"I'm fine mom.” I flashed a smile to make her believe I was really fine, I wouldn’t want to bother my mother.
“If you say so.” My mother said after hesitation, I know she doesn’t quite believe in it, but since she didn’t stay with me for those long years, there was no way she could tell I was lying from my poker face.
She turned to Ivana and looked her all over. “Why do you look so pale Ivana, did Robin maltreat you while I was away?” She asked Ivana and I scoffed behind them.
“Mom, I am not a stepmother or something like that,” I told her as I rolled her luggage into the living room.
“You can tell me the truth Ivana, did he treat you badly while I was away?” My mother asked her and I glanced over Ivana.
“No he didn’t,” She said softly, but I know she was trying to keep the times I treated her badly from my mother, I smiled where I was, I know I wouldn’t want to treat her badly anymore. “We had a practice yesterday and my whole body aches, that must be the reason.” Ivana finished.
MY mother shoots me one last glare and turns to Ivana. “If it is that tough, then you should quit.”
“I am thinking of doing that,” Ivana said softly and I rolled my eyes where I stood, if only she knew that I was planning to train her tougher than Ava had done. I will fulfil my promise of helping her with her dreams, this should be a common thing for a person that loves her.
“She wouldn’t be quitting.” I interrupted them and they both turned to me. “I made a promise that I don’t want to break,” I told them while staring into Ivana’s eyes and my mother raised her brows at me curiously.
“Make me understand what you mean.” She asked me as she sat down on one of the sofas taking off her shoes.
“Ivana made me make her a promise to teach her how to dance and sing…”
“I didn’t make you make the promise, I just asked and you agreed instantly…”
I scoffed and turned to her. “Who came to me crying that you want to be better than Katherine and stand on stage…”
Ivana scoffed. “I didn’t cry. I also didn’t talk about Katherine, you were the one who said she was better than me, you told me to go practice and then you told me you would help me.” She blurted out and I looked at my mother who was already laughing at us.
“Mom, can you believe what she says?” I raised my brows and turned to Ivana. “Why don’t you just admit that you asked me to help you?” I raised my brows at her.
“Can you both just stop?” My mother said with a chuckle as she came and stood between the both of us. “You are both bickering like kids.” She looked from me to Ivana and shook her head. “I am glad you have both gotten along so well, I was worried that I would come back to a cold mansion, but this is awesome.”
“Mom…”
“I need to speak with you, Robin.” She told me and I raised my brows. “Alone.” She finished and walked upstairs, I glanced at Ivana and she raised her brows curiously and I shrugged since I don’t know why she wishes to see me.
I followed my mother upstairs into her room, not after glancing over at Ivana who gave me an assuring smile.
I walked into my mother’s room and saw her standing close to her window with a glass of red wine in her hands. I know the alcohol in the wine was not much but it worries me that something must have happened while she was away on the trip.
I walked over to my mother who has a distant look in her eyes. She turned to me and I flashed a smile not wanting to bother her with my saddened expression.
“You had something to say to me, mom.” I looked at her eyes and there were no smiles in them anymore which made me feel she had put those smiles in her eyes earlier to make me less worried, but why didn't she continue the act, it was making me worried right now.
“Yes,” She sipped her drink softly and placed the glass on the elevated place close to the window.
“What is it?” I looked at her closely. “What is bothering you, mom?” I asked her and she turned to me again.
There was a long pause in her lips as she stretched her hands towards my face and touched my cheek softly as tears bickered in her eyes, my pupils dilated, I was already scared of what she wanted to say as if I knew what it would be.
She exhaled sharply and her lips parted as the words I never wanted to hear from her lips were let out. “Robin, it is time you let go of the hate you have for your father.” I felt like I stopped breathing for a second as she spoke out again.
“Robin, it is time you forgive your father.” She said softly again and I staggered backwards and just like a rushing wave all the things that I have gone through in the hands of my father, all the things my mother had gone through in the hands of that man filled my memories and my head spun as I gazed at my mother in a daze.