I Built This Home For Me, For You

Chapter 18

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Since LauraHartwell said pretty please here's the second chapter of the day😄 Also just wanted to say that I'm going to a birthday barbecue tomorrow and if anyone would ask I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do a double update. And I still need to make the chapter for tomorrow😑😂

I'll be honest with you guys, I started reading this story somewhere in the middle of last year (and whoever read my note about my aunt knows that last year was busy and painful for me) and I didn't finish reading it. I feel like I stopped reading somewhere in the middle of this chapter and never went back to this fic. So doing this will be fun😆 Also I realized that I could've changed up two names but it's not the end of the world😋

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After two more days of chemotherapy, New Year's Eve came around, and their annual party was off to a grim start before it even started. Camila had suggested that they cancel it, but Lauren had firmly refused, partly because of the late notice, and partly because she wanted to pretend that it was all fine. Still, she had been short with everyone over the past couple of days, but especially with Clara, who was stubbornly trying to go about her day while Lauren argued that she should be in bed. This time the argument was about her mom attending the party, which was soon to be starting, and they were all gathered in one of the sitting rooms while Camila and Sinu made some last-minute additions to the food platters covering every inch of the long table in the dining room reserved for special occasions.

Clara was sitting in an armchair, her pale face hidden behind a mask of makeup, wearing an elegant dress and swirling a cup of wine in her hand. Her usual air of dismissive arrogance was about her, and if you didn't know, you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with her. Lauren felt a prickle of annoyance as she eyed her mom though, a bunch of hairpins in her mouth as she neatly pinned Lily's curls into place. Pressing a kiss to the top of her daughter's head, Lauren shot Clara a dark look.

            "Aiming for liver cancer next?" She scathingly shot at her.

            Rolling her eyes, Clara took a sip of her wine, smiling around the rim of her glass, "Am I not allowed to indulge myself in one glass on New Year's Eve?"

            "No," Lauren snapped, walking over to her and plucking the glass from her hand and clutching it tightly in her hand, forcing herself to let go of some of her annoyance and frustration before she shattered the glass in her hand.

            "Funny," Clara said with amusement, "I could've sworn that I was your mother."

            Lauren scoffed, setting the glass of wine down on an end table, "You're under my roof, you follow my rules. Wasn't that what you used to tell me?"

            Leaning over to reach for the glass of wine, Clara raised it in a slight toast to her daughter, "And when did you ever listen?"

            Scowl deepening, Lauren muttered curses under her breath, scolding Daisy for having her feet up on the furniture, and feeling overcrowded with her whole family there, even though Sofi and Maggie were carrying on a conversation between themselves to be polite. With everything set, Camila wandered back in with Sinu, reading the tension in the room and staying silent as she watched Lauren fix the pillows so they sat at the right angle, and sighed as she slammed down coasters for Sofi and Maggie's drinks with pointed looks.

            "Don't mind Lauren, she's not in a very good mood," Clara said, "She's taking the whole thing rather hard."

            Lauren stiffened at her mom's words, her shoulders tense and back rigid as she straightened up. "Well excuse me for not treating my home like a halfway house for waifs and strays. If you don't want to use a coaster, then why don't you go back to your own house?"