Chapter 2 Disowned
761 Words
The food arrived quickly.
Six snails sat neatly arranged on a plate, alongside strange-looking tongs and a tiny fork.
I watched the people around me skillfully pick up the shells, pull out the meat, dip it in sauce, and eat it.
Trying to copy them, I awkwardly grabbed the tongs. But the slippery shell wouldn't stay put.
One of the snails slipped out and landed on the table.
The entire room went silent. Every pair of eyes turned toward me.
Harvey's face turned crimson. He shot to his feet and pointed directly at me.
"What the hell are you doing? Do you think I haven't been embarrassed enough today? If you don't know how to eat it, then don't eat it! What are you trying to do, put on a circus show?"
His roar left me frozen. My face burned with humiliation.
Tara quickly grabbed his arm. "Harvey, don't be like that. Mrs. Gray didn't mean to."
Then she turned to me. A pitying smile appeared on her face. "Mrs. Gray, you hold the shell with the tongs, then use the fork to pull out the meat. It's really easy."
She demonstrated effortlessly. Then she placed the snail meat onto my plate.
"Give it a try. It's delicious."
The others immediately joined in. "Yeah, yeah. Relax, Harvey. She's just not used to it."
"Mrs. Gray, just think of it like eating river snails."
The more understanding they tried to be, the more humiliated I felt.
I felt like a public spectacle, with everyone staring at me and feeling sorry for me.
Harvey dropped back into his seat and drained his wine glass in one gulp, as if he were swallowing poison.
For the rest of the meal, I didn't touch a single bite.
They chatted about stocks, investment projects, and luxury brands, assuming I wouldn't understand a word of it. Their laughter rang out again and again.
I sat quietly to the side, saying nothing.
By the time the dinner finally came to an end, I felt as though I'd endured an eternity. Harvey went to settle the bill, while Tara stayed behind to chat with Jacob and the others.
I walked out of the restaurant alone. Standing in the cold wind, I waited for a full thirty minutes.
Only then did Harvey emerge from the restaurant with Tara in his arms, both of them slightly drunk.
He frowned the moment he saw me. "Why are you still here? Can't you call a cab and go home yourself?"
"I... wanted to talk to you." My voice was barely above a whisper.
"What's there to talk about? Just go home already and stop getting in my way." He turned to leave.
Panic rose inside me. I grabbed his arm. "Harvey, today is your birthday. I..."
"Shut up!" He violently shook off my hand. The force nearly knocked me to the ground.
His eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast ready to attack.
"I stopped being your son a long time ago! I never should've brought you here. The moment you humiliated me in front of everyone, you ceased to be my mother! Let me tell you something, Wendy. The greatest humiliation of my life is having a mother who sweeps the streets for a living! Don't ever come looking for me again! When I get married, you won't be invited. When I have children, you won't even get to see them! You can stay with your pile of garbage and rot away in that miserable little house of yours!"
Every word struck like a knife coated in poison.
I looked at his retreating figure, then at the smug smile lingering on Tara's face. It felt as though the blood in my veins had turned to ice.
After more than twenty years of sacrifice and hardship, this was what I had raised, a heartless ingrate.
A laugh escaped me. Then, before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.
Maybe it was for the best.
I would simply pretend that I had never had a son.
Slowly, I turned around. For the first time in my life, I straightened my back. Step by step, I walked into the endless darkness.
Then my phone vibrated in my pocket. A text message from an unknown number.
Unknown Sender: Ms. Hill, everything you instructed us to do has been taken care of. The land parcel in the south of the city has been fully transferred into your name. As for the company where your son works, we've already completed the initial acquisition of its shares.
- Writer
