UNEDITED...
Chapter 65.
Kim Ae Cha and her sons, along with Shin Young, were having breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning. The kitchen was filled with the warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the comforting scent of pancakes. Laughter and light conversation filled the air, creating a cozy atmosphere. Suddenly, her phone rang, the familiar number displaying a name she hadn't seen in over twenty years.
'Mom,' the caller ID read.
Her eyes twitched, trying to ignore the call while continuing her discussion with her family—Ji Su, Shin Young, and Jae Soo. The persistent vibration was distracting, so she excused herself, the tension evident in her stiff movements.
"I'll be right back," she murmured, forcing a smile before heading to her study.
As she left the room, her family exchanged worried glances, sensing something was off. The normally serene Ae Cha seemed unsettled, her attempt to mask her emotions failing to fool them.
In her study, she closed the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment before taking a deep breath. The room was a sanctuary of calm, with dark wooden bookshelves lining the walls, filled with various books on design, art, and business. A large mahogany desk stood in the center, its surface meticulously organized with design sketches and a sleek laptop. The soft light from the floor-to-ceiling window bathed the room in a warm glow, casting intricate shadows on the Persian rug.
The window offered a breathtaking back garden view, a serene oasis of vibrant flowers and neatly trimmed hedges. A stone pathway meandered through the garden, leading to a tranquil pond surrounded by blooming lotus flowers. The morning sun glinted off the water's surface, creating a dance of light and shadows that was almost hypnotic.
Standing before the window, Ae Cha finally answered the call, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hello?"
There was a moment of silence before the familiar voice responded, bringing with it a flood of memories and emotions she had tried to bury.
"Such an unfilial daughter, you returned to Seoul and you couldn't come find your parents," the woman's voice was loud, but the words faded into the background for Ae Cha.
She stared out at the garden, her heart heavy with anger, sadness, and confusion. The beauty of the scene before her—a serene oasis of vibrant flowers, neatly trimmed hedges, and a tranquil pond surrounded by blooming lotus flowers—stood in stark contrast to the turmoil she felt inside. It was a poignant reminder of the life she had built away from the shadows of her past.
Ae Cha bit back the urge to scream at her 'mother.' She wanted to shout, "Am I not your child too? All those years ago, you didn't bother to ask me how I was surviving." These questions danced around in her head as she fought to hold back tears, memories of every injustice she had suffered at the hands of her relatives flooding back.
"Nice to hear from you, Mother," she said sarcastically, determined not to let them break her down again or make her easy to control like before.
"You... anyway, why are you back?" Mrs. Lee asked, failing to mask her curiosity with feigned indifference.
"Mother, I was born and raised here in Seoul Empire, so why shouldn't I return?" Ae Cha retorted, knowing this would annoy her mother. She rubbed her forehead, which had started to ache from the stress of talking to a person who had treated her so poorly for as long as she could remember.
Mrs. Lee's voice crackled with barely concealed irritation. "You were always the difficult one. Always thinking you knew better."
Ae Cha's grip tightened around her phone. "And you were always the one who didn't care," she replied coolly. "I've built a life here, a successful one, and I don't need your approval or your permission to live in the city where I grew up."
YOU ARE READING
BL REBIRTH: You Were Mine (MPREG)
Short StoryA fire incident at his(Kim Jae-soo) husband's home while he (Baek Ji-Hu )was away made Kim Jae-soo return to his third year of university (he was reborn), he finally has the opportunity to make up for everything he regrets. The mistakes that have be...