Never Be Apart

CHAPTER 13

On my way home, I was lost in thought, processing everything Tito had told me. I still can't believe the reason why my mother ended up like that. Why did she choose to leave? Why didn't she fight for my father if she truly loved him?

Tito's question echoed in my mind: "How will you react when you see your Dad happily living with another family?" I thought I'd be angry, but now I realize Mama was the one who caused them not to end up together.

My father is said to be a judge, but I don't know who he is. With the number of judges out there, I wouldn't know which one he is.

When I got home, I paused outside, contemplating. Should I talk to Mama about this, or just let it go and follow what she wants? Lost in thought, I ended up sitting down, feeling dizzy from all the drinks I had earlier. I bent over a bit because my head was hurting.

Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my head, and I looked up to see Mama's face staring down at me. She didn't say anything, but I could feel the anger radiating from her. Tito's stories replayed in my mind, and I suddenly felt sad for Mama. She raised me to follow in my father's footsteps, while he doesn't even know I exist.

Mama was about to say something, but I stood up and hugged her tightly. She froze in shock, like a statue.

"Y-You smell bad! Didn't I tell you not to drink?! Instead of focusing on your studies—"

"I'm sorry, Mama," I said softly, hoping it would make her stop.

"Sorry again? Why, did you do something stupid, Aiden? I swear—" She tried to pull away from my hug, but I didn't let go.

"I'm going to study hard. I'm going to study law, I promise," I told her before finally letting her go. I held her by the shoulders, and she looked at me, surprised and frowning. She looked away, and I just smiled before letting her go and heading inside.

I went straight to my room, cleaned up, and fell asleep.

–

It's Monday now. I spent the whole weekend reading law books. I just realized how many books Mama bought for me back then, even though we didn't have much money.

I barely slept just to go through them, along with our past lessons, so I could catch up. I'm serious about studying now. I want Mama to be proud of me, too.