To Eternity and Back

Chapter 1

"We're almost at the hotel ma'am."

The driver interrupted the silence between me and my mother, Aoi Hidone, to announce how closer we were to arriving at the hotel she booked for us.

I caught a glimpse at the rear view mirror and saw the driver looking at me before looking back at the road; now I can't help but think that the driver talked on purpose so I would stop feeling uncomfortable from the silence.

Even though I was grateful for it, the silence came back once again and awkwardness settled in my body. I don't think an unbearable silence between a mother and a son is the norm for average families...

But it is for us.

Since the day my mother married my father, Kazuki Hidone, and was brought in the Hidone family. Since the day my mother conceived me and I was born in this cruel world. Since the beginning... it has always been normal.

Out of sight from my mother's eyes, I bit lightly on my lower lip and looked out the car window of the limousine.

The capital of Singapore.

It's a beautiful city, and a city of contrasts. It's a modern metropolis with a thriving economy with a vibrant cultural scene, and it has regained a sense of historical heritage and traditions. Its architectural landscape features a blend of bold modern skyscrapers and historic colonial-style buildings, making it such a unique destination.

Which is why I always desired to visit it, and now I am... but not in the way I wanted.

I'm here to play a recital my mother set up for me. Since it is my duty as a musician, I have to make sure that I make no mistakes in my music. Otherwise, I'll disappoint everyone and ultimately prove that I'm not the perfect man I make everyone perceive me as.

I am the perfect man and a perfect musician, I think to myself. I am the perfect man and a perfect musician. I am the perfect man and a perfect musician. That single sentence repeated in my mind over and over until I sorely believed that I was the perfect man and the perfect musician.

I stopped looking at the scenery outside the window and turned my eyes back to my mother. She, however, was not paying attention to me. She was rather invested in her phone as she typed with her thumbs and an annoyed expression on her face. I stared at her, particularly, at her eyes. Hazel green. Just like mine.

I dare say that I wished that I inherited my father's world blue eyes instead of my mother's. Then maybe I wouldn't hate myself every time I look in the mirror.

"Mother, don't you think this is a little too... sudden?" I asked quietly.

My mother stopped typing on her phone and raised her chin, staring directly at me. A chill went down my spine from my mother's ice cold gaze. "Elaborate Akira." Even her voice sounds chilling.

I took in a quiet deep breath and opened my mouth. "I mean," I started. "Isn't it too abrupt to have me perform a recital, and in Singapore out of all places? I know I'm a musician and it's my duty to perform my music to the people, but I'm still studying in Juilliard, and I can't afford to miss out on any classes." I hesitantly looked at my mother after I finished and her gaze turned from cold to annoyed.

"I figured you would be worried for that and already made arrangements for your school. You'll resume classes when you return."

She looked down at her phone before looking back at me. "Do you think I'm dull-witted enough to forget that you're studying at one of the most prestigious universities for music?" With her tone, it sounded more of a threat than a question.

"No, of course not," I immediately answered. "All I wanted was to know your reason–"

"You don't need my reason," she interrupted.