With no idea of what to make of the dramatic invite, Ashley gently took her seat on the gold-themed sofa whose softness made her feel a bit relaxed.

“Athena...” The man called.

That one-minute relaxation disappeared.

“My name is Ashley.”

“Your mother actually gave you the name Athena.” The excitement in the man’s eyes sort of angered her. The woman he was referring to wasn’t a mother to Ashley. In fact, unless Ashley hadn’t learnt about being adopted, her so-called mother would be just a stranger. Nothing more.

“My mother? Sir, my mother and father gave me the name Ashley.”

Running his hands through the short mass of silver and black that was well-cut to suit his round face, he sighed. “I am sure knowing the truth out of the blue must be frustrating. But Athe... Ashley, your mother will be really glad to see you. Trust me. It has been difficult for her when it comes to you because of her father. That’s why I am glad this day has come.”

“What if I turn out not to be the daughter she is looking for?”

He let out a hearty chuckle, his hands running through his robe, his hands feeling and adjusting the silky material. “I know what you are trying to do. You and I know, at this stage, that Clara is your mother.”

Ashley closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she asked that question, she had hoped that the man would give her a response that would cause her to leave the room and never look back. But that was just her wishful thinking. The woman was indeed her mother. Even by looking at the facial features, it was obvious.

Ashley opened her eyes and faced the man standing opposite her. She noticed how he kept his eyes on her, watching her as though she was some kind of unreal artefact. While she chose to ignore the glint in his eyes, she asked, “Are you my biological father?”

“No.” His excitement crashed. “Your grandfather… murdered him.”

“What?” Ashley knew there was a possibility that one, if not both of her parents would have met death, but she did not expect the response she got. A crease settled on her forehead and her bothered state was further displayed as the side of her face wrinkled. “Why?”

“Because I chose to love a man that didn’t suit his image and taste.” A feminine voice responded and introduced the presence of the woman Ashley had been waiting for. Making her entry more pronounced with her strong vanilla scent, simple white gown and heeled slippers, the graceful woman walked into the living room and took her seat beside Ashley who was sort of dumbfounded because her reality was staring at her.

“Wow. You guys look like twins.” The man got rid of his sorrowful tone and admired the duo with a welcoming smile.

“Oh please Jude, my daughter looks more amazing than I do.”

As Ashley listened to her mother’s solemn voice, all the questions that had been bothering her came rushing but they got stuck and refused to leave her mouth. All she could do was stare at the woman who was sporting shoulder-length hair.

With a soft smile perched on her lips, Clara reached for Ashley’s hands but the latter did not spare her an inviting look.

Even when a question managed to slip past her mouth, Ashley still maintained that stone look with the hope that she was passing the message she wished to pass.

“Why didn’t you do anything about it? How could you let your father take away the man you loved?” Ashley asked.

“I had to protect you, Athena. My father wanted to have you too. True, I should have not let him take Frank away from me especially since I still had his baby inside me. But, your grandfather was adamant to get rid of you, your father had to step up to protect you.” Like painful matters of the past would, the dug-up topic caused tears to build up in Clara’s eyes. Her confident body language lowered and she became a shivering mess.

Shuddering, Clara grabbed the edge of the couch she was sitting on and squeezed it. “Athena... Frank was supposed to come back. Your father was supposed to come back because we thought the worst my father could do was lock him up. But that was not the worst.”

Clara shook her head dejectedly, Ashley just had to reach for her hand and comfort her.

“Frank did not come back. He was not there when I was about to give birth to you nor was he there when you came out and graced my world.”

“Clara. You don’t have to do this..” The man called Jude tried to ease her ache.

“It is fine, Jude. Athena deserves to hear everything.”

Clara faced Ashley whose chest grew heavier as her head pictured the story being narrated. Clara reached for the side of her face and ran her slender, slightly cold thumbs over her cheek.

“Your father didn’t deserve me. Neither did you. After I found that my father killed Frank through a planned accident, I knew having you around me meant endangering you.”

“So you left me,” Ashley croaked.

“I had no choice. With difficulty, I left you at the church that took me in when I was in hiding.” Clara, with teary eyes, reassured the touch she had on Ashley’s face. This time, she cupped both sides. “Athena, I need you to know I left you there to protect you. I could not let my father take you from me like he took Frank.”

Ashley shut her eyes again. She did not imagine at all that she would be learning about such a heavy memory. “But...” It was getting a bit harder to make her mind known.

“What is it, Athena?” Clara asked eagerly.

“My name is Ashley.”

Clara let out a heavy chuckle. “Yeah. Right. I forgot.”

