C4

"And that gave you the right to trade me off to a stranger like I am mare garbage? Selling me off like trash? You could have asked me to leave your house if you did not want me here anymore. That would have been perfectly understandable. I mean, it's not like you ever wanted me from the start. But this, mother? What gave you that right? What gave you the audacity to do this despicable act, huh? Tell me. Is it money? Wasn't I the one who has been feeding you ever since..."

"Shut your trump, you who're!" She shouts, cutting me off. Whore? She must be referring to herself, not me. Her face is burning with anger. Truth hurts, huh? That is just great to know because I intend to spill all that she has made me feel throughout the years. Nothing will be left unsaid. We are lying about it all . She points a finger to my face. If it was before now, I would be cowering in, trembling with fear, but not today. Today my guards are all on. "What am I to you, little witch? A child that you can talk to however you want? Better shut up before I do it for you. You are right, I don't want you. I never did. Now hand me my money and get out of my sight."

"Is that why you tried so hard to starve me to death when I was just a baby until I had to learn the means of survival when I was barely four years? Is that what mothers do? And you ask me what you are? Do you want to know what you are? You are everything they say you are, Gracia! Every single name they call you outside, you are exactly that, even worse than that. Thank God I respect myself, else I would have called you all those names right now. You know what, there is something else very important that nobody has dared to tell you, but I will do the honours. I want you to hear it straight from me because I believe I am the right person to tell you this. You don't deserve the title of a mother. You are a disgrace to both parenthood and motherhood." I close my eyes, waiting for her well-launched slap to land on my cheek, but her hand must have been hooked somewhere in the air by some kind of magic because her palm has not come into contact with my cheek. I open my eyes, only to see Jerol holding my mother's hand.

Oh, wow! Husband defending the wife? Saviour of the oppressed? I don't know which is which.

"You don't get to hurt my wife in my presence. It's unacceptable." His voice is calm, but cold and commanding. It holds such authority that nobody would want to dare defy or question, well, except this woman.

"Then tell your wife to show some respect to her mother! Don't tell me you like how she is talking to me. Or worse, do you believe what she is saying?" She finishes fuming, and Jerol lets go of her hand, his eyes on her. He might be thinking this is a live soap opera, little does he know, this has been my life.

"What I believe doesn't matter. As she said, I am a total stranger to both of you. Maybe you can clarify if there is any truth in what she is saying."

"I have nothing to clarify. This girl is a snake. A dog that bites the hand that feeds her. Don't say I didn't warn you. You better be strict with her if you don't want her disrespecting you like this." She never lacks something to bark about. Is making me look so bad her hobby?

"Until you can confidently prove that all she is saying are nothing but lies, then don't waste your time telling me how to handle my wife."

"It's your call." She murmurs.

"You and I know that you don't deserve even a single cent from me because you have done absolutely nothing for me aside from bringing me to this world. For that reason alone, I have tried to be as much generous as possible. Here," I hand her the envelope which she grabs roughly, "five hundred thousand, as compensation for giving birth to me and torturing me all my life."

"I knew it." She laughs sarcastically, then she turns cold at once. "Your greediness couldn't let you give me my full amount. You are such an ungrateful bitch. And you," she turns to Jerol who sneaked his hand around my waist without my knowledge until now. "Didn't you make a promise to me that I will get the full amount? What is this? What happened to your promise? All you wanted was for the deal to go through, huh? You fooled me!"

"Don't blame this on my husband. He made sure to give me your full amount, but it's only me who knows your worth. Thank God I didn't bring that envelope with nothing inside but your pathetic ID because that is what you deserved - absolutely nothing!"

She rolls her eyes, glancing at the nincompoop relaxing comfortably on the sofa. If she thought she will automatically become rich by trading my life, she better think and thinks again. I can be such a fucking bitchy when I am pushed to the wall, which is exactly what this woman did.

"What exactly do you expect me to do with this change?"

The audacity of this arrogant ungrateful woman! Forgive me if I go overboard with words for this woman today. Did she say, change? She opens her mouth and regard a whopping five hundred thousand as mare change! May thunder fire her mouth! May she break her tongue if she ever repeats that? LMAO! Has selling her body earned her even a quarter of this "change" all her entire life?

"I don't care whether it does something or nothing for you. Make a life out of it or waste it in alcohol as you have always done. Better still, buy yourself a sex toy and stop disgracing yourself being fucked up by penniless street dogs like the one behind you. All the same, whatever you choose to do with that change is none of your freaking business. It does not matter to me anymore. What I want is for us to part ways. I am giving you what you have always wanted - to get rid of me. You never wanted me, you still don't want me. I also don't need you, Gracia Motero. There is no need for me to stick around anymore. There is no need for us to continue hurting each other anymore. I am done forcing myself on you. This is where things end between us. I don't ever want to see you in my life again. Thank you for nothing, and goodbye forever."

I look at her, and for the first time in my entire life, I think I saw her eyes soften, but I can not fall for deceit. She knows I have money now. I am stinking rich. She might try to deceive me with a few crocodile tears. Before that happens, I pull my husband, and we walk out, his hand holding me by the waist. I don't know what he makes out of all this insanity, but someday, if I will get a chance, I will explain.

"But he is your temporary husband, Angeline! Why do you need to explain anything?" My mind screams at me, and I mentally smirk at myself.

We pass by the people again. They haven't retreated to their houses, and I know some even eavesdropped on us, but I don't care. I rummage through them as we pass by. For those that treated me like a street dog, I don't look at them twice. For the ones that helped me once or twice or countless times, I can still manage to spare them a smile despite my heavy heart for what happened back inside. I said I don't care, that is why I haven't shed even a single drop of tear despite all that. And this lamp stuck on my throat, I will keep pushing it until it goes down my syndrome.

We get back to the car, and the car turns around, speeding off, leaving this cursed place and all its memories behind.

Goodbye, the old, and hello, the New!