Chapter 71 Chapter 71
They say people always have a choice, but why is it like this? I was left with no choice but to see myself standing in front of our house again. It was a huge mansion—from the sophisticated gate outside that let me in without any question, down to the beautiful landscape in our garden where all the flowers were grown with a reason. I could see our white mansion along with the memories of my childhood. I even passed by the bench where Dad and I used to play chess.
It was already seven o’clock in the evening when I arrived. I had been deliberately deciding whether I should come here or not, but thinking that my father couldn’t come out because my mom said he was sick, I had to be the one to sacrifice my dignity and come back.
Mommy didn’t tell me what really happened. She said I should see it for myself. And when I finally entered through the main door, I saw my father slowly walking with his cane, his hands shaking and his limbs trembling. What the hell happened to him?
“Dad?” I called out to him. He quickly turned around.
“Jadey? Is that you? Oh, God! Am I dreaming?”
I ran to Dad and wrapped him in a tight hug. Heaven knows how much I missed this.
“My Jadey, it’s been a long time! What brought you here?”
I pulled away from his arms and wiped my tears. I was relentlessly crying and smiling as I answered his question. “Mommy said something happened to you, so I came here to check on you.”
“Huh? What happened to me? I’m fine, my child. This is just because I'm getting old. Nothing much to worry about.”
I was left gaping when I saw Mommy walking down from the stairs toward the dining area, a smirk on her face. She was wearing a long dress styled like a robe, looking like a head maid.
“Come, both of you. It’s rude to keep a guest waiting.”
My forehead suddenly creased at that statement.
“A guest?” I asked in confusion. My question was answered when I saw the guest Mommy was referring to. My chest instantly tightened. I felt like crying when I saw Jett sitting at the table, waiting for us. He stood up and smiled at all of us.
“Jade, it’s been a long time…” he said as he walked toward me and hugged me. All I could do was stand there, stunned. I wanted to recoil at the way he held both of my shoulders, as if he could easily take possession of me.
I sniffed when I realized that the people causing my depression and anxieties were all here in this room. They were both smiling as if they had already forgotten what happened before.
I stayed in that position for a few minutes before I could finally form words.
“What the fuck is this?” I asked Mommy. She casually answered while taking her seat without even looking at me.
“Just a simple family dinner with you.”
“Family dinner?!” I snapped. “With him?!” I pointed at Jett as if he weren’t standing right beside me.
“Why not? He was your fiancé after all.”
“He was! But I’m married now, Mom! Why did you have to do this? Dad? Are you part of this plan too?” I shouted, trying to calm myself down. Jett kept stroking my hand.
“Babe, calm down. Easy…”
I immediately pointed at him. “Do not fucking touch me! We were done a long time ago, Jett! Can you stop messing with my life?!
“And you too, Mom! Stop this nonsense because it’s not funny anymore! I’m so fed up! If it weren’t for Dad, I wouldn’t have come here—but it looks like even he is in on this with you!”
“Sweetheart…” Dad called out to me, but I ignored him. I looked up to gather my strength. Damn it… why am I in this situation again? Why can’t I just be happy? Why do I have to be dragged back into the past again? I already don’t want this, right? I’m so tired. That’s why I got married, right? To escape all of this.
A tear rolled down my cheek, but I knew I had just wasted a drop from my body. They don’t deserve my tears right now. They don’t deserve any energy from me.
“This is the last time, Mom. Please. If you still want me to call you that. Because if you do this again—manipulating me, guilt-tripping me, deceiving me—I might completely forget that we are blood-related. And just like what I called you earlier… that was practice for what I will call you someday.”
I stormed out of that place. Dad tried to chase after me, but he couldn’t because he could only walk slowly with the help of his cane. It hurt to see that I had to leave him because of Mom. I was tearing up out of pity… because he was being dragged into the conflict between me and my mother.
I have always loved my father. He’s always been my ally, but since my mother is controlling him, I can’t help but ignore him too.
I got into my car and ended up at the bar again—the place I used to frequent before. Once again, I was crying and drinking nonstop. And just like before, the bartender was talking to me again, whose name I still don’t know up to this day.
“Why are you crying again, Miss? I heard you got married, huh? Wasn’t my advice effective?” he asked. I wasn’t surprised about how he found out. Hello? It was practically billboard news—who wouldn’t see it? I really don’t know what’s wrong with Mom and Jett and why they can’t understand.
“Is your husband making you cry?”
I shook my head and glanced at him. “It’s not my husband that I’m crying over…”
“Then who is it? Your ex again?”
I shot him with my hand. “Bingo! You’re right—we’re talking about my ex again today… and on top of that, my mom and dad are on his side.”
“Oh no, that’s bad. That’s a big problem. You look like you’ve already moved on, but your parents haven’t,” he replied with a grimace while shaking the cocktail shaker he was serving to other customers who asked for drinks. Fair enough—even while talking to me, he never forgot to entertain the other customers.
“That’s exactly the problem I don’t want to deal with. I’m already happy. I don’t want to go back to the painful things that happened before. How can I forgive them when they keep hurting me? And they even act like they did nothing wrong when they shattered me back then.”
“Hmm… I don’t know everything that happened, but I understand you. That’s really a difficult situation. Especially when you want to move forward, but they keep pulling you back down—to the past they’re used to. What did your husband say about this? Have you told him?”