The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Chapter 15: Collateral Damage

Selena's POV

The silence in the room was thick, a suffocating blanket of tension hanging heavy between my mother and me. I could see the hurt in her eyes, the familiar flicker of anger simmering just beneath the surface. But I was done. Done with her passive-aggressive barbs, done with her veiled criticisms of Camila, done with her blatant disregard for my daughter's existence. It was time to draw a line in the sand.

'You were disrespectful,' I said, my voice hoarse with suppressed emotion. 'At that dinner. You were disrespectful to Camila, and she was right to put you and Dad out. You disrespected me, you disrespected my child. You think Kelly, my innocent ten-month-old daughter, is a mistake? Kelly never did a thing! She's a baby, for God's sake! You bitch! You can hate me, you can dislike me, but my family is off limits to you.'

The words poured out of me, a torrent of pent-up frustration and anger. Years of biting my tongue, swallowing down the bile of her constant disapproval, had boiled over. The last straw was her sneering comment about Kelly at the family dinner. Camila had stood up to her, as she always did, but it was my daughter who had been the target. And that was unforgivable.

My mother's face contorted, a mix of outrage and disbelief flashing across her features. She opened her mouth to retort, but I raised my hand, silencing her.

'Don't,' I said, my voice trembling with emotion. 'Don't try to justify your actions. You know you were wrong. You know you have hurt me, hurt Camila, hurt Kelly. And I won't stand for it anymore.'

I turned away, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. The weight of the confrontation, the years of unspoken resentment, pressed down on me. I had never been one for confrontation, but the love for my daughter, the fierce loyalty to Camila, had sparked a fire within me, a fire that refused to be extinguished.

As I walked away, I could hear my mother's voice rising behind me, filled with accusations and anger. But I didn't turn back. I had said what needed to be said. I had drawn the line. And whatever the consequences, whatever the fallout, I knew I had done the right thing. My family, my chosen family, was worth fighting for.