"I truly never wronged her... I can swear to that, my conscience is clear... When I was with her, it wasn't her family background I cared about, but her as a person. "
"Even if she was penniless, I would have continued to love her, to marry her. But fate intervened, and in the end, I never did marry her..."
My heart soured as Michael brought up this matter.
Rembering Laura on her deathbed pained deeply, a type of agony I never wished to recall.
"Since then, although we haven't t, I already knew you," Michael said, his eyes flickering with disdain but unable to hide the hint of hatred.
"So, you assaulted Betty, your foster mother, to get back at ? To avenge your birth mother's heartbreak?"
Realizing the truth in Michael's words, I suddenly understood his longstanding coldness and hostility towards .
I had thought it was all about Betty, but now there was another layer—Michael, still with a child's perspective, naturally harbored resentnt towards because of Laura.
His recent actions and body language suggested a twisted inner turmoil, possibly tied to his troubled childhood.
"Sort of..."
Michael's ambiguous response confird my suspicions.
Hearing this, I closed my eyes.
His answer implied multiple motives, including youthful impulses and Betty's attractiveness, all culminating in today's situation.
Partly, I was to bla.
"If you had stayed with my mother, she wouldn't have ended up like this... You think she lived a happy life, right? You're wrong... "
"From my earliest mories, night after night, I could hear screams from my mother's bedroom, agonizing screams. I was too young to understand until one day, driven by curiosity, I peeked through her bedroom door..."
Michael's expression turned scornful as he spoke, and he even referred to his biological father derogatorily as 'that Singaporean,' laden with contempt.
"Do you know? That man was a pervert. I don't want to go into details here, but as I grew up, I ca to understand what sexual abuse was. He was insane, tornting my mother to the brink of death, sotis leaving bruises, choke marks, and burns from cigarettes on her body."
"My mother's health was always poor, and his abuse only worsened her condition, especially after she developed uterine fibroids. Even knowing her illness, that maniac didn't lessen his sexual demands."
Michael's body shook as he spoke through clenched teeth, his eyes cold and full of hatred.
At this mont, I was speechless.
These were things I had never known, and Michael's current expression showed he wasn't lying—it was all true.
I rembered my first love with Laura, her appearance as she neared death, my heart felt as if it were being sliced open.
My hands clenched tightly; there's no cure for regret, or else I would have paid any price to save Laura.
"That maniac didn't just abuse my mother; he often beat too, from my childhood right up until I grew up. "
"When my mother tried to intervene, he would hit her as well. That's why she sent to the U.S. for school, to get away from that monster, but she endured it all alone. "
"Honestly, I loved my mother. She was the only person in the world who made feel loved and warm. "
"When I learned of her death, I wasn't surprised because I knew that if she didn't die in a war, she would eventually die at the hands of that maniac. "
"But I hate that I wasn't strong enough to save her. If only you had fought a little harder to keep my mother from falling into that maniac's clutches..."
Michael finished, tears streaming down his face, yet his expression was eerily calm.
After hearing those words, I finally understood why Michael was so composed when he learned of Laura's death.
Perhaps he had long prepared himself for the loss of his mother.
His peculiar and abnormal behavior could also be traced back to a troubled childhood that left him with deep psychological scars.
"You're right to hate , but you shouldn't direct all your hatred towards . Laura and I were no longer connected. "
"Even if I wanted to save her, it wasn't straightforward. When you grow up, you'll understand that life is full of helplessness, not as simple as you think. I regret hearing your words, but... alas..."
At that mont, I didn't know how to explain to Michael that what had happened was now irreversible.
"Even if you hate , you shouldn't have hurt your mother... Betty, although she wasn't your biological mother, she treated you as her own son. How can you justify your actions towards her?"
After a mont of reflection, I realized the conversation had drifted far from where it began.
With a heart still aching for Laura, I shifted the topic.
I didn't want to hear any more about Laura because the past couldn't be changed, and knowing more would only increase my pain.
I hadn't intended to bring up Betty with Michael, but since the conversation had reached this point, I felt compelled to touch on this sensitive subject.
"I admit, at first, I did think of revenge against you. But over ti, those thoughts faded."
" I genuinely thank her, calling her 'mom' because she gave the sa warmth and love I felt from my own mother. Initially, my motives were vengeful, but living with her changed . "
"I truly loved her, with a filial love and more..."
Michael's eyes softened as I ntioned Betty, his tone becoming gentler, filled with nostalgia and a hint of confusion.
"Enough... She is your mother, and you can never have her. You don't understand what love is; these are just unrealistic, childish fantasies. Go to Arica, study hard, and correct your worldview. You have a long life ahead..."
Seeing Michael like this, thinking of Laura and Betty, I couldn't help but interrupt him sharply, though I softened my tone towards the end.
After all, I had made my decision; Michael would no longer disrupt my life, fulfilling Laura's last wishes.
Let the past remain a mory.
"So, you plan to never let return? Or to never see again?"
Michael's response to my words wasn't one of disappointnt but rather a slight smile, his eyes carrying an indiscernible emotion.
"I'll have Luna look after you, until you can live independently, smoothing the path for you..."
I didn't directly answer Michael's question, instead deflecting it with adult tact.
"Heh, it's okay, I'm used to it. Honestly, growing up in that family showed the harsh realities of life, which is why I'm more mature than my peers. I didn't want to say this, but seeing your composure, I've decided to tell you the real reasons why I hate you, why mother couldn't stop thinking about you, why my mother was abused, why I was beaten as a child, and why I had to be sent to Arica..."
Michael sighed like an adult, his calm deanor masking the profound implications of his words, which even I, a seasoned adult, struggled to fully grasp.
Michael's words seed to confirm that all was not as simple as it appeared, and sohow, I was involved.
After Laura married, I had cut off contact with her, fearing I might disrupt her family.
How was this related to ?
"Confused? Dare to do a paternity test with ?"
Michael's cold smirk as he looked at my puzzled face, and his final words left frozen, as if struck by lightning.
"A paternity test? You and ?"
At that mont, I couldn't believe it.
Was Michael asking to undergo a paternity test with him, or was he asking to accompany him for soone else's test?
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