The Past Within - Mialotte - TNN

She is not my mom

TW Talk about divorce

based on a true story

In therapy, Charlotte opens up about her complicated relationship with her father and the woman he married. She explains how her father cheated on her mom with this woman and how it shattered the family. She's never been able to forgive him for the betrayal, and she never called the woman "Mom," no matter how much her father pushed her.

"She tried to step into that role, but... no one liked her. Not me, not my sister. It was just all so forced," Charlotte says, her voice wavering as she recalls the tension and pain of those years. "It felt like she was trying to replace my mom, but my mom was still there, even if things were falling apart between her and my dad."

Her therapist listens intently, gently asking, "Have you spoken to your dad at all since then?"

Charlotte shakes her head. "Not in years. After everything that happened with Mia and... the baby, I thought about it, but it just felt like too much. It's hard to think about reaching out to someone who was never really there for me when I needed him."

She pauses, staring down at her hands in her lap. "The truth is, I'm still angry. Not just at him, but at everything. The way things fell apart, how I was left to pick up the pieces... and then everything else that's happened since."

Her therapist nods, offering a quiet moment of reflection. "It's understandable to feel that way. You've gone through so much, and it's okay to still be processing it all. The important thing is that you're acknowledging these feelings."

Charlotte takes a deep breath, feeling the weight of the conversation. "I know... but sometimes it feels like the past just won't let me go."

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That night, back home with Mia, Charlotte sits quietly at the kitchen table. Mia, sensing the heavy atmosphere, comes up behind her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mia asks softly.

Charlotte hesitates but eventually nods. "It's just... everything with my dad. I've been thinking about it a lot in therapy, and I don't know how to move forward."

Mia sits down across from her, taking her hand. "You don't have to figure it all out at once. I'm here with you, every step."

Charlotte took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the edge of the mug in her hand. The warmth of the tea barely reached her cold fingertips. Mia watched her closely from across the table, waiting patiently.

"It's just...," Charlotte began, but the words felt stuck in her throat. "It's hard to put into words. Everything with my dad... it's like this weight I've carried around for years, and no matter how much I try to let it go, it's still there."

Mia nodded, her eyes soft with understanding. "I get it, Char. You don't have to rush through this. We've been through so much already; we can handle this too, together."

Charlotte gave a slight nod, her gaze distant as if she was looking back at a time she wished she could forget but couldn't. "I never understood why he did it. Why did he betray us like that? He wasn't just unfaithful to my mom—he broke all of us. Everything just... crumbled. It was like the foundation of our whole family just disintegrated overnight."

Mia reached across the table and gently took Charlotte's hand in hers, the gesture grounding her. Charlotte blinked, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She hated crying—hated showing this much vulnerability, but with Mia, it was different. She knew Mia wasn't there to judge her or to try and fix it all; she was simply there, holding space for her.