Chapter 4
1111 Words
SELENE
They all stared at me with mixed reactions as I went up the stairs, but I stopped abruptly.
"On a second thought," I said, after weighing the decision of the words that were about to spill out of my mouth.
"I will marry him."
"No Sel—" my stepbrother shook his head as he stood up.
"Good," Dad interrupted, walking up to me. "I will call Joe to start the arrangements." He smiled, walking past me up the stairs, dialing his phone.
"Believe me, this is the best decision you have ever made in your entire life," he added within earshot.
"Are you sure about this, Selly?"
"I'm sure," I retorted, walking into my room.
On reaching there, Juliana came in almost immediately. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, Miss Selene, but do you really want to do this?" she asked, concern laced in her voice.
"Yes Juliana, I'm sure," I said, with a smile I couldn't help masking its fakeness.
"Or are you doing this—"
She was still speaking when a pair of shoes stopped her mid-sentence.
"Greetings, ma'am Elena," Juliana bowed.
"Can I speak to Selene for a second, please?"
"Yes, ma'am," Juliana stood, bowed, and left.
I went to my clothes, picking out a few necessities, considering most wouldn't fit in a few months anyway.
"Can I please speak to you?"
"You already are," I said, pacing around my room, grabbing stuff.
"Can I at least have your attention?" she said pleadingly.
I sighed. To be sincere, Elena doesn't deserve the way I treated her. I just don't know how to treat her any better. It seems to me like weakness, and also dishonoring Mother.
"I don't have time for all this, Elena," I said. "The least I need right now is you coming here to play a good mother, asking me not to get married. When clearly you want me out of your life and your husband's."
"I may not be a good mother, but I'm still a mother, Selen—"
"You are not my mother." My voice cracked sharper than glass. "And you will never be."
The words hung between us, heavier than I meant them to be.
I could sense her fists tighten while her expression remained neutral.
"I have no desire to replace your mother, Selene," she whispered, her voice surprisingly calm.
"I'm just here to speak to you about your decision," she said. "Did your husband divorce you knowing you were pregnant? And what do you plan on doing with the baby now?"
The clothes I held fell as I turned to face her. "I'm...m not pregnant."
"There's no need denying. I know a pregnant woman when I see one," she paused as she stared at me. "Don't get me wrong, your baby bump isn't that protruding yet, but you can't hide it forever."
"Or would you like me to tell your dad of my suspicions?" she said, making her way to the door.
"No!" I yelled, closing the door shut, also slamming her face in the process.
A little smile formed on her face. "Are you ready to talk now?"
I sighed, returning to my bed. "What the hell do you want from me?"
"Selene," her voice softened as she turned back to me, "if I didn't know your mother too well I would have thought she didn't raise you well."
A bitter smile left my lips before I could stop myself. This was comical coming from a gold digger.
"I guess you knew her too well to f*ck her husband, didn't you?"
"All that happened in the past," her eyes fell on the sheets of my bed before she took a seat.
"A past that still has a hold in the present, don't you think?" My nails dug into my pillow, fighting the sting in my eyes.
"That's why I am here," she said, stretching forth her hand for mine.
"Don't you f*cking dare," I spat, my body trembling. "Or is this the part where you teach me how to steal someone's husband?"
"I mean, I would be disappointed if that's not the case," I said, letting a dark chuckle off my throat.
She said nothing.
I bit my lips until I felt a metallic taste. I have gone far this time. Haven't I?
The silence stretched for a while, the grandma clock ticking its way through the quiet.
She exhaled deeply, her eyes moistened. "I pray you find a place in your heart to forgive me when you find I'm not who you think I am. I'm sorry, Selene."
It was my turn to stay silent, as I didn't understand a word she said.
"I don't want you to make the same mistakes I made, that's why I'm here," she said, staring at my box of clothes.
"You know," her voice croaked, "if there's one thing I have learnt in my years of existence, it's this: Sometimes receiving forgiveness isn't all. Will you be able to forgive yourself?"
Still another parable I couldn't fathom. "I—"
"So I ask again," she interrupted, "what are you planning on doing with the child in your womb?"
"It's my child, and what I do with it is none of your business."
"Think twice before taking drastic action, you might end up regretting tomorrow. Trust me, your baby is innocent. Don't let it pay for its father's mistakes."
For the past eleven years, since Elena came into my life, I can say this is the longest we have conversed.
The silence after my outburst flowed deeper than her words. And for a moment, it felt like I wasn't yelling at her—but the emptiness inside me.
She got up to leave, sniffling.
"What would you have done in my situation?" I asked, my voice laced with a desperation I knew not.
She halted in her tracks. "I will do right by my child."
"Are you going to tell Dad about it?" I asked.
"You have your reasons for not telling him, and I wouldn't want you to hate me any further," she admitted. "And it would be best if he heard it from your mouth."
I stood, catching her hand before she could turn the doorknob. "This doesn't make us friends, Elena," I said, making things loud and clear.
Her face wrinkled as a small smile spread across it. "I am not your enemy, Selene."
"What are you then?"
She stared deeply into my eyes, and for a moment, I thought the answer to my question lies there. "When the time comes, you'll find out for yourself," she patted my hand softly. "But for now... congratulations in advance."
- Writer
