Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 12: Mom Is Here

Sarah woke up to a beeping sound and the smell of antiseptic, a little bitter, with undertones of the artificial fragrance contained in the soaps and cleaners. She opened her weary eyes and looked at the white ceiling above her. Her room consisted of the typical furniture; a bed, a bedside table, and a chair.

Her dress had been replaced with loose hospital garments. An IV drip hung on the side of the bed to her hand. Wasn't she fine yesterday? She frowned. Why was she lying in a hospital bed?

She shifted her legs a little and pain shot through her left knee. A soft cry escaped her lips. She had only begun to recover when the door to her room opened, and her mother came in.

Her mother put her hand on her mouth when she saw her, then she quickly rushed to her side. Her mother was still wearing her work uniform, dark blue muslin with a white Peter Pan collar. "Oh, my poor child."

Sarah smiled, her cheeks hurting, "Hi mom"

"Hey yourself, darling." She slowly sat beside the bed, clasping Sarah's left hand between hers. "How are you feeling? Should I call the doctor? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you need muffins?"

Sarah forced out a laugh but she choked on her sobs. She pointed her heart. "It hurts in here, Mom. It hurts so bad that I can't breathe." She sat up on the bed and her mom stacked two fluffy pillows behind her. "And yes, I would like something to eat."

"Emily asked me to get you these," her mother said, hefting a small box on the bed. "So, remember to thank her later. God, she knows you better than I do. I can't deny I'm jealous."

"All these?" she flipped open the cover, immediately sighing at the sight of a dozen banana muffins. "God, does she want to stuff me into a pig? It is just low blood pressure, not a severe case of malnutrition."

Her mother raised an eyebrow. "How do you think she knew to keep these for you today?"

They both remained quiet for a while. Her mother kept opening her mouth to say something but she said nothing. Sarah munched her muffins in relish, temporarily forgetting the existence of humans beside her. Emily knows her soul better than she did.

"Did you really try to commit suicide because he cheated on you?"

Sarah nearly choked on the piece she was slowly chewing. "What? No!"

"Good," her mother nodded. "That's what your neighbors are saying, so I thought I'd ask you about it."

"That's what people are saying?" Sarah couldn't believe it. "That I tried to commit suicide because I was so heartbroken over Brandon? That moron isn't worth my life. And for the record, I did the dumping!"

"Language, Sarah."

"That is a big fat lie!" she was so incensed that she did not notice her mother's disapproving frown, which on many other occasions, she would have snapped her mouth shut. "Why would I kill myself over that bastard? Mom, he cheated on me with my roommate—former roommate— and they make a great couple."

Brandon cheating on her after dating for more than two years is an insult, but to bring his mistress to the apartment and sleep on her bed is adding salt to an injury. They had bought the apartment together hoping to start a family there, but now her life went back to square one.

She could still take it if it were someone she didn't know. But to actually cheat on her with Clara, her dorm mate for almost four years. That was someone she had considered family. They had shared their joys and sorrows through the university. That sure is the mother of all heartbreaks.

Tears pooled in her eyes and she asked, her voice really soft, "Mom, am I not good enough?"

"Darling, don't do that to yourself," her mother said, her expression softening. She brushed away a stray tear trailing down her cheek before her hands cupped her face and made her meet her mother's eyes. "There is nothing you could have done to prevent him from cheating. What happened was a result of their selfishness and had absolutely nothing to do with you. Don't beat yourself over it."