Dad moved back to his hometown with my brothers.
Mom moved into the city.
And somehow I ended up caught between two people who claimed the separation had been mutual.
Looking at her now, I wondered if she even realized how much of her unfinished dreams she projected onto me.
How much pressure came with being her daughter. How much I hated feeling like I was constantly auditioning for approval.
"He cheated on me, Ma."
The words came out flat. Simple. Matter-of-fact.
Yet they shattered the entire conversation.
Mom's mouth fell open. For a moment she simply stared. "What?"
"He cheated on me."
The disbelief on her face quickly transformed into horror.
"Axel cheated on you?"
I nodded once. Slowly.
The room fell silent.
For the first time all evening, she looked genuinely speechles
