Chapter 25

It was 3 in the afternoon and the door creaked as it opens. The woman wearing prison clothing walks in and sat facing Ahra who was blocked by the transparent glass with little holes so that their voices could be heard by each other between them. The woman was Ahra’s stepmother that was put in jail because of abusing Ahra.

She gave a scowl face to the girl whose eyes were sad looking at her only family left on the other side, “What do you want now, trash!” ‘Trash’ was a usual name given to Ahra ever since her father left. Ahra didn’t care about it, she wasn’t angry nor disappointed. She was already used to it, “I just want to talk to you.” Her stepmother rolled her eyes, annoyed to the usual gentle talk of her stepdaughter, “What else do you want to talk about? I’m in jail, aren’t you satisfied? If you’re not, then let me just say this to you… WHAT A B*TcH you A-!" "LISTEN TO ME!" Ahra shouted back made her stepmother shocked. "Listen to me just ONCE!"

The woman sat back to her seat with her arms crossed below her chest. Ahra never talked back to her aloud like that before. She knew that this talking really means a lot to her. Ahra stared at her mother, noticing that she didn’t scold her back like she usually does. Maybe she was afraid of the guard next to the door, waiting for any bad actions made by the prisoners to the visitors.

“Father’s death wasn’t because of you, was it?” Ahra looked at her mother whose eyes weren’t looking at her. “WAS IT?!” The woman ignored Ahra’s words and continued looking at the ceiling. “You love father. I know! You blamed yourself for father’s death letting everyone hate you, thinking you were the one who killed him.” “So what?! I still hurt you, why are you talking about this, Ahra?!” Ahra couldn’t believe her ears. It was the first time her stepmother called her name ever since father’s death. "LISTEN!"

The woman sighed and stared at Ahra with her arms still crossed. “Even though you hurt me, you still let me stay in that house. Even though you didn’t feed me, you pay the education fees at least until I was 12! I know that you kept hiding your true kind self, mom!”

This time, Ahra’s stepmother thought she heard wrong. Her eyes widen when Ahra called her ‘mom’. She let Ahra continue as her eyes looked at the ceiling once again.

“I cried every night not because of those painful bruises you gave me but because of that painful scar on your heart! I don’t hate you. I don’t!” Ahra’s tears began to blur her sight, compiling together and was about to crawl out.

“You love father, that’s why you came to Korea with him, wanting to live life with him. You love him but… he didn’t love you back. You know that. You’ve been living pain, wanting him to love you.” The woman glanced at the crying girl who was still staring at her.

Ahra sobbed but she forced herself to continue her words deeply from her heart, “When he died… you cried and cried… you thought you can’t live without him-,” “And yes… I still think that I can’t live without him, Ahra.” Ahra stopped when her stepmother cut her.

“I wanted to die, Ahra. I almost committed suicide!” Ahra wiped her tears, listening to the woman’s words, “But you didn’t, right?!” The woman closed her eyes not wanting to look at Ahra who was still crying. “You cared about me. I don’t have anyone except you!”

Ahra inhaled some air, trying to stop her crying as she bits her lower lip. “5 minutes!” said the guard reminding Ahra and her mother about the limit time of talking. Ahra turned back once again to look at her mother, “I just wish… that we can hangout like what real mother and daughter’s do. I just… hope that you can… express your real feelings to me and… stop lying… stop telling false feelings.”

Ahra wiped her wet cheeks as her mother was staring at the empty spaces beside her. “I’m probably too old for this,” Ahra chuckled with her eyes still teary, “I wish you can tell me bed time stories like you used to do back when father was still here.”

She stood after those last few words, leaving her mother being taken back to her cell by the guard.

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(Ahra’s POV)

I walked along the path back to the dorm and passed the old house that stepmother and I lived together before. We are now separated. Our family has broken into half. I felt like it was unfair with her being in prison while I being in the good care of my teachers and my friends.

I looked at the broken old house that looked like it’s haunted after being left like a month or two. I smiled and then tilted my head looking at the orange-colored sky giving me a sign that it was almost sun set.

“Dad, I finally voiced my feelings to her. I hope she changes.”