother does best – and that's to protect her child at whatever cost. I had this fear that you were throwing away your future by staying here, by refusing to get married to Katherine, and taking over the business. I've always known you wanted to manage it ever since you were young, and I trained you, honed you for that job. I feared that with you staying here and falling... falling in love with her, you'd throw your life away and be stuck in this version of yourself, when you could be better."

I was shaking my head, in resentment, in disbelief. She's had hours to think of an excuse good enough for me to at least consider forgiving her for what she did, and this is what she comes up with. A stupid, nonsensical reason centered on what she thinks is best for me, in her own terms. "You never really cared about me, Ma. You never cared how I was doing, you only cared about what I can do, what you've thought I was meant to do."

"No! That's not true –"

"That is the truth, and it kills you to have to admit it. How dare you tell me that I'd be stuck in this version of myself when I could be better. This is me being better and you do not see it! You choose to turn a blind eye because you have always, always thought of yourself as an all-knowing person. WAKE UP. You are not always right!" Her tears started falling from her eyes one by one, but I'm not taking back everything that I've said. "It's a shame, Ma. You think you know what's best for me, but you're wrong. You've just destroyed my chance at happiness and if I ever have to continue living with this emptiness inside of me, please know that it's you." I started to walk away. "It's you who put it there."