(Haven's POV)
The night was cold and I could hear the distant sound of the Miami sea breeze brushing softly against the windows. It came in waves...calm, steady… almost peaceful. But for some reason, nothing about tonight felt peaceful.
I lay on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, my eyes tracing invisible patterns I wasn't even seeing. Sleep refused to come. It was like my mind had decided to run a marathon without me.
Tick...Tick...Tick.
The sound of the clock echoed louder than it should have in the silence of my room. Each second felt heavier than the last, pressing against my chest like something was wrong… like something wasn't sitting right.
I shifted on the bed, turning to my side, then my back again. Still nothing.
This trip was supposed to be different.
A vacation. A break. Just Mom and I...away from the chaos, away from the past, away from him. I thought maybe… just maybe… things would feel lighter here. That I would finally see her smile without it looking forced.
But instead, she had been distant.
Lost.
Like her body was here with me in Miami, but her mind… her heart… was somewhere else entirely.
And that scared me.
Because I knew exactly where "somewhere else" was.
I sighed softly and sat up, running my fingers through my hair. "This isn't right…" I muttered under my breath.
I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, the cold tiles sending a slight chill up my spine. Without thinking too much about it, I made my way out of my room and down the hallway toward hers.
"Mom?" I called softly as I pushed her door open.
No answer.
The room was dim, untouched… the bed neatly made like no one had even been there. I frowned, stepping further in.
"Mom?" I called again, a little louder this time.
Still nothing.
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
I turned and walked back out, heading downstairs, my steps slower now, more cautious. The house was quiet...too quiet. The kind of quiet that makes you hear things you normally wouldn't.
And then I heard it.
Soft and broken.
Sobbing...?
It wasn't loud, but I didn't need it to be. I knew that sound anywhere.
"Mom…" I whispered.
I followed it into the living room and quickly reached for the switch.
The lights flicked on.
And there she was.
Sitting on the sofa, shoulders slightly hunched, her hands covering her face as quiet tears slipped through her fingers.
My chest tightened instantly.
Immediately she saw me, she quickly turned her face away, wiping her tears with the sleeves of her top like she had been caught doing something wrong.
"Mom, why are you crying?" I asked, walking toward her.
"I am not crying," she said quickly, brushing her hair behind her ears, avoiding my eyes.
I stopped in front of her, crossing my arms slightly. "You are. Don't lie to me."
She said nothing.
Just kept her gaze fixed somewhere else, like if she didn't look at me, the truth wouldn't exist.
I exhaled slowly, trying to stay calm. "Mom, I thought we talked about this. No crying alone and keeping things to yourself." I sat down beside her. "Why are you even crying anyways?"
"Nothing," she said quietly, staring at her fingers.
I let out a short, humorless laugh. "Nothing doesn't make you cry like this."
She still didn't respond.
And that's when it hit me.
My jaw tightened.
"Don't tell me you've been thinking about him again."
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
But that was enough.
"Umm… I can't stop, Haven. I have tried…" she whispered.
Something in me snapped.
"You have not tried enough then!" I said sharply, my voice cutting through the room.
She flinched slightly.
"He is no longer your husband, my dad, or anybody to us," I continued, my chest rising and falling faster now. "He is a complete jerk. I hate the fact that he is related to me by blood…"
I stood up, pacing slightly as the anger built up inside me.
"I mean, you should be happy that that jerk is no longer part of our lives."
"Don't talk about him like that, honey. You know he looked after..."
"Hell no!" I cut her off instantly. "You and I both know he did nothing but abuse us. He socially, financially, and emotionally traumatized us."My voice cracked slightly.
Memories flashed through my mind...ones I wished I could erase. But I didn't stop.
"Why you are still in love with a low-life like him. It has been seven years, for God's sake."
She looked down, her fingers trembling slightly in her lap.
"I can't forget him…Hav" she whispered.
And just like that…
All my anger faded into something else.
Something heavier.
Because for the first time, I realized something I didn't want to admit.
She wasn't just holding onto him.
She was stuck.
Trapped in a love that had already destroyed her… and was still destroying her.
And I didn't know how to save her from it.
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening.
For someone like me...someone who always had an answer, always had control...?
This…
This was something I couldn't fix.
And I hated that.
I looked away, blinking slowly as I tried to steady myself.
Because if she couldn't let go of the past…
Then maybe…
Just maybe…
The past wasn't done with us yet.
Because if my mother was still trapped in a love that destroyed her…
Then maybe…
I was about to walk straight into the same kind of hell…right?
Or...maybe just in a different form.
I scoffed softly, shaking my head.
As if.
I wasn't her.
I don't fall.
I don't break.
And I definitely don't lose myself over anyone...especially not a man.
Let them come.
Let them try.
I'll walk into their world…
and I'll walk out untouched...
I will never let any of those species, covered in filth define me. I will be my own person.