3 . am sorry

The aroma of food filled the air, waking Serena up slowly. As she looked around, she realized she was in her old bedroom—the one she had when she still lived with Elena.

Remembering her mother, Serena immediately ran out of the room. The moment she saw Elena cooking in the kitchen, a soft smile appeared on her face, her eyes slightly red and teary.

Serena still couldn't believe she had returned to this time—the time when her mother was still alive.

"You awake!" Elena greeted when she noticed Serena standing near the kitchen.

"Go wash your face. Breakfast will be ready soon."

Serena nodded and quickly returned to her room. After freshening up, she immediately went back to the kitchen.

"Let me help," Serena offered.

Hearing her words, Elena glanced at Serena with a teasing look.

"Are you sure?" Elena asked. "After your dark history with cooking, Mom is hesitant to let you near the stove."

"Mommm!" Serena protested, knowing that Elena was teasing her. Elena laughed, enjoying her daughter's sulking face.

"Okay, okay! It's almost done anyway. Just go sit down," Elena instructed.

Serena obeyed because, honestly, she had zero cooking skills.

When breakfast was finally ready, Serena took her first bite, and her eyes welled up again. She had truly missed this familiar taste.

Afraid that her mother would notice her emotional state, Serena quickly lowered her head and pretended to eat eagerly.

But even though Serena tried to hide it, Elena had already noticed.

Since yesterday, Serena had been acting strangely. She was never the type to cry easily, but now, her eyes kept welling up.

"What have you gone through, my child, to make you this sad?" Elena thought to herself.

After breakfast, Elena called Serena to sit with her in the living room.

"What is it, Mom?" Serena asked.

Elena looked at her daughter carefully.

"Mom?"

"Can you tell me what really happened to you?" Elena asked.

"What do you mean?"

"S… why were you crying yesterday?"

Serena was startled. She had expected Elena to ask, but not this soon.

"It's nothing, Mom," Serena replied.

She wanted to tell the truth, but how could she? Her mother would never believe that she had traveled back from the future. If someone had told her that, even she would have thought they were crazy.

Hearing Serena's response, Elena felt sad. It seemed that Serena still didn't want to open up to her.

Elena gently took Serena's hand.

"I know our relationship isn't as close as before. But I can tell that you're feeling sad. I've noticed that you've been on the verge of tears since yesterday. Serena… I'm worried about you. I want to help you however I can."

Serena fell silent, looking at her mother's worried face.

"Mom…"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Serena said sincerely.

Elena smiled gently and pulled her daughter into a hug.

"What are you apologizing for? In my eyes, you've never done anything wrong."

"But—"

"No buts," Elena interrupted. "To me, everything that happened was just a misunderstanding."

Serena pulled away from the hug and looked into her mother's eyes.

"Can you tell me why you never got back together with Dad?"

Elena opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She didn't want Serena to know the truth about her father because, in Serena's eyes, David was probably a good man.

"Please," Serena pleaded, seeing her mother's hesitation.

After a moment, Elena finally nodded.

"David may have been a good father, but he was not a good husband."

Serena frowned at her mother's words.

"He was an abuser."

Serena's eyes widened in shock.

She had never expected to hear that.

David had always presented himself as a polite, respectful, and kind man. With his handsome face, he always seemed charming—even though, compared to Darian, David wasn't quite as striking.

Seeing Serena's reaction, Elena just smiled bitterly.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. The reason I divorced your father was because, when I was heavily pregnant, he got drunk and started abusing me. He pushed me, and as a result, you were born prematurely."

"Wh—"

"I was terrified of what he might do to you. I started to think… what if, when you grew up, he started abusing you too? That's when I decided I had to leave."

"And he just agreed to the divorce?"

"Of course not, S! At first, David refused. His parents did too. But I threatened to report him for domestic abuse. I had plenty of photos as proof of my injuries."

"If you had evidence, why didn't you leave him sooner?"

Elena was slightly surprised when she heard Serena call her father by his name instead of "Dad."

"Maybe because I still loved him… And maybe because I believed—hoped—that he would change. But the truth is, an abuser never changes."

Suddenly, Serena's phone rang.

Looking at the caller ID, she saw the name "Dad."