“Oh please, do you think you can scare me with those words? What can you do to me, hun? All you can do is throw me into jail like you did to my husband, then I finally get to be with him. I’m not scared of you, James.”
“That’s enough, Mom! I never knew she could be insensitive about this matter. You are clearly at fault and you’re still acting so strong. You’ll lose everything you’ve always wanted and the ones you had always had.” Elena uttered.
Penelope clutched her jaws and looked away from Elena. Deep down, she never wanted it to play out so badly, but now it had to be like that, she wasn’t ever going to act weak in front of them.
“I have always known that you miss your husband so much. But I never thought you’d go to the extent of going to jail just to be with him. Well, congratulations, your wish would be wholly granted.” James added.
“No.” Amelia uttered after a long time of silence, and everyone looked at her.
“Amelia…”
“She won’t be going to jail. I won’t press charges against her.” Amelia added, cutting James short.
“Why?”
“She wants to be with Hopper, right? Even though it may not be true, I won’t let that happen.”
Amelia moved away from the dining table and approached Penelope. She got in front of her and stopped walking.
“You know, when I first saw you and when I figured out you were my biological mother, I felt so bad. There was always something about you that always threw me off the edge. I kept asking myself what it was, but I couldn’t figure it out. All I knew is that I couldn’t bring myself to love you the way I had always loved Clara.”
Penelope felt her heart disconnect from its socket and crash into her belly so hard that she felt her heart break into pieces. The words were more hurting than she ever expected.
“Today, I am so happy to figure out why I never loved you. There is no reason to love you at all, Penelope. I mean, I regret the fact that your egg made me. You are not worthy to be called my mother. You are not supposed to even breathe the same air I breathe. You are nothing but a stranger!”
Amelia shivered vigorously as those words proceeded out of her mouth without caution. Her words were accompanied with hurt, disappointment and tears.
Penelope clenched her fists and dropped her head as she broke into silent tears. She knew she had finally lost her children forever.
“Don’t worry about going to jail…”
“Amelia…” James called, but she raised her hand and stopped him from talking.
“I promise not to press charges against you. That would be the last thing I’d do. Here is what I’ll do. I’ll erase you from my head, from my life, and it won’t stop there, Alice will never know you exist.”
“Alice…” Penelope mumbled.
“Don’t call me. I don’t know you. Now, get out.” She uttered icily and turned to walk away from her.
“You can’t just shut me out of your life!” Penelope yelled.
“Watch me do so!”
“I am your mother!”
“No, you’re not. My mother is seated right here, watching you make a fool out of yourself. My mother would never do something stupid because of Ireland reasons! I can beat my chest for her anywhere. She would never do something like this! She is seated right here, and here I am saying all these in front of her. Why? Because she is a true mother!”
“Amelia, please take it easy.” Elena muttered after seeing the terrified look on Penelope’s face. One thing she knew very well about her mother was that she had always wanted the love of her children. But Amelia’s words…
‘This would hurt her more than death itself.’
“Get out already! You heard her. Never step your feet into this house or its premises any longer. You’ve overstayed your welcome.” James added.
“Amelia, please. I’m sorry. Please don’t shut me out of your life. I’m sorry. I admit I made a mistake and I’m ready to make amends…”
“There are no amends. Get out and never show your face again.”
Amelia walked out of the dining room without second thoughts. Penelope wanted to go after her, but James stood in front of her and made her halt.
“You heard her, didn’t you? Get the hell out.” James said in rage.
Penelope swallowed hard and cleaned the tears that streamed down her face.
She moved away from where James stood and walked to the dining table to carry her bag which she placed next to her chair, on the floor.
When she lifted her bag and hung it in her shoulder, she looked at Susan who was still sitting on the chair, staring at them like she was dumb.
“You’re happy, aren’t you? You came back from nowhere and you’re seated here like you own everything. You should have stayed dead!”
“Oh please, mom, don’t make matters worse. Just leave already. I’ll pay you a visit at the house.” Elena muttered.
“You still want to pay a visit? I thought you were with your sister on this one.”
“You did the wrong thing, Mom. I won’t support you for that, neither will I shut you out of my life completely. But for now, please excuse us.”
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