Troubling Love

Better off with him.

There is no sound in the house, yet everyone is moving, moving and not talking. Silence had never been such a killer. Every sat down quietly but not a word was exchanged. Sarah stirred her milk and cereal around and around until it no longer looked appetizing. Elle played with her fingers in her lap, her eyes never leaving her lap or fingers. Stefani rested her head on her hand, she too was no longer interested in eating. As for Ariana, she could practically smell the tension that the room held. She awkwardly looked around the room, inspecting every painting that was pinned against the wall as she anxiously chewed on her bottom lip. Sarah had tried to communicate with her mother when she had awoken but Stefani only mumbled a few things before walking off, disappearing into the kitchen. The air was so brittle it could snap, and if it doesn't, Sarah might. The teenager hated tension and knowing that she couldn't practically see it aggravated her. Elle didn't mind the silence. She was tired of arguing with her mother, starting a war of words with the woman. "May I be excused?" Sarah asked, though fear was quite evident in her voice. Stefani simply nodded, though there was no smile on her face, instead it was replaced with a look of hurt. Sarah pushed out her chair, getting up, tucking the chair back in its place and immediately walking to the staircase. Ariana's phone rang, making her jump from the sudden noise, "Sorry, I'll be right back." She apologized before grabbing her phone, walking off to the living room to see who was calling. Though her move wasn't very smart seeing as though that left Stefani and Elle by themselves. Stefani cleared her throat, finally speaking. "I've been considering therapy for you." The blonde started. Elle head shot up, "What?" She asked, though she heard what her mother had said, she didn't quite like it. Stefani sighed, "You need to talk to someone. That may not be me, but it needs to be someone." The woman said.  Elle rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I don't need any one mom." Emphasizing on the 'don't' letting her mother know that she didn't need someone. "Don't lie to yourself Elle, you know you need to talk to someone." Stefani argued. Elle gritted her teeth, "I have friends for that." Stefani sighed trying to reason with her daughter, "Yes, but they can't help fix your problems." The blonde noted. "Well, they help more than you do." Elle mumbled barely above a whisper. Little did she realize, Stefani heard her. Every pinch of hope had left the woman's heart when she did, ouch. Here she was trying to help her daughter, but nothing seemed to please the girl. Had she failed as a mother? Every hurtful word that spilled from Elle's mouth created a new wound, a new scar added to the collection. Stefani played with her hands, trying to hold back her tears. She wasn't sure why that had hurt her so much, but it did. The blonde tried sucking tears back in, "Alright. Well you think about my offer, and let me know." Stefani stood from the table, she turned around before leaving the room, "I do love you Elle. I hope you know that." She whispered so that the pain in her voice wasn't heard, but Elle heard it. Though she didn't have the strength to stop her mother from walking away, she simply stayed quiet, looking down at her lap once again. Stefani turned around, walking off as she felt the pain of Elle's words still stinging harshly. The blonde walked down the hall, into one of the bathroom downstairs, closing the door behind her as she entered the room. Her back immediately hit the wall as sobs broke out. She placed her hand over her mouth, trying to quiet down the cries. Pain welled up in her throat, she tried to keep in the screams of hurt that fought to come out. No matter how quiet she tried to be, Ariana heard. In a rush, Ari notified the person who called that she'd call back when she could. The brunette rushed down to the bathroom, knocking on the door, asking for Stefani to let her in. "Stefani? Baby please let me in." Ariana begged. It took her more than one time of pleading before Stefani had left the woman in. But when she did, Ariana's heart sank. Stefani had broke down into tears. The last thing Ari wanted was for her girlfriend to feel pain she didn't deserve. The brunette pulled Stefani into a hug, walking into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Stefani rested her head on her girlfriends chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "Shh, shh baby relax, it's okay." Ariana comforted. "I-I failed." Stefani cried. Ariana began to become confused, "What do you mean?" She questioned. "I'm a terrible mother." The blonde answered. "Baby, you are not a terrible mother. Where did you get that idea from? Listen to me, you've done anything and everything for your girls. And they truly adore you whether they like to admit that or not. Being a mother is arguably the toughest job in the world and yet you're still standing here, fighting to give your children the world that they deserve. Do not say something like that. Your are one of the strongest people I've ever met, you are incredible." Ariana replied. "I can't do this. I-I've failed time and time again. Those children deserve so much better. Ariana, I think I need to consider giving up custody of them and letting the girls live with Michael." Stefani considered. Ariana's eyes widened, she painfully swallowed the lump in her throat. "W-what?" Ari asked. "You don't really mean that right?" Ari questioned. Stefani shook her head, "No, I do. They need something that I can't give them." She answered. Ariana found herself speechless, she never thought Stefani would seriously think about giving the loves of her life up. "Stefani, those are your children. They are your world in the form of humans. You can't walk away from them like that. They need you. Don't push them away from you." Ariana replied, trying to erase the idea from the blondes head. Stefani released herself from Ariana's grip, "No. They are better off without me and I've excepted that." Stefani numbly explained. She wiped her tears with her sleeves, though her tears were puffy and red. Ariana had no words, she didn't want Stefani to make this mistake but she wasn't sure how to changer her mind. Stefani blankly walked out of the bathroom, leaving a confused Ariana behind. She pulled out her phone, dialing a familiar number as she walked up the stairs, walking into her room.