I... I know. It's coming. It's coming again for me. The more I try to forget, the more it comes hunting me. . . How can I be free? Can I ever become free? Can I ever run in the field of tulip garden like I used to? Can I ever smile again? Will it ever leave me?

No.

The memories are never going to leave me.

"What will I have to do to get rid of this?"

"I'm afraid you can't do anything, my child." The woman while cleaning her hands said.

"But what have I done to deserve this?" I asked.

"Maybe you're getting the wrong interpretation, or you're probably just daydreaming." A sound of turning of the doorknob was heard, and a girl probably in her 20s answered me.

Her red lipstick shone in the sunlight, and she flipped her hair without a care in the world. I watched her intently, as her next words rang, "Aliénor, I told you I don't like chocolate cake."

I lost it. "DID DAD TELL YOU NOT TO CALL MOM BY HER NAME?!"

She stopped in her tracks and then turned around, the sound of her heels clicking made my head, ache. She came near the dinner table and put a strawberry in her mouth, slowly munching on it she answered, "Aliénor? Who's making the rules now?"

"YOU-" I began to shout but my mom stopped me.

"Ah, Arthur! I myself told her to call me by my name. And, put yourself in her shoes. . . It's not easy to accept another woman as your mother so quickly. It's her life and she's free to do anything." Mom sounded like she was in pain. While the girl popped another strawberry in her mouth and ate it slowly, very slowly as if she didn't want it to swallow. Like she was savoring the taste, enjoying the delicacy, feeling the fragility.

"Huh? If I were in her place, I would have been grateful to get someone like you, who lets her do anything, call you anything, and most importantly can boss you around so easily. Yes, putting myself in her shoes I feel lucky, but she doesn't. Even after 17 years of marriage-"

"Arthur! Go to your room!" Mom shouted.

"What happened to you, mom? Why are you behaving like this?!" I was out of my mind and was not in the mood for any explanation, so I turned around to go upstairs, but just as I did, there was a huge sound mixed with her scream which almost took my soul away from my body.

I looked around, only to see her lying on the ground and slowly blood was oozing out of her head.

"MOM! Dad!! Ambulance!" I screamed and ran towards her. "She fainted! Call the ambulance!"

By the time, I managed to call an ambulance and call everyone for help, she didn't even move a bit. When I started helping mom by putting her on the stretcher, she cackled.

"Hmm... something's burning. I said I don't like chocolate cakes." She casually stood up and opened the microwave. Smoke poured out in the area, "Ew, what's this? Arthur, pray so that your mother can get well soon, or else this will be-" She put a piece in our mouth, "the last dish you will be eating out of her hands, oh my God, Ew!! It's gross."

"Fuck. You." I said, with my eyes filled with tears and teeth constantly grinding against each other.

I hate her.

"Mom... please don't leave me..." I said to her.

"What?" A soft voice asked me. Suddenly it hit me that she wasn't my mother, and I was lying in someone else's lap. But I was too tired to see who it was. As long as the person cared for me, it didn't matter who it was.

My eyes slowly started to close, and I felt quite peaceful. I didn't want to wake up, ever.

⭑⁎꙳⭒☪⭒꙳⁎⭑

"Mam, is he going to be okay?"

"Yes of course! It's just the after-effect of drinking too much. We most of the time find him like this, so there's nothing to worry about... he'll be fit and fine from today onwards."

"What the hell do you mean you find him most of the time drunk? Drinking is not good for health, can't you make him understand that?!"

"You should see whose son is he."

"I don't care-"

"Shut up... your voice is annoying...." I murmured.

I slowly started to get up, ignoring the excruciating pain in my head. It had become a habit. I looked up only to see two black eyes already looking at me, the kind of black that I hate. The kind of black that caught my attention on the first day.

Same vigor. Same look.

And the same way, her look pierced through my soul. As if she wanted to read everything that I was thinking right then.

Unlike her, this girl's gaze soothed me.

Breaking away the eye contact I looked at the doctor and smirked, "Mrs. Dubois, thanks for your time. I shall go."

"Wait, Mr. Arthur, I think she deserves a minimal of 'thank you'-"

"What for?" I interrupted. If she was thinking of making me say 'thank you' to her, she's so damn wrong. It'd be an embarrassment for me.

"For dragging your drunk ass here." She replied curtly.

"No, it's okay Mrs. Dubois..." That girl tried to imitate my accent. That was funny.

"Do it right now Arthur!" She glared at me.

"Fine." I gritted my teeth. "I'm sorry."

She didn't reply and rolled her eyes. The audacity!

"I'll leave you two to talk."

"What? No!" We said in unison.

Then I looked at her eyes again. Though she wanted to walk away, her eyes said something different, as if she was craving to ask me questions; questions I'd never answer her.

"Arthur, I hope you give Janet a good reason for being rude to her."

Then she walked away.

Janet...

I looked at her once more, then looked away. My gaze was not settling on her eyes, and I was scared to look at her suddenly. This was not me.

What was happening?

My heartbeat increased all of a sudden and I shifted a little then started fidgeting with my fingers.

"You somewhat look like her." That girl, no... Janet finally said chuckling nervously.

Her voice was kind of rough, matching with her personality.

"There is a strong resemblance between my mother and me."

She let out a gasp before closing her mouth again.

"S-she's your mother?"

"Yes." I wanted to give her a sarcastic reply, but I didn't want to prolong the conversation, so I kept it short. I was afraid, I'd tell her things, I had never told anyone.

"Then, why did you call her Mrs. Dubois?" She asked.

"Because she's French."

"Oh my! That's so cool." She smiled. And my heart skipped a beat.

No, I couldn't. I couldn't. Arthur couldn't.

"Done with the questions, Sherlock? Or there's more?"

"Why did you call her 'Mrs. Dubois'?"

That was indeed a good question. But the moment I remembered why I started calling her that, my life flashed in front of my eyes, betrayal from my beloved ones... broken promises, unfulfilled wishes and an untold and unfinished story. Everything pierced my heart, and I was not in the mood to explain everything to a stranger.

Not that she'd understand anyway. Even if I had told her...

"My life, my wish."

"Okay. . . But how come she was casual about your drunkenness?"

"I said, it's my life and I'm mature enough to handle myself."

"But still your dad is in such a high pos-"

"Enough!" My voice was rough.

Maybe it was a bit too rough for her. But who damn cares? Being rude and lying was better than spilling unbelievable and non-existent truths.

After a pause, she spoke again.

"I got so scared when I saw you like that. You know few days back, someone had drugged and dragged me into a forest, that too at night!"

I paused; my breathing became ragged. How's she saying it that casually?

"What?" My voice came out hoarsely.

"Oh! Never mind!" She jumped up. "Another time."

I wanted to grab her hand and make her sit and listen to everything, but her black orbs again prevented me from doing that.

I watched her figure vanishing in the thin air as she walked down the hall.

My mind screamed only one thing, and I whispered it loud, "Run!"

How are you all?

How was the update? Any thoughts? :)

Thanks for reading! ♡