The Taste of Revenge

Selene “Mom. I'm home" I spoke, my tone slightly high-pitched, trying to hide my excitement, but I didn't get a reply. I was just getting back from a hospital visit, where I discovered I was pregnant, finally. I came immediately after getting my parent's call, planning to tell them the good news, but why was everywhere so silent? The entire residence was shrouded in silence, the grandfather clock in the hallway had suddenly stopped ticking, and I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. I walked slowly, my heart slowly raising in my chest, thinking something bad had happened, the hair on my arms stood up. However, they sat at their usual spot. Dad sat on his old rocking chair and mum, at the edge of the sofa. Both their faces were pale but without the usual smile they had whenever I came over. “Mom. What's wrong?" I asked as I walked closer, and she looked up, but as soon as she caught my eyes, she turned away. My chest tightened. In 28 years, I had never seen this expression on mum's face, not even at grandma's funeral. What the hell could have gone wrong? I crouched down to her level, grasping her hand. “Mom…” I said, but before I could finish she spoke. "I'm not your mom." My head spun, my hand slowly retracting away from hers. Where did that come from? How was that even possible? I tried to make sense of her words, but I couldn't and suddenly, a light chuckle came out of my lips. Mum's eyebrows climbed towards her hairline, shocked, but not surprised at my reaction. “Is this one of your usual jokes? I must say you really had me with this one." I said, letting out another chuckle, trying to convince myself of the reasoning I just gave. But my hands were shaking, and the smile on my face felt wrong. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong, terribly wrong. “I'm not joking," My mom said, her face stern and void of emotions. “The nurse who handled my delivery got arrested a few months ago for misconduct, and after listening to her confession, we realized there might have been some switch up." She stated. And I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. I wanted to stop her, tell her that the joke was already getting too serious, but her words broke my illusion. “We didn't pursue it because we weren't ready to let you go. But just a few days ago, your grandfather called us." She stated, her words hanging in the air between us. "He had seen the news and told us that we had to bring our real child back home. We rejected it at first but after careful consideration, we decided it was best we identify her first. We took a DNA test and figured.” She paused, looking towards Dad, wanting for an affirmation for her to speak and when he nodded, she finished her words. "You're not our daughter.” I swallowed hard at nothing, her last words ringing in my ears. ‘You’re not our daughter’ the words made my head throb so bad I feared I might faint. "We're really sorry cupcake. And we've been trying to find your parents…” Dad said, his voice carrying empathy but not the love he had always had for me. His words blurred in my ears and the only thing I saw was the flash of our awesome memories together. Mum gently caressing my hair on prom night, the birthday surprises… the eagerness that comes with unboxing gifts on Christmas mornings with mum and dad. How could all that be fake? “We still take you as our daughter. We just deemed it necessary for you to know. We won't love you less even though you're not ours,” she declared. I nodded slowly, accepting reality. They had already done so much for me. What kind of person would I be if I couldn't accept their own real daughter? "Congratulations on finding her." I paused, and they both looked at me with confused faces. After a few seconds, realization hit but before they spoke, I did. “When will I get to her?” Mom’s face froze as she heard me finish. She turned towards dad, who looked equally confused, but she responded with a smile. “In a few days. We'll throw a welcome party for her…” she spoke, but her words blurred out in my ears. A welcome party. They were going to announce to the world that I wasn't their daughter but rather someone they had just raised. The thought of it made my heart ached, but what did I expect? For them to only take her back and not try to make it up to her? I smiled through the ache and spoke. " Sounds great. Tell me when it will be happening.” I paused, turning before their words made me pause. "Why don't you wait for dinner?” Mom said, and although I would love to accept her offer, I couldn't stay a minute more in this house. My lungs couldn't seem to pull in enough air. "I have to get back home. I also have a family now," I said, and my eyes brightened immediately. How did I forget? I have my own family now. An increasing smile grew on my face as I walked out of the house, my hand gently placed on my belly. By the time I welcomed my child into the world, I would have my own family. It wouldn't hurt to lose my old one. I said to myself, blinding myself with the joy of having a child, as I stepped into my car. Swerving away. I came to a stop few metres away from Damien’s office as I suddenly remembered—I wasn't supposed to tell him about the pregnancy yet. I sighed. My palm slammed hard against the steering wheel, the horn blared, leaving a passing businessman startled. I was already here, it wouldn't make sense for me to just turn back. I walked in, plastering a smile on my face but the employees seemed rather displeased to see me. No, they looked scared. I raised a brow after yet another employee flinched after I called out to her. Did I have something on me? Whatever weird energy had infected this office wasn't my problem. Damien's door was just ahead. Solid oak with his name etched in brass. My hands rested on the door handle, taking in a deep breath before finally opening the door. “You won't believe…” I cut short my words immediately, the sight before my eyes leaving me at a loss for words.