Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 240

Chapter 0100

ALLISON’S POV

I pause outside my mum’s room, my hand hovering over the door. Should I knock? Has she already goneto sleep?

A few hours have passed since she announced she’s going to divorce Dad, and I know how emotional she can get. She’ll probably need someone to talk to, especially now that he’s left the house.

I exhale and tap lightly on the door.

“Who’s there?” her voice calls.

“It’s me, Mum.”

My foot taps nervously against the floor as I wait. When she opens the door, I’m surprised to see her wearing a face sheet mask and chewing gum. She glances me up and down before stepping back to let me in.

The door clicks shut behind me, and she turns to face me.

“You look… you look okay,” I say.

“Am I not supposed to look okay?” She asks. She walks past me and sinks onto the bed, the sheet mask shifting slightly as she does. “Your dad seems more than okay, so why shouldn’t I?”

I sigh and move to sit beside her on the bed, my gaze lingering on her face.

“You don’t have to bottle everything up,” I whisper. “I don’t know much about marriage, but you can talk to me, Mum. You and Dad have been together so long, and I know making a decision like this must make you feel so alone. I’m here… if you want to talk.”

I half expect her to brush me off, to say she’s fine because that’s what happens when you grow up with a mother who only shows herself fully when she’s drunk. But then her shoulders slump, and she lies back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Did I ever tell you your dad wasn’t my first love?” she chuckles. “Or the one I thought I’d end up with?”

“No,” I say, though it’s not hard to guess because being their child makes some truths obvious.

“Our parents set us up,” she explains. “I was actually seeing someone else when it all happened, and I had to leave him.” She pauses, her voice softening. “Sometimes I sit and wonder how Frank is doing… if he’s happier than I am. And I really hope he is.”

“Mum…” I begin, not sure how to respond.

“Maybe I have these thoughts because I blindly did everything my parents wanted and hurt him,” she adds. “I could have said no. I could have stood my ground and told them I loved someone else. But for some reason… I couldn’t. So I said yes to your dad, and eventually, I got invested in him too.”

I slowly scoot closer and lie next to her, wrapping my arms around her. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for

how everything turned out,” I whisper, resting my head lightly against hers.

She sniffles. “How can I not? How can I not blame myself when I had my own daughter and couldn’t even learn from my own mistakes? I… I just couldn’t.” She shakes her head, trailing off. “I thought that if I kept doing everything your Dad wanted, agreeing with him, and playing the perfect wife, maybe someday I’d get back what I lost….the love I lost.”

My throat tightens and my eyes start to sting. Her words hit me hard with so much sadness packed in there, and she’s been holding it all in by herself for years. I… I can’t even imagine carrying something like that alone.

She rolls onto her side and cups my face, her lips trembling. “Allison…” Her voice cracks. “I’ve been terrible to you, haven’t I?”

I blink fast, trying to hold the tears back, but they spill anyway. I swipe at them and bite the inside of my cheek. “We’ve both been… terrible to each other.”

“No.” Her thumb brushes gently across my chin. “I’m supposed to protect you, to make sure you don’t end up like me. But I was so selfish… so angry that I dumped everything on you. I hurt you trying to protect myself. I really hurt you.”

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