Zelina

I find a note inside the envelope with the address of a famous bar in the town. For a moment, I wonder if it's even meant for me, but then I remember my name written on the cover when I opened it, and it allows me to realize that it really is for me. I frown, not really knowing what to do with the piece of paper with a random location on it. However, when I turn it around, I catch up with the words inked on it.

Get to the address at 7 pm if you want to know what your mother does behind your back.

I read it again and I am not sure how to react to this because I actually know what Jamie is always up to when I am not around. She goes around partying with her friends and not giving a fuck about wasting my dad's money on her jewelry and wardrobes. I don't know if she ever gets tired of being so selfish. It's not a bother to me in any way because I stopped caring about her a long time ago, but something about this note hints to me that this is not about her usual routine. This looks something more, and I am more than curious to know the truth.

I look at the clock on the wall and see that it's already half-past six. I put everything back in place and then prepare to leave my office. On my way down, I go through the appointments that I have for the next week. When I get into my car, I put the address on the GPS and drive straight to the bar. It feels good to drive through the city in the evening with the sun setting behind. I keep the hood down, and the wind blows my hair, making me feel relaxed.

As I drive, I think about the note again. If someone wants to tell me what my mother does behind my back, then it means they have been keeping an eye on her. But why? What do they want from my mother or me? And what would they gain from revealing it to me? All this has been driving me crazy. First Ashton's ultimatum and now this fucking letter. I doubt if I can even breathe freely without worrying about a damn thing.

It doesn't take long for me to reach the destination and I realize that it's a resto-bar that I am given the location of. I don't usually hang in this part of the city, but one thing that I am aware of is that Addington tower lies close to it. Something stirs in me when I think of being this close to Merrick, but I brush it off instantly. I need to forget about Merrick. From tomorrow, I will be back with Ashton, and I realize I have a single night to figure out a way to break the contract with Merrick.

After parking my car, I walk into the bar. The place isn't too packed, and it looks decent in here as I watch people hanging around with their drinks. I can hear the light jazz in the background as I get to the bar counter, trying to keep far from the entrance. The bartender takes my order and I keep my eyes on the glass door. I glance at my watch and see that there are still a few minutes left to seven. The guy brings me a glass of wine and I thank him. When I am about to take a sip, I feel my phone buzzing in my purse.

I see Steve's name flashing and I press the green icon.

"Hey, did you get home?" He asks.

I look down at the glass in my hand and speak. "Not yet. Actually, I am at a bar having a drink. All good?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about. I just wanted to inform you that I evaluated the list of machines that are needed to be upgraded. I was about to brief you in the office, but I got to know from Ruby that you left already." He says and I remember asking him to do that. After that incident at the plant, I want to make sure that all the machines are modernized and are also in good working condition.

I sigh, knowing that I had to meet Steve in his office, but it got out of my head after getting that note. "I am sorry. I just needed some time to myself."

"That's completely fine. I hope you are doing alright now. You do know where to find me if you need anything, right?"

I smile, feeling relieved in between all the chaos, appreciating that at least I have a friend like him. "Thanks, Steve. And yeah, email those files to me. I'd like to check them once before approving."

"Yes, boss." I hear him say, and with that my eyes catch Jamie entering the bar.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight." I say, straightening up in my chair.

"Goodnight, Zelina," Steve says before I hang up the call and look up again.

I keep my gaze focused on Jamie as she walks in with a guy. She is smiling, looking into that guy's eyes like she doesn't give a damn about anyone around her. I've not seen him before, but I frown when he reaches for Jamie's hand and holds it. I notice that the guy is younger than my father, probably younger than even Jamie. What is my mother doing with him? What the hell is going on? I keep looking behind them, hoping that someone would join them. But when enough time passes and they take a place at the last booth, I realize that it's just going to be them.

There are dim lights in the bar, and I know I am sitting considerably far for them to get noticed. I feel a knot build in my throat looking at Jamie with that guy. I am not sure what kind of relationship they have, but this already looks bad enough. I know Jamie can be a lot of things, but finding her as a cheater just squeezes my heart - not for me, but for my father. Instead of sitting across from her, the guy chooses to sit next to her, wrapping his arm around her. I curl my fists when I see him say something into her ear, making her giggle.

I do not drift my eyes as I watch them laugh, eat, talk, and do all the shit that a couple in love does. I know I might look like a creep to the bartender as he comes and asks me what I want next. He gets me drinks and I keep gulping them, watching the two lovebirds enjoy their night in front of my eyes, which surprisingly, includes my fucking mother. As if this wasn't enough for confirmation that I had to see the next fucking scene. I grip the glass in my hand tightly when Jami leans in to kiss the guy and at that moment; I lose my mind.

I sit there numb for an hour as the couple leave after exchanging that kiss and what looked like having the greatest time of their lives. I don't know what to do? It feels like my life has been shattered by this revelation. I never loved my mother, but I always adored the way my father loved her. Despite how cruel she would be towards him or me, my father never lost the admiration he had for her. I don't know why it was the case.

Since I was a little kid, Jamie was never there for me as a mother. That's why I never brought myself to call her my mother. I always tried to confront her about her behavior towards me, but she never opened. Maybe she never wanted to have kids or more like to have me. Whenever I'd ask the same question to my dad, he never gave me a straight answer. He would always flash a sad smile to me and simply say, no matter what, Zelina, your mother will always love us both. I couldn't get to the truth of his words. But somehow they made me believe that he was right, at least on his part. I was convinced that she loved him. And I also believed that maybe Jamie's indifference towards my dad in later years came from his closeness to me.

I remember how enthusiastic my dad would be, telling me the story of how they met the first time at their school. The way he talked about her made me always doubt myself. It made me think that maybe I was being too hard on her. Maybe she wasn't as bad as I thought. She hated me from the very beginning, but things got really worse after my dad's accident.

My eyes begin to well up, but I hold back my tears. I am not sure if my dad's love would still be the same if he knew what she did to me after he got paralyzed. I got to know the real Jamie after my dad was moved to rehabilitation and I realized that all these years she has been just putting a facade of being a nice woman in front of my father. Little did he know that she was a devil under the skin of a mother.

She tainted the image of being a mother for me and I will pray to god that no daughter in this world has to go through the hell that Jamie made me go through. She is the reason why I got to become the bitch that I am known today by everyone. She is the reason I got involved with Ashton, and now I have to suffer from all the shit he is causing me.

She made my life fucking miserable, but I was completely fine with it. I can bear her torturing me and making my life hell. I can bear anything, but I can't bear my dad getting hurt in the process. He is my most precious possession and knowing that he is getting betrayed by his beloved wife is wrenching my heart. The wife that he probably loves more than his life.

I don't know how long I stay there, but as the night extends, the darkness looms more deeply inside my heart.

A/N:

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