Chapter 83
other woman gets him for free! Everything you worked for, she just walks in and takes!"
I stayed quiet. Experience had taught me that defending myself would only make things worse.
"I don't care what you say," she continued, leaning forward with her finger jabbing the air between us. Her earrings swung wildly as she shook her head. "You need to get back with Philip immediately. Where's Brian? Is he with you?"
The question stung, but I kept my face blank.
"Listen to your mother," she pressed on, not waiting for my answer. Her hands gripped her knees so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Men can throw away wives, but never their children. That's their blood." She thumped the table for emphasis with each point. "Keep Brian with you,and Philip will come back eventually. Without the boy, he won't even look your way." Mom jumped to her feet so quickly her chair nearly toppled over. Her face turned scarlet, veins bulging at her temples. "Are you trying to kill me?"She pounded her fist against her chest repeatedly, her voice growing hoarse. "Who's going to support you without Philip?" Her arms flew wide,gesturing around the small apartment. "Do you know how hard this world is for a woman alone?" She pulled a crumpled tissue from her pocket and twisted it between her fingers as tears welled in her eyes. Her shoulders trembled slightly. I understood what caused those tears. Mom had worked three jobs sometimes, counted every penny at the grocery store, and worn the same clothes for years so I could have what she never did. Her entire life had taught her one lesson: women need men to survive.
"I support myself now, Mom." I kept my voice steady. "I have a good job and my illustration work. I make more now than I ever did with Philip.This month alone, I earned hundreds of thousands after taxes. Next month will be better."
The word "money" worked like magic. Mom's anger disappeared instantly,replaced by disbelief.
"You're not making this up?" She slowly sat back down.
"No. And I plan to earn enough to take care of both of us when we're older. The money I sent is just the start."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Keep your money. I can take care of myself. What I want to know is about Brian. You really left him completely with Philip?"
"He chose Sarah as his mother," I said simply. "I'm respecting that."
Mom took a deep breath, disappointment written across her face.She stared at me for a long moment.
"You should go now."
I stood up without arguing, Howard, who hadn't said a word the entire time,followed me silently out the door. Once we reached the car, Howard squeezed my shoulder. "Are you okay?" "Ill handle it," I said, blinking back unexpected tears. "She'll come around eventually." Back at the office, I sat at my desk with Mom's words still ringing in my ears. Relief washed over me that I hadn't listened to her about getting Philip back.
What if I had? Philip might have pretended to return, but he would have kept seeing Sarah behind my back.
Eventually, he might have expected me to accept them both in his life. The thought made me sick.
I looked around at my new reality - a job that paid well, a daughter who called me "Mom," and a relationship with Howard built on respect instead of control. For the first time, I felt like I was living my own life,not someone else's.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," I said from my desk.
Susan Moore entered and nodded to me.
She stopped at my desk. "We've finished translating your comnics.The international department will start promotion in a few days. The first animated episode translation is almost done too - it'll be ready in two weeks for simultaneous release."
She set a stack of papers in front of me. "We'll start with a smaller promotion since content is limited. As we translate more, marketing will increase.""Within a year, your comics will be known worldwide," she continued."Merchandise sales will explode. You'll be making more money than you can count." "So I'll actually be rich?" I asked, half-joking. "Definitely," she nodded. "I'm also talking to publishers about printing physical copies."
"But I haven't finished the story yet," I pointed out.
They'll release volumes," she explained. "You have enough for about two books already. And seeing how merchandise sales improve daily, I can't imagine how well the books will sell."
As she talked, a warm sense of pride spread through me. Everything I'd been working for was finally happening.
My fingers traced over the documents, my mind flashing back to Mom's worried face. If only she could see me now. I wasn't Philip's accessory anymore- I was building something real, something mine.
"This is amazing," I told the secretary, not hiding my excitement. "Thank you."
After she left, I leaned back in my chair,smiling. Mom was wrong. I hadn t crashed without Philip - I was soaring. A thriving career, Lucy's love,and Howard's respect. Everything I never thought I could have.
I took a deep breath, almost dizzy with happiness. It felt too perfect, too complete - like a fairy tale ending I'd never dared to hope for. And that's when the tiny voice in my head whspered a warning: Could anything really stay this perfect?