Sarah hurried to the scene, her frown deepened at the sight of the growing crowd. Her sigh was audible, her expression a mixture of sadness and frustration.
'Why is my daughter like this? Where does she get this personality from?' she wondered, her thoughts carrying a trace of exhaustion.
The murmurs of the crowd picked up as Sarah approached, her elegant presence commanding attention.
She was striking—a woman with long light-brown hair cascading over her shoulders, ocean-blue eyes that seed to carry both warmth and sorrow and a mature beauty.
"Isn't that Layla's mother?" soone whispered.
"It is. She's so beautiful. I wonder what she thinks of all this…"
"Yeah, but look at her face. She doesn't look happy."
Sarah ignored the whispers, her focus solely on her daughter. Her gaze briefly t Noah's, a flicker of sothing unreadable crossing her expression before she turned back to Layla. Without hesitation, she grabbed Layla's arm firmly.
"Let's go," Sarah said, her tone low but resolute.
Layla, caught off guard, allowed herself to be pulled a few steps. But her indignation quickly bubbled to the surface.
Yanking her arm free, she turned to face her mother with a glare.
"No, Mum! This isn't okay!" she shouted, her voice trembling with anger. "Why are you protecting this guy? Why are you so afraid of him? Just tell everyone the truth! Tell them how he played with your feelings just because I dumped him!"
The crowd gasped, the tension thickening in the air. Murmurs erupted again, louder this ti.
"What did she just say?"
"Is that true? Did Noah really do that?"
"No way… but why would she lie about her own mum?"
Sarah's face flushed a deep red, her eyes wide with shock and hurt. Her hands trembled as she tried to process her daughter's words.
'How could she say that? In front of all these people?' Her lips pressed into a thin line as she fought to keep her composure.
Her daughter had hurt her deeply with the words she uttered without thinking, she opened the wound that Sarah had been trying to close for the past months.
She opened it and rubbed salt on it publically, without any care about her mother's feelings or honour.
"Layla, stop it!" Sarah's voice cracked, her usual soft tone replaced by a rare firmness. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
Layla's glare didn't falter. "No idea? You think I don't know what he did to you? You're just too scared to admit it!"
Sarah closed her eyes for a mont, exhaling sharply before eting her daughter's gaze head-on. "Layla, enough. You're embarrassing yourself, and you're embarrassing ."
The crowd fell silent, sensing the tension between mother and daughter.
Layla faltered for a mont, her anger wavering under her mother's sharp tone. "But—"
"No buts," Sarah interrupted her voice steady but tinged with sadness. "I've had enough of your impulsive public outbursts. This ends now."
Noah stood silently, watching the exchange with a calm expression, his hands still tucked into his pockets. His presence lood over the situation, but he didn't interfere. It was clear he didn't need to.
The crowd began to shift uneasily, unsure of what to make of the unfolding drama. So looked at Layla with pity, while others cast judgntal glances at Sarah, assuming the worst.
Sarah's chest heaved slightly as she tried to steady her breath. For the first ti in years, the composed and gentle deanour she had always maintained seed to crack. Her hand reached out once more to take Layla's arm, but Layla refused to budge, planting her feet stubbornly on the pavent.
"Layla, enough!" Sarah's voice trembled with a mix of frustration and heartbreak. Her patience had run dry. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and delivered a firm slap across Layla's cheek.
The sound reverberated in the tense air, silencing the crowd instantly. It wasn't a slap ant to hurt, but one intended to wake Layla from the emotional frenzy that had consud her.
Layla stood frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock as she instinctively touched her cheek. The realization of what had just happened hit her harder than the slap itself. Sarah had never laid a hand on her—not once, not even during her most rebellious monts. She had always been the doting, understanding mother, the one who offered hugs instead of scoldings.
"M-Mum… you slapped ?" Layla's voice was a whisper, laced with disbelief.
Sarah's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her voice remained firm. "Yes, I did, and I should have done it sooner." Her gaze bore into her daughter's, not with anger but with profound disappointnt. "You've crossed every line today, Layla. Every single one."
The crowd, which had been murmuring monts ago, now stood in stunned silence, their eyes darting between the mother and daughter. Even Aiden, who had been shifting uncomfortably, now watched with his mouth slightly agape, clearly unsure how to process what he was witnessing.
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Noah, however, remained unmoved.
"Do you even hear yourself?" Sarah continued, her voice heavy with emotion. "You're blaming everyone else for your own mistakes! You think the world owes you sothing, but it doesn't, Layla. Life doesn't work that way."
"But Mum—" Layla started, her voice trembling.
"No!" Sarah cut her off sharply, her voice rising slightly. "No excuses, Layla! You're embarrassing yourself, and you're embarrassing . Do you have any idea how difficult it's been for ,"
Layla's lips quivered as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Her defiance wavered, replaced by a flicker of regret. For a mont, she looked like the lost child she once was, searching for reassurance in her mother's gaze but finding none.
Sarah took a deep breath, her voice softening but remaining resolute. "I love you, Layla, but I cannot keep defending you when you refuse to take responsibility for your actions. It's ti you faced the consequences of your choices."
The crowd began to shift again, their judgntal murmurs turning to quiet respect for Sarah's strength. So nodded in approval, while others exchanged sympathetic glances. Aiden, still frozen in place, found himself feeling a strange pang of pity for Sarah, even though he couldn't shake the confusion swirling in his mind.
Layla's shoulders sagged, her head bowing slightly. "I'm sorry…" she muttered, her voice barely audible.
Sarah exhaled, her hand reaching out gently to touch Layla's shoulder. "Co ho with , please," she said, her tone softer now. "We'll talk about this later, in private."
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