Despite the laughter, Clara was evidently hurt by the correction.

Ashley chose to ignore the mixed expressions on her mother’s face. She asked further, “You... You had already run away from home. Why didn’t you just run away with me?”

Clara blinked hard. “I was eighteen and alone with a few weeks old baby. I could have run away with Frank if he were still around. But I was alone and I was scared. So, with shame, I walked back to my father’s house after I had you safely tucked away.”

“Why didn’t you come back for me?”

As though the question was wrapped with a source of electric current, Clara jolted and reached for Ashley’s hands. “I did. I came back a week after I left you with the church but you were gone. You had been adopted by a couple. It hurt me. It really did. But it was for the best because I told my father I lost my baby during childbirth.”

Shaking her head, Ashley began to wish she hadn’t been so determined to ask her questions. “That is not what I mean. Why didn’t you come back for me after years had passed? Why didn’t you look for me?”

Clara sighed, withdrew her hands and looked away from Ashley. “I did,” she responded, her voice low. “I found you five years ago. But I couldn’t bring myself to face you.” Clara gave her shoulders a slight raise. “Who was I going to say I was?”

“So you weren’t going to meet me anyway?”

“I was...”

“No. You weren’t. Because you will never cease to be scared. You were scared of your father back then, but now, you are scared of yourself.”

Clara was starting to look distressed. “Everything I did was to protect you.”

Ashley felt distressed as well. A part of her hated how strong her confrontations were but she could not help herself. Despite the sorrow she felt thanks to the sad story of her biological parents, she was angry. “I know. But you could have done yourself some good and met me when you finally found me. You have been punishing yourself ever since you gave birth to me. But when the chance came to get rid of the pain, you decided to not meet me.”

“You wouldn’t have acknowledged me, Ashley. You had a family already. How was I supposed to appear suddenly?”

“I... I am tired of this.” Ashley wiped the tears that had fallen quietly while she ranted on. “I will take my leave now.”

“Ashley...”

Ashley got up, her back facing her distraught biological mother.

“If you want your daughter Athena, you have to work for it. You have to find her, look her in the eyes and tell her that you are her mother. Apologise with confidence and tell her that you want her in your life.”

“Wait...”

“Goodbye.”

The two she was leaving behind began to call her name, making it hard for her to walk easily. Even when she found herself outside where she could no longer hear them, her steps felt heavier. That caused Ashley to reason the best place she could go to shed some heaviness off her chest.

So, as she reached for the handle of the car door, she found herself picking the one place she thought she would never approach.

~

With no particular order to her movements, Ashley knocked on the door of her parent’s house a bit too hard.

“Who is... Ashley?” After eyeing her ex-husband who looked like someone who had just been abruptly laid off from work to his distraught, Ashley successfully ignored the perplexed man who did nothing at first as she walked past him and went into the house. “Wait... What are you doing here?”

“Where is my mother?”

He tilted his head to the side. “You won’t talk about the damage you caused to my room the other day? Or are you going to lie and say you have no idea about it?”

“I am looking for my mother.”

“Why? If you lay a finger on my wife...”

Ashley’s eyes narrowed.

“Ashley...” Her mother’s voice stopped her from giving Kevin the response on her mind. “What are you doing here?”

“Let’s go to your room.” Ashley grabbed her mother’s hand and led her to the mentioned destination.

“What’s wrong, Ashley? You look troubled,” Francine asked as they took their seat on the edge of the bed.

“I met my biological mother.”

“What?” Ashley did not expect Francine to be so surprised.

“I met...”

“Why?”

“I had to know why she left me.”

“The reason she gave was not okay to you, was it?”

“I understand her reason, but at the same time…” Ashley released a sigh that reeked of dejected. “... I can’t help but remember that she abandoned me. And I hate that she did that.

“Ashley...”

She immediately reached for Francine’s waist and wrapped herself in her warmth. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“I don’t really deserve your appreciation. What I have done to you is...”

“Oh... I feel better now.” Ashley sat up, a forced smile on her face. She did not want to be reminded of that past. “What is this?” She reached for one of the envelopes sprawled on the bed and opened it. Her eyes bulged on seeing the content of the hard paper tucked inside the envelope and she asked, “You are getting married? Already?”

“Y...Yes.”

“Isn’t it too early? You should be careful with a man that left a woman to be with another.”

A huge smile broke out on Francine’s face. “I am sure about this, Ashley.”

“Okay.” Ashley swallowed the rest of her comments. “I am glad you and Dad were there for me. Thank you for choosing me years ago.”

Francine wrapped her daughter into her arms, happiness oozing from her. “I am glad we found you.”