Shattered Reflections

Chapter 20: The Past Haunts

Elise stared at the phone screen, her thumb hovering over the call button. Her mother's voice had been filled with emotion—distress, even. A knot tightened in Elise's chest as the memories of her childhood, the chaos, the betrayal, flooded back. How many times had she hoped this moment would never come? That she would be free from her past?

But here it was.

Caleb's hand, warm and grounding, rested on hers. His touch was a silent promise that no matter how difficult this conversation was, she wouldn't have to go through it alone. His presence beside her, steady and unwavering, helped steady her breath.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked, his voice quiet but sincere.

Elise glanced at him, her heart in turmoil. She wanted to be strong, to show Caleb that she had moved past the darkness that loomed over her. But the fear she felt in her chest was overwhelming. The woman on the other end of the phone—the woman who had caused her so much pain—was the last person Elise wanted to speak to.

She inhaled slowly, trying to steady herself before answering.

"I don't know if I can do this," Elise whispered, almost as if speaking the words out loud would make them more real.

Caleb gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to do it alone. You've already made it this far. Just take it one step at a time."

Elise nodded, trying to gather her courage. With trembling hands, she pressed the call button.

The phone rang, the sound so loud in the stillness of the room that it felt as if it was echoing in her ears. When her mother's voice finally came through, it was shaky, but there was a softness in it that Elise hadn't heard in years.

"Elise... it's been a long time."

The familiar chill that always crept into Elise's spine whenever her mother spoke to her was back, but this time, it didn't consume her. She focused on the weight of Caleb's hand in hers, using his support to push through the pain of the past.

"It has," Elise said, her voice steady, but her insides were anything but calm. "What do you want?"

Her mother sighed on the other end, her breath ragged. "I need to apologize. I've done things—things I can never take back. And I don't expect you to forgive me, but I need you to know that I regret what I did to you."

Elise was taken aback. For so long, her mother had been the person who had caused her so much hurt and confusion. Hearing the apology now, after everything, felt surreal. The woman who had abandoned her, who had broken her trust, was asking for forgiveness?

Elise's throat tightened. There was a time when she would have wanted to hear those words, when she would have longed for some sort of closure. But now, it felt like an empty gesture, like words that could never undo the damage that had been done.

"I don't know what to say," Elise murmured. "You've hurt me too much."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Elise could almost hear her mother's tears through the silence, and for a moment, she thought about hanging up. She thought about shutting the door on this chapter of her life for good.

But then Caleb's voice broke through her thoughts. "You don't have to forgive her now. But maybe you can start healing, one step at a time."

Elise blinked back tears, unsure of what to do. She had been so focused on escaping the pain of her past that she hadn't considered what it would be like to face it head-on.

"Maybe..." Elise began, her voice trembling. "Maybe I can try to understand. Maybe I can try to forgive, but I'm not ready yet."

Her mother's voice softened. "I understand, Elise. I'm not asking for forgiveness, just for you to know that I'm sorry. I wish I could have been the mother you needed, but I wasn't."

The words hit Elise like a ton of bricks, and for the first time in years, she allowed herself to feel something other than anger. She felt a flicker of sadness, a flicker of the girl who had once longed for her mother's love.

But she wasn't that girl anymore. She had grown stronger, braver. And now, as painful as it was, she was ready to face the truth of her past.

"I'll think about it," Elise said, her voice gaining strength. "But don't expect me to be there. Not yet. Maybe... maybe one day."

She hung up the phone before her mother could say anything more.

The room was quiet once more, the rain still falling softly outside. Elise let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. It wasn't the closure she had hoped for. It wasn't the happy ending she'd imagined. But it was a beginning.

"I'm proud of you," Caleb said softly, his words wrapping around her like a warm embrace.

Elise glanced up at him, her heart swelling with a mixture of gratitude and vulnerability. She had faced the hardest conversation of her life, and for the first time in years, she didn't feel like she was drowning. She felt... lighter. There was still so much pain in her past, but maybe, just maybe, she was starting to see a way forward.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Elise replied, her voice full of emotion. She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as the storm outside began to quiet.

The weight of her past didn't vanish overnight. Healing took time, and Elise knew that there would be moments when the pain would resurface. But with Caleb by her side, she was ready to face whatever came next.

And for the first time, Elise believed that she could move forward.