Chapter 9
1311words
[Event 1 - Beginning]
I heard that my father sold the company at a price so low it was like disposing of waste. Those clients and partners who once flocked around him quickly distanced themselves after his disgrace, as if avoiding a plague. His business empire, which he had once been so proud of, proved devastatingly fragile in the face of moral judgment. He and Aunt Rachel moved into a small, dark rental apartment, where the air was perpetually filled with the smell of cheap takeout mixed with desperation.
Their "love," that beautiful cloak they once used as an excuse for betrayal, had now been torn to shreds by reality, revealing the ugliest core beneath—mutual blame and endless arguments.
"Look at the ghostly state you're in now! Damian, this is not what you promised me back then!" Rachel's shrill voice penetrated the thin walls, reaching the neighbors' ears, then circulating to Grandma's friends, and finally becoming a helpless sigh during our family gatherings. "You said you would give me the best life, but what's the result? I'm stuck with you in this dump that even cockroaches despise!"
"Shut up! How dare you say that?" Father's voice was full of exhaustion and irritation. "If you hadn't provoked Katherine at the golden wedding banquet, would things have come to this point? My company, my reputation, all ruined by you! You're nothing but bad luck!"
"Now you're blaming me? Who was it that held me and said they were already tired of Katherine, that unchanging woman? Who said that only with me did they feel truly alive?" Rachel fought back fiercely, her words full of resentment. "You think I don't know what you're thinking? You regret it, regret not being able to continue enjoying the respectable life Katherine gave you. You want to dump me, don't you? Let me tell you, Damian Crawford, dream on! We're in this together now, and neither of us is getting away!"
Their arguments became the only background noise in that small apartment, day after day, filled with financial strain and mutual resentment. Father began to regret, but his regret was not from guilt toward Mother, but rather from endless longing for the lost wealth, status, and decent life. He missed that spacious house with clean windows and servants to manage it, missed the wife who would leave a light on for him no matter how late he returned home. However, it was all too late; he had pushed everything into the abyss with his own hands.
[Event 2 - Development]
Aunt Rachel's days were equally difficult. Her resume was permanently stained with the mark of being "dismissed due to moral issues," which caused her to hit walls everywhere in the job market. Eventually, she could only find a poorly paid clerical position at an obscure small company, facing the inquiring and contemptuous gazes of her colleagues every day. She lost all her friends, her social circle completely reduced to zero, and occasionally on social media, people would dig up her past "glorious deeds" and leave harsh comments below.
She had become a lonely island, firmly trapped by the shadows of her past. On one desperate afternoon, she finally mustered the courage to send a long message to her mother, filled with repentance and apology. She begged for her mother's forgiveness, hoping to return to the past, even if only to call her "sister" one more time.
She waited for a long time, so long that she thought, as usual, she would not receive any reply. However, her mother's text message did arrive, brief to the point of being cruel.
Her mother's phone displayed only one line: "Rachel, I have forgiven you, but we are no longer sisters."
When I saw mother send this message, there was no expression on her face. She just calmly completed this task, then completely blocked Rachel's number. The so-called forgiveness wasn't about letting her back into our lives, but rather mother choosing to reconcile with her own past, completely letting go of the pain of betrayal, no longer allowing it to become a shackle restraining her progress forward. And for Rachel, the words "no longer sisters" was the heaviest punishment. It cut off her last retreat, making her clearly realize that what she had lost was someone irreplaceable—the person in the world who loved her most.
[Event 3 - Climax]
In stark contrast to their gloom and despair was mother's brand-new life. With the assets she received from the divorce settlement, she opened a coffee bookstore named "Warm Sunshine" at the quietest street corner of the community where we lived.
It was a place filled with sunlight and the fragrance of flowers. Enormous floor-to-ceiling windows ensured abundant natural light, while soft sofas and natural wood bookshelves created a cozy and comfortable atmosphere. The air was always permeated with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and the sweet scent of freshly baked pastries. Mother personally attended to every detail in the store; she learned professional coffee-making, went to the flower market every morning to select the freshest flowers for the vases, and even offered baking classes on weekends.
Her bookstore quickly became the most popular gathering place in the community. Neighbors loved to come by in the afternoon for a cup of coffee, browse through books, and chat. Mother radiated an unprecedented vitality and glow; she was no longer Mrs. Crawford who revolved around her husband and family, she was Katherine, the proprietress of this lovely little shop.
"Katherine, you look like you've gotten ten years younger!" This was the exclamation from every old friend who saw her.
"Really?" Mother would answer with a smile, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes filled with confidence and satisfaction, "Perhaps it's because I finally have time to do the things I enjoy."
She had found something more sustaining than marriage and men—her own value. She no longer needed to depend on anyone; she was her own sun.
[Event 4 - Ending]
A year later, I successfully graduated from university. That painful experience gave me a deeper understanding of human nature. I ultimately decided to apply for further education, pursuing a master's degree in psychology. I hope that in the future, I can use my professional knowledge to help women who, like my mother, are hurt in their marriages but cannot find a way out.
My grandparents remain in good health. They have become the most loyal customers of the "Warm Sunshine" bookstore, coming almost every day to sit and enjoy a latte prepared by my mother's own hands, proudly watching their daughter shine in her own world. This family, once betrayed and torn to pieces, has, after losing two members, come together again in a more pure and close-knit way, finding happiness that truly belongs to us.
On a sunny afternoon, I was helping to arrange books in the store. A young woman sat by the window, her shoulders trembling constantly as she sobbed quietly. In front of her was a cup of coffee that had long gone cold.
Mother noticed her. She didn't ask much, just quietly walked over and served her a new cup of steaming Earl Grey tea, gently placing it in front of her.
"I don't know what you've been through, but I think I understand how you feel," Mother's voice was gentle yet powerful. "But please believe me, you are much stronger than you imagine."
The woman slowly raised her head, her tear-stained face filled with shock and pain, but when she looked into Mother's calm and warm eyes, something seemed to ignite in her previously dim eyes, flashing a faint yet determined light.
