Dark Love

Chapter Thirty-Two

Ola!

So I'm incredibly sorry for not updating, but I've been busy studying and it's been hell. These past few weeks were miserable and I couldn't update.

But I'm back!

Also I've been reading the first chapters and I couldn't believe I wrote that junk. I thought I'd been assiduous from the start, but that's not the case.

I'm incredibly sorry for that! I'm editing and I hope it's better. How stupid of me...super embarrassed.

Anyways this chapter is dedicated to all my faithful voters! You know who you are. Thank you for reading and voting. I'll be forever grateful to you :)

Hope you'll enjoy

Stay cool and fabulous!

Xoxo

~Stephanie

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Mia was ignoring Flávio ever since their lunch. He would smile at her from time to time, and she would return the kind gesture, but it wasn't wholeheartedly anymore. It was a sceptical smile.

To make matters worst, Donald was giving her attitudes almost every day. He wouldn't even greet her sometimes. Scratch that, he wouldn't greet her at all. That made her lose all her strength, no one was on her side anymore, the only person she kept in contact with was her mother, who lived miles away.

She was all alone.

Her daily routine was getting slightly boring now. From home to work and work to home. On Saturdays, she would go to the mall and get some groceries. Whenever she made dinner, Donald wasn't home. In fact, he was never home. At first she thought he was avoiding her, but then she quickly realized that, that wasn't the case.

He came home one Sunday and actually acknowledged her. It took her completely off guard. He didn't smile or anything, but he wasn't as acerbic when he spoke to her.

He seemed friendlier. Long story short, he now acknowledged her. She wasn't invisible anymore.

When she was a teenager, she didn't remember having moodswings. She was not like the others, she was always gleeful and playful, never grumpy and moody. Back then, she didn't give a damn about the world. She was a stress-free child, and maybe that's why she's so problematic now. She wasn't immune to stress, she didn't know how to cope with it.

Donald was lounging on the couch when she got back from work on Monday. He was on the phone, whispering to whoever was on the end of the line. He wore a bright smile on his face.

When he saw her, he stopped whispering, and gazed at her for a few seconds. He then said something to the person he was on the phone with, and hung up.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Mia casually asked, "A girl?"

"A friend." he stated briefly.

"Oh, okay. Dinner?"

"No no, I can't. I have to go out for a while." he backed away from the counter, shoving his phone in his front pocket.

"Out? Why? Are you gonna meet someone?" Mia raised her eyebrows. She folded her arms across her chest, and was now scowling.

"Yeah. The friend I was on the phone with."

"Donald, it eight o'clock." she said matter-of-factly, "You can't be wandering around the city at this time. You're not an adult, you know."

"Well, I can take care of myself. So, whether you like it or not I'm going out."

"Not on my watch." she snapped.

"What's your problem? How many times do I have to tell you that you're not my fucking mother?"

"I may not be," she said calmly, "but as long as you live here, under my roof, you have to respect me. My say counts."

Donald scoffed, "Yeah...right."

"I'm serious," she gritted her teeth.

"So am I."

"That's it, go to your room!" she shouted, banging her fists on the counter. Donald glared at her, "No fucking way. You go to your room." He stormed towards the front door. Mia followed him.

"Donald, if you walk out that door, you're not coming back!" she exclaimed.

He turned to face her, "No problem." and with that, he shut the door behind him, not sending a single glance her way.

***

The following day, Mia realized that Donald wasn't back. It was about ten a.m, and she was slightly worried. She knew she overreacted a little bit, questioning about his whereabouts and all. She didn't know why she did it. One thing she learned about Donald, is that he likes his privacy. She acted like such a ninnyhammer.

She decided to give it some time, but after four p.m, she was already pacing around the living room. Where could he be? What is he doing? Is he hurt? Why is he not back? Questions, endless questions flooded her mind, adding to her already panicked state.

She did remember that she specifically told him he shouldn't return if he walked out, so it was her fault. That was something way too fatuous to say to someone like Donald. Of course he wouldn't come back. A great excuse to get rid of her.

It was getting from bad to worst. Donald wouldn't care about how she felt or what she was going through, he was an insolent and impassive boy. Just like his damn father.

Thinking about Todd brought back that same ignominious feeling from before. When she first met him, she was enchanted with his handsome face, his truculent ways. But she knew that with her and his temperament, their relationship would never be harmonious.

He had an ineffable pull on her, but she knew she'd get hurt in the end. He had abandoned her for another female. She could see it coming when she caught him in that bar, sitting next to that corpulent chap, with a woman straddling his waist.

She was supposed to end it before it went too far, but she was always maudlin to proposals. So she forgave him. She didn't know how many times she had to rebuke herself to stop being so damn silly.

And now his son was complicating her life, as if what he'd done wasn't enough. She wiped away her tears, and took a deep breath. If Donald had the temerity to leave, then that was his problem. She wouldn't stress about him anymore.

She walked up to the counter and resumed chopping up the cucumber to prepare a salad.

Wherever he was, she prayed that God was with him.

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