Chapter 20
The First Time She Listened
The door closed.
And everything went silent.
Too silent.
Mama stood there.
Back facing me.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
And I…
didn't know what to say.
"Mama…"
No response.
"I'm sorry…"
Still nothing.
My throat tightened.
"I didn't want you to find out like that…"
She turned slowly.
Her eyes…
were no longer just angry.
They were tired.
"Then how was I supposed to find out, Jay?"
I stayed silent.
Because she was right.
"I trusted you."
That word.
It hit harder than anything.
"I still do…"
I whispered.
She looked at me.
"Then why hide?"
Tears filled my eyes.
"Because I was scared…"
"Of me?"
"No…"
I shook my head quickly.
"Of losing him."
Silence.
That answer…
changed something.
She didn't interrupt.
Didn't shout.
Just… listened.
So I spoke.
Everything.
"It started in college…"
Her eyes stayed on me.
"We didn't plan it…"
"It just… happened…"
I told her about the texts.
The calls.
The teasing.
The way he slowly became important.
The way I didn't even realize…
when I fell for him.
"And he?"
she asked quietly.
"He's not like you think…"
"How is he then?"
I smiled slightly.
Through tears.
"He's annoying…"
She almost frowned.
"But he cares…"
Silence.
"He checks if I eat…"
"He waits for me…"
"He listens…"
"And when I'm scared…"
My voice broke.
"He stays."
Mama's expression softened.
Just a little.
"He respects me…"
"He never forced anything…"
"And today…"
I looked down.
"He didn't even react when you slapped him."
That made her pause.
I looked at her again.
"He didn't say a word…"
"Because he knew he was wrong."
she said.
"Maybe…"
I nodded.
"But he still stayed."
Silence.
"And I went back…"
Her eyes lifted.
"You went back?"
I nodded slowly.
"Because I knew he was still there."
A long pause.
"Jay…"
Her voice wasn't angry anymore.
It was… softer.
"Do you really love him?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
No fear.
No doubt.
Just truth.
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then sighed.
Deep.
Heavy.
"You're still young…"
"I know."
"You don't understand everything yet…"
"I know."
Silence.
"But this…"
She looked at me again.
"This is not small."
"I know."
Another pause.
Then slowly…
"I can see it in your eyes."
My breath caught.
"See what?"
"That you're serious."
Tears rolled down again.
"I am…"
She closed her eyes for a second.
Like she was thinking.
Fighting something inside her.
Then—
"Listen to me carefully."
I nodded.
"You will not meet him like this again."
My heart tightened.
"Mama—"
"No late nights."
"No hiding in the house."
Her voice was firm.
"But…"
She paused.
"You can talk."
I blinked.
"What?"
"I'm not stopping you from talking."
Hope.
A small one.
"But be careful."
"Of what?"
"Of your father."
My chest tightened again.
"You don't know him like I do."
Silence.
"If he finds out like this…"
She didn't finish.
She didn't have to.
Because I understood.
And that scared me more than anything.
She stepped closer.
Placed her hand on my head.
Soft.
"You're my daughter."
Tears slipped again.
"I don't want to see you hurt."
"I won't be…"
But even I didn't believe that.
She smiled faintly.
"Everyone says that."
Silence.
"But still…"
She sighed.
"I'll try to understand."
That was enough.
More than enough.
I hugged her suddenly.
Tightly.
"Thank you, mama…"
She didn't hug me back immediately.
But after a second…
She did.
And in that moment…
I felt safe.
Not because everything was okay.
But because…
someone finally knew.
And didn't turn away.
But deep inside…
I knew.
This wasn't the end of the problem.
It was just…
a small pause.
Before everything gets worse.
Because if mama finding out was this hard…
Papa finding out…
Would be a storm.
And storms…
don't leave anything untouched.
To be continued… 😔💔