Chapter7 : wait, what!

Present Time

Life without Mom has been one hell of a journey. It felt like my entire world did a U-turn, flipping everything upside down. Nothing stayed the same.

Aunt Maya took care of me for two years after Mom died, but when she finally got married, she had to leave. I was genuinely happy for her, but at the same time, I felt like I was losing my last piece of home.

Dad? Well, he was barely around. And when he was, he acted like I was just another piece of furniture in the house—there, but invisible. He changed so much, and to this day, I have no idea why. Aunt Maya told me to have hope, but that hope crashed and burned when he remarried right after she left.

Apparently, he told Aunt Maya that I needed a motherly figure in my life.

*scoff *more like a business deal

Yeah, well, that motherly figure turned out to be my worst nightmare.

Every new week brought a fresh round of trouble for me. There were days—sometimes even weeks—when I wouldn't eat because of a simple mistake. I had to take a part-time job as a cashier at a small mall just to take care of myself because, shocker, my dad completely forgot I existed.

I lost contact with Aunt Maya when Jasmine—my lovely stepmother —broke my phone in one of her tantrums. By then, Aunt Maya had already built a beautiful life for herself. A loving husband. A sweet little daughter named Reah, who was seven now. The kind of happiness I once dreamed of having. They used to visit occasionally before they moved abroad, and even though she still sent me gifts, I lost her number.

But at least she was there when I needed her the most.

Some days, I wondered how I hadn't fallen into depression yet—

BAM!

I was snapped out of my thoughts when an angry customer slammed their items on the counter.

Like, SERIOUSLY?! If you're mad, go home and scream into a pillow. Or better yet, stand in front of a bulldozer.

I sighed, shaking off my irritation as I remembered I had to get home early today. Jasmine had specifically ordered me to. Apparently, she and Dad had something important to tell me. And by important, I already knew it was nothing good.

I don't really talk to my dad anymore—not since Mom died. He just... changed. And the worst part? He knows everything his wife does to me and does nothing about it.

Like, SERIOUSLY, NOTHING.

I let out a humorless chuckle. "What a motherly figure," I muttered under my breath.

A few people walking past me gave me weird looks, probably thinking I'd lost my mind. And honestly? If I had to keep living in that house, I would lose my mind soon.

By the time I got home, I was already mentally exhausted, but my exhaustion turned into pure confusion when I saw Jasmine and Dad sitting at the dining table.

Something was definitely off.

I gave them a weird look, my gut already telling me I wasn't going to like whatever was coming.

my mind be telling me

run. run, run for your mother freaking life

"Mira, dear," Jasmine said, flashing me a fake smile.

Yep. Something was coming.

"Why were you late? I told you to come early," she continued. "Anyway, go freshen up and join us for dinner."

"Why?" I asked, not even bothering to hide my suspicion.

"What do you mean, why? Can't you have dinner with us?" she huffed.

As if. I rolled my eyes.

"Your dad and I have something very important to tell you," she added, all fake sweetness. "Now go and come back quickly."

Wow. People have surprised me before, but this? This was next level. I didn't even know she was capable of speaking politely to me. This definitely called for some kind of celebration.

After taking a quick shower, I went downstairs and sat far away from both of them—you know, just in case this was some kind of setup.

I didn't touch the food, either. It was probably made by Jasmine, and considering Dad only ate food made by me or rarely by her, I knew something was up. And just to be safe—because, you know, poison exists—I just played with the food instead.

Five minutes passed in complete silence. Neither of them spoke.

The tension was suffocating.

I cleared my throat. "So? What's this important thing you wanted to tell me?" I asked, bluntly. Not to be rude or anything, but when I don't like someone, I don't like them. And Jasmine? She never once appreciated my kindness, so why bother?

Jasmine was the first to speak.

"So, as you know, you're already 21, and your father and I got this amazing deal—"

I barely stopped myself from yawning. "And your point is?"

She frowned at my interruption. "Will you let me finish?"

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, waiting.

Dear Lord, if they're planning to bury me alive, at least let me get my last paycheck first.

"And the good news issssssss..." she dragged out in an annoying sing-song voice.

Seriously?

"You're getting married."

...

hmm-

Wait.

What?

"And even better," she added with a smirk, "in two days."

...

🎵 It's been a long day... without you, my friend... 🎵

Holla, people!

Yeah, yeah, I know. I know. Y'all are mad about the late update, but listen—life be lifin' sometimes. 😩

Also, can we talk about the fact that Mira just got hit with the worst plot twist of her life? Like, damn. Couldn't they at least warm her up with, I don't know, a puppy first? 😂

Anyway, drop your thoughts in the comments because I need to hear your reactions!

Stay chaotic. Stay dramatic. 😌