Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,88
nothing more than wishful thinking. Because the reality is, that Alex didn’t fight back. Alex simply left. Then I recall how we were supposed to get married in two months. And I can’t help but feel tears rise. I heave several quick sobs, as I no longer believe that our wedding will still happen. How am I supposed to forget him? It feels impossible for me to do so.
But my thoughts are instantly shattered by the sound of my iPhone ringing. As I look at who’s calling, I see it’s Mom. Again? Shaking my head, I put my iPhone back on the nightstand. I can’t believe how persistent she can be. After a hundred tries, she knows I won’t pick up the phone. Why is she still insisting? Should I block her number once and for all? What if I pick up the call this time and tell her to fuck off? Or what if I actually try to persuade her to leave me and Alex in peace? No, she’ll never agree to it. My phone keeps ringing, and the more I hear it, the more my nerves boil. She hasn’t stopped calling me since Alex broke up with me. What if she wants to tell me the truth? The real reason behind why she is so against us? For better or worse, I decide to give her a shot at explaining herself, and I answer it. “Yes?”
“Oh my God!” I hear Mom breaking into tears and sobbing on the other side. “Oh, my little angel, I’m so happy to hear your voice.”
But my anger starts rising upon hearing her joy. “You’re happy, huh? You are such a disgusting bitch!” I can’t help it. The words roll out of my mouth. “You destroyed us! You have no idea how much I hate you!”
Mom doesn’t reply. She takes a deep breath in and then out, and finally says in the calmest voice I’ve ever heard, “Honey, I know you’re upset. I totally get it.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t know shit,” I snap back. Tears stream down my face recalling the ugly reality I’m currently living. “You have no idea how horrible my life has been.” Mom doesn’t cut me off, and I hear nothing but her breath. “Are you there?”
“I am.”
I shut my eyes tight to prevent more tears from falling, and I pause for a beat before asking, “Why did you do that?”
“One day, you will understand,” she replies quietly. “I know it has been hard. But he was not the right man for you.”
I chuckle at her pretentiousness. “He is perfect for me. Everything about him is perfect.”
“You are sick, Petra.” Her voice is filled with meticulous coldness, sounding nothing but clinical. Even a physician would’ve spoken in a more friendly way. “No girl your age would consider a relationship with—let alone get married to—a forty-one-year-old.”
“It’s not up to you to decide. It’s my life, for fuck’s sake!”
“My job as your mother is to protect you.” She sounds more like a dictator than a mother. But maybe for her they are the same thing. “Even if you are firmly against my decision.”
“What kind of dirt do you have against Alex and Dad?” I dare to ask.
Blowing out a breath, Mom ponders for a moment before saying, “It’s none of your business, and you know that.”
“It is my business, yes. Since my fiancé left me, I have the right to know why.”
“I promised I wouldn’t repeat it to anyone, including you,” she confesses. A short silence settles between us, then Mom adds, “Petra, I know it’s hard to understand with so little information why I did this. But trust me on this—I did it with the best intentions.”
“I hate you,” I tell her, matching her cold and clinical tone. “I hate you, and I hope I never see your face ever again.” And I hang up. This must have been the most useless phone call I’ve ever had. Why on earth did she even bother to call? Was it just to hear me crying over my fate? Was it to make sure Alex was not talking to me anymore? In any case, she’s a real bitch.
“Miss?” I hear Janine calling behind the door as she knocks twice.
“Yeah?”
Janine walks in and says, “Um, sorry to bother you, but your friends are here.”
“Already?” My brow lifts instantly. And I realize I’m late for our usual meetup at nine o’clock. Despite Janine waking me up an hour ago, I remained in bed, devoid