Chapter 5
My stomach churned in waves.
I couldn’t hold it in and collapsed onto the sofa, vomiting, but nothing came out.
“So disgusting..”
How could it be so disgusting?
I heard Liam calling out to me anxiously, but I had no strength to respond.
As my consciousness sank into darkness, I seemed to see a little girl crying.
My grandmother reached out, poking my forehead repeatedly, speaking in her dialect.
She was probably scolding me, calling me a burden.
“Your mom needs to have a son for our family.”
“I’ve found you a new mother. Go with her.”
I refused, crying and shouting, not wanting to leave my mom.
But my grandmother showed no mercy, teaming up with a strange woman to drag me to
the car.
Finally, in my desperation, I bit the woman.
She screamed, and my grandmother slapped me hard.
“Let go.”
I felt the pain on my cheek but refused to release my grip.
At last, I waited until my mom returned.
iend Knowing
L
Chapter 5
She chased my grandmother away with a broom.
Then she hugged me and cried.
That night, my dad, who usually didn’t come home often, unexpectedly returned–along
with another woman:
“Amy’s pregnant. You didn’t want to have any more children, so don’t get in the way of someone else’s life.”
“Don’t worry, I only love you. She won’t affect your position.”
My mom didn’t listen to him, instead tossing out the divorce papers.
“Divorce.”
I still remember the dazed look in my dad’s eyes.
They were childhood sweethearts. Dad had sworn to marry my mom since they were young, and even though he had affairs outside, he never considered divorce.
He only ever wanted to marry my mom.
“But I don’t love you anymore.”
My mom touched me, her voice firm:
“Physical affairs are still affairs. Love is not an excuse for one person’s mistakes. If he tolerates his own mistakes, it only means he doesn’t love you that much.”
“Colette, remember this: love yourself first, then love others.”
