Who Are You Protecting?

"W..What do you mean by that? I just thought we could go back to the way we were if I was honest with you. You have been ignoring me and answering with single vocabularies whenever I ask a question. Did you think mother wouldn't notice the difference?" She reached out to hold his arms, but he avoided her.

"If you used even a third of the attention, you would give to me... to Selina, then many things wouldn't have happened. Did you really think I believed your words when I first asked whether you were related to her suicide? You were convincing me to stop the investigation. For lords sake, did you seriously think any mother in their right minds would do that?"

His words left her stupefied. He sneered as he continued reviewing point by point with her. "From your cries to covering up traces of her blood on the wall to the moment, you lied about your interaction with Selina that day... Did you really take me for a five-year-old or a blind idiot enough to not see the gaps between your words?"

Astonished by his confrontation, she lost her footing and leaned on the television stand behind her. "You.. You've known something was wrong? So, you've been testing me all along! How could you not believe in your mother?"

"Hah!" A scornful laughter left his mouth. Before he knew it, he had lost control of his emotions and began speaking his mind. "Let me count the number of times you've lied to me since I was a child. You've always treated Selina badly, yet pretended to be well in front of me. You've never appreciated a single bit of her kindness and mistreated her the way you wish."

"How many times do you need to push her to suicide for you to wake up and see what you've done to a young lady? She was twenty-two years old and she attempted suicide in the past because of you! The painting she spent months on was ripped by you, correct? Do you know how many part time jobs and hours she worked to get enough money for canvases and supplies?"

"Does painting look as easy as tearing a piece of paper? Each stroke she used on that canvas represented her love and care for a mother like you who deliberately caused her many troubles and harm! If it was someone else, would you think they would stay with you and call you mom? Forget it."

Pulling his mother's arm, he dragged her upstairs to Selina's room. He took out the photo albums from under Selina's bed and shoved it to Katrina's face. "Do you see these pictures of her holding awards? Look at all the achievements she got and the person who stood next to her! All me! Why? Because her so-called mother wouldn't spare a single glance at her!"

"Do you know what her responses were whenever I told her that she could cry or rant about your absence? She says that it was her fault for not doing well enough! Now, if you are even the slightest regretful for anything that you've done and owed her...speak the truth. Don't waste my time with your confession if all you plan to do is suck up the responsibility."

Lowering her head, Katrina's eyes wandered around her daughter's room for the first time in many years. The first and last time she had ever came into this room were when she snuck in to take pictures of the proposal. She didn't even have the chance to look around at how Selina decorated her walls.

Oddly, the room was empty; very different from other teenager's rooms. There weren't posters of her favorite stars nor colorful decorations dangling on the ceiling. Her closet had limited clothing that she wore repeatedly. Sliding her finger across the desk, her thumb rubbed against the dusty fingertips.

Chewing her lips, she turned around and strictly repeated the same thing she's been confessing. "I'm the one who ruined her, so I'm taking up the full responsibility. There's nothing wrong with my confession. I don't understand what you're fussing about. Besides, I've fed her since she was born and provided her shelter. She should be lucky I didn't hit her."

"Mom, if this is all you're going to say to me then excuse me. I have better things to do than to stand here and listen to you speak empty and useless information that I could have guessed myself. Actually, what you've just said has confirmed my earlier thoughts. You seriously have no right to call yourself a mother."

Exiting the room without turning back, Bryan heard Katrina sobbing from behind. He clenched his fists and hurried downstairs where he slipped his feet into his sneakers. Katrina chased after him with tears wetting her cheeks.

"I really told you everything already! Why can't we go back to before? We're mother and son!" She held onto his hand and squeezed it tightly. Breaking his hand away from her grip, he answered coldly.

"The moment you did harm to Selina, our mother and son relationship had ended. You can only work on repaying the sins you've committed. Since you're religious, that's what you call it, right? A sin. Be sorry for it because your stupidity pushed a young lady to suicide."

Stumbling to the floor, she covered her face and cried. "It's different! I am regretting my decision! I am showing repentance, but you're not seeing it!"

"You're regretting? I really don't see how you're regretting about what you've done. Fine, you claim you're remorseful, right? Prove it by telling me who you're protecting."

Her sobs came to a pause, earning a stoic grin from him. Facing the silence between them, he released a deep sigh and stuffed his hands into his pocket. "See? You can't do it. But even if you don't say her name... I already know who she is. I finally connected the dots and figured out how you've murdered my sister."

He turned the knob and pushed the main door open. Before walking out, he said. "Oh, right. Since you're so close with Shirley Han, tell her I said hi."

"How..How did..you know?"

"Now I do." His lips curled to a small smile as he left the house. After minutes later, she realized he had tricked her to get her reaction! At the end, she still lost him and failed to protect Shirley.