Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 20

Aubrey slowly lowered her fork, the remaining half bowl of pasta now utterly unappetizing.

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She pulled out a tissue, wiping her mouth. Her voice was chillingly flat, devoid of any warmth or life. Tm twenty–seven, not seventeen. Why would you possibly think I’d obey you? Do you even understand what human rights are?”

Layla, with her rural background and limited education, was a traditional woman, raised and steeped in old societal norms. Her beliefs were antiquated and deeply patriarchal favoring sons over daughters. She firmly held that women were supposed to respect and obey their parents, support their younger brother, devote themselves to their husbands and children, manage all daily meals and household chores, maintain family relations, and, most importantly, bear children for their husbands. To Layla, a daughter’s marriage was a matter strictly subject to parental approval. It was her undeniable right, her prerogative as a mother.

Don’t talk to me about laws; I don’t buy into that,” Layla snapped, slamming her hand down on the table with a deafening thud. The sudden noise startled everyone else in the diner, and every head whipped around to stare at them.

Aubrey was used to it, a profound calm settling over her, tinged with a quiet despair and a miserable, helpless resignation

“If you don’t come home for the Christmas, literally drag you back. You will get married, whether you like it or not.” Layla’s voice was laced with menace, each word an unyielding command. “I raised you all these years, put you through college. It’s time you repaid your parents for their sacrifices.”

Aubrey knew there was no point in talking further.

She grabbed her bag and phone, then stood up and walked away.

Layla chased after her, her voice shrill and completely oblivious to the stares of passersby. “Where do you live now? Give me your address! phone number? Unblock me on your Whatsapp!”

Aubrey ignored her, walking toward the subway entrance.

Layla was enraged, rushing over and grabbing Aubrey’s long hair, yanking it down viciously. “You think you’re too old for me to hit you now? You think you’re so grown up? You dare to just let my words go in one ear and out the other? Ignoring me when I’m talking to you–you’re begging for a beating.”

Aubrey’s scalp felt like it was tearing apart from the pulling. She clutched at her hair, falling backward.

As she hit the ground, her palms scraped against the rough concrete, skinning them raw. She sucked in a sharp, painful breath.

Her phone, her briefcase, clattered to the ground.

Layla couldn’t stand Aubrey’s lifeless, unresponsive silence, her indifferent attitude to every word. She was beyond furious. With no weapon to hand, the resorted to pinching Aubrey’s arm directly.

Just like when Aubrey was a child, Layla dug her nails in, leaving Aubrey’s skin a mottled map of purple and blue, and twisting her ear until it felt like it would tear off.

Layla held her down on the ground, cursing, pinching, and yanking her hair.

Tears streamed down Aubrey’s face, her jaw clenched tight, but she refused to make a sound, enduring the agonizing pain

Witnesses gathered, attempting to intervene, but Layla unleashed her fury on them too.

“What are you gawking at?” Layla anarled. “Never seen a mother punish her child before? Get out of my Ewe, or you’ll get it next?”

They’d seen mothers hit their daughters plenty of times, it never an adult still getting beaten like this.

Once Layla had exhausted herself, Aubrey scrambled to pick up her plane from the ground and dialed 911

“Hello? I need to report an assault. I’ve been bit, at

Her 911 call wasn’t even complete when Layla satılar the phone from but hand

The phone’s casing instantly cracked open, tendering it useless

slammed it hard against the concrete.

“You think you can call the police on me?” Layla snarled, her teeth grated. Tis pour mother! I gave birth to you, I raised you you owe me your life! Hirting you is how I discipline you, it’s for your own good It’s my absolute right” She clamped her fingers hand around Aubrey’s arms, even through her thin jacket, and twisted viciously.

The sharp twist made Aubrey’s entire body tremble. A ragged, desperate cry tore from her throat “Ah!*

Her mother was violent, strong, and powerfully built. To beat Aubrey’s delicate, slender frame was effortless for her.

* Chapter 20:

Aubrey was utterly powerless to resist.

The onlookers couldn’t stand to watch anymore. Reluctant to intervene directly, someone else finally called 911

tantrum.

Once at the police station, Layla unleashed a full–blown ta

Aubrey stood her ground, refusing to forgive Layla and demanding the police proceed according to the law.

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The officers, usually reluctant to interfere in family matters–particularly between a mother and daughter–also pointed out that Aubrey’s injuries were only bruises, not qualifying as a serious assault.

They planned to give Layla a stern verbal warning and a lecture before releasing her.

Aubrey, however, dropped her bombshell she was a lawyer. She threatened to sue the department for negligence if they didn’t handle the situation with the seriousness it deserved.

Layla’s verbal warning quickly escalated to the most severe penalty: ten days in detention and a $500 fine.

Locked up in a cell, Layla was absolutely beside herself with rage.

Layla knew her daughter was heartless, but she’d never imagined this level of callousness. Just because she’d slapped her a few times, Aubrey had the police to detain her for ten days and fined her five hundred dollars?

It was utterly unthinkable. That ungrateful bastard was actually rebelling.

It was already past 10 PM when Aubrey left the police station.

The few bines of pasta she’d eaten earlier had long since been digested, leaving her stomach hollow and aching.

Her stomach, after all, had always been her most sensitive barometer of emotion.

Her suppressed, gloomy mood, heavy with an almost unbearable sadness, directly impacted her stomach, a dull ache beginning to throb within her.

The ache intensified steadily throughout her subway ride home.

By the time she reached her apartment complex, the pain was so severe it left her barely able to walk. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her face was stark white.

She stumbled into the elevator, clutching her stomach. The agony made her legs buckle, and she sank to the floor in a corner, gasping for breath.

A soft ding announced her

.. noor.

The elevator doors slid open, and Aubrey, gripping the wall, slowly pushed herself to her feet.

She looked up, and as her gaze met the dark eyes of the man standing just outside the elevator, her nose stung, and a hot wave of tears blurred her vision. A profound sense of injustice and hurt welled up inside her

It was Damon

For a split second, she desperately wanted to throw herself into his arms, to sob against his broad shoulders and tell him every injustice that had been

But she had no riglat

Damon’s dark gaze snapped, narrowing instantly, and the garbage bag in his hand slipped from his grasp, hating the flour. He strode into the elevator his hands gripping Aultry’s arms. He lowered his head, meeting her ga his eyes fixed on her gri face. His urgent toki “What’s wrong with your

Aubrey’s arms throbbed from his grip She gasped, quickly pushing his hands away “Don’t touch me”

Damon rakad his eyes

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