Chapter 4Mother Dearest

I left the family group chat.

Those who didn't bless me weren't welcome at my wedding.

I calmed myself down and prepared for the upcoming engagement party.

But the night before the party, I suddenly got a text from Liam.

"I'm sorry, Lily. Let's break up. I hope you find someone better."

Without warning. He blocked me on everything. Decisive.

During the day, we were dreaming about our future.

He said he wanted to marry me quickly so I'd have my own home.

He said he would protect me from Mom and Bella.

I didn't know what changed.

I went to Liam's house. His parents said he wasn't home.

I called his friends. They couldn't reach him.

Finally, I found him in the small park where we used to hang out.

He was chugging a bottle of whiskey like it was water.

"Give me a reason. I promise I won't harass you."

He looked at me with red, swollen eyes and kept drinking.

I snatched the bottle and threw it in the trash.

"Are you going to talk?"

"Your mom told me... she said you slept around with your ex-boyfriend in cheap motels!"

He looked at me with sadness, like he was about to cry.

I stood there, frozen, like I'd been hit with a club.

I knew Mom wouldn't let it go, but I didn't expect her to use such a dirty tactic.

"You believe whatever she says?"

I was indescribably disappointed. After all this time, he didn't trust me at all.

"She said she has proof! And she's your mother! Would she make up rumors about her own daughter's chastity?"

Liam's voice cracked. "I didn't know before. But now that I know... how can I get engaged to you?"

He squatted on the ground, holding his head. He looked pathetic.

I was silent. Then I grabbed him and dragged him toward the park exit.

"What are you doing?"

"Come home with me!"

Mom was playing cards with her old cronies, smiling and radiant.

She was clearly in a great mood.

I walked up silently and flipped the card table.

"Ah!"

They screamed and jumped up. Seeing my face darker than charcoal, they scrambled away in fear.

"Do you want to die, Lily? Are you crazy?!"

Mom roared at me.

I approached her grimly. "Who told you I slept around with my ex? Show me the evidence. Or this isn't over!"

Since childhood, this was the first time I lost my temper at Mom like this.

I had been a filial daughter for twenty years, and in return, she slandered me.

Mom sneered. "Fine, Lily. Your wings are hard now. You dare to yell at me?"

"Since I dared to expose you, of course I have evidence. I'm just afraid you won't have the face to see it!"

"My conscience is clear. Bring it out!"

Mom rolled her eyes and took out an old phone from her bedroom.

"I remember clearly. You went to work in the city when you were eighteen. Two years later, you got a boyfriend. One weekend, you went hiking and got caught in a storm."

I followed her words. I remembered.

That was a once-in-a-decade storm. Traffic was paralyzed.

We couldn't get back to the city, so we had to get a room at a small motel at the foot of the mountain.