4: 4
4
The police being called didn't scare Victoria off. If anything, she screamed louder.
"Breaking in? I'm your future mother-in-law! I'll discipline my own son's woman, and I'd like to see who dares stop me!"
"Yesterday was your birthday. I was kind enough to cook a whole table of food for you, and today you want to break up with my son and cart off some designs of yours?"
"Twelve years you've been with my son. How can you be so vicious?"
At this hour, every family had just finished dinner and was either heading out for a stroll or settling in for the night.
Victoria's shouting quickly drew a crowd of neighbors.
I looked at her coldly.
"As for why I'm breaking up with your son, you know perfectly well in your own hearts."
"I've already called the police. If you don't leave, you can wait to sit in a cell and think it over."
I had nothing more to say to her. I turned to shut the door.
But Victoria slammed a hand against the door frame, stopping me.
Seeing more and more people gathering, she reached straight into her bag and pulled out a surgical payment bill.
Seven bold words printed across the top.
Bill for a pregnancy termination.
"A shameless woman like you, pregnant with my son before you were even married. What kind of parents raised you?"
"You're thirty, and you've already had a life die inside you. My family isn't even holding it against you, so what more do you want?"
"Now you insist on breaking up with my son. Back then you refused to keep the baby too. Is it because you've got someone else? Have you been cheating on my son all along?"
Merlin, who had only just rushed over, heard what his mother was saying.
Flustered, he tugged at her arm.
"Mom, what nonsense are you spouting?"
My throat tightened, and my whole body was trembling.
I fought to hold back the emotion pushing me toward the edge and looked straight at Merlin.
"My miscarriage. Did you tell your mother about it?"
Merlin avoided my eyes, and for a moment he didn't dare answer.
Victoria shoved him behind her.
"How dare you compare yourself to Merlin? You had the nerve to do it, but no one's allowed to talk about it?"
"Merlin, don't be afraid. Mom's here. I will never let this slut bully you like this!"
Watching Merlin cower like that, the ground seemed to tilt under me, and I nearly lost my footing.
That child had been lost six years ago.
At the time Merlin's company was on the rise, and I was working overtime night after night, when the blow of losing both my parents at once landed on me.
Only when I started bleeding did I realize I'd miscarried.
The first time I ever knew that child existed, I had already lost him for good.
In that stretch of time, I lost not only my parents but my baby too.
After the procedure, Merlin cried, tears rolling down in great heavy drops.
"I swear I will never wrong you in this life."
"That child never got to see this world, but I will love him forever."
Yet now he had told his mother, and let her rip open my wound in front of all these people.
And worse.
Twisted the truth into a lie!
Seeing my expression, Victoria grew smugger still.
She was about to open her mouth again when I cut her off.
"Merlin, this was your child too. You're just going to stand there and watch your mother throw filth on me and on the baby?"
Merlin couldn't meet my eyes.
After a moment, he mumbled his answer.
"As long as you're willing to come back to the company, I'll clear your name."
In that instant, the last taut string in my mind finally snapped.
The past twelve years, I really had been blind.
I drew in a deep breath and looked at Merlin and his mother, and the whole pack of gawking relatives.
"Yes, I was pregnant once. But I don't see it as a disgrace. It's part of what I've lived."
"And another thing. If everyone insists there's something wrong with me for having been pregnant, then isn't there something far more wrong with an irresponsible man? Especially one who's standing here right now letting his mother throw filth at me."
"And last of all, I never did a single thing wrong in this relationship. If there's one thing I got wrong."
"It's that I was blind."
Just then, several men in uniform arrived.
"Who called the police!"
