I moved on with my life. But seeing that watch tonight, I felt like you deserved to know the truth about your mom’s past.”
I looked down at the watch on my wrist.
It had always felt like a link to my mom, but now it felt like a burden of secrets and lies.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered, feeling tears prick at my eyes.
Ethan reached out, his voice gentle. “It’s been so long, Harper.
There’s no point in holding onto the past. I just wanted you to know the truth. Your mom wasn’t perfect, but she must have loved you very much to pass this watch down to you.”
I nodded, feeling a combination of gratitude and sadness.
“Thank you, Ethan. For telling me.”
He smiled softly. “You’re welcome.
Take care of yourself, Harper.”
As I walked towards Emily’s party, my mind raced with Ethan’s revelation. I knew I couldn’t enjoy the party with what I’d just discovered. Instead, I decided to head back to my apartment.
I needed to talk to Mom and get to the bottom of this.
At home, I took a deep breath and called my mom. She answered on the second ring, her voice cheerful as usual.
“Hi, sweetheart! How’s the party?” she asked.
“Mom,” I said, my voice trembling.
“We need to talk. Something happened tonight.”
“What is it, Harper? Is everything okay?”
I took another deep breath, trying to steady myself.
“I met someone tonight who told me a lot about you. A man named Ethan Ross. He said you dated in college.”
“Ethan Ross… I haven’t heard that name in years.”
“He told me you stole a watch from him,” I continued, my voice growing stronger.
“And that you ran away with Dad after taking all his money. Is that true?”
There was a long pause. I could almost hear her heavy sigh through the phone.
“Harper,” she began, “I never wanted you to know about that part of my life. I was young and desperate back then. I did things I’m not proud of.”
I felt a surge of anger mixed with sadness.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me? Why did you keep this from me?”
“I was trying to protect you,” she said softly. “I didn’t want you to see that side of me.
I’ve spent my whole life trying to be a better person, trying to leave that past behind.”
“Ethan wanted me to know the truth. He said there’s no point in holding onto the past, but I feel so betrayed, Mom!”
“I’m so sorry, Harper,” she whispered. “I never meant to hurt you.
I was just trying to survive back then, and I made some terrible choices.”
I felt tears streaming down my face. “I don’t know what to think, Mom. I’ll drop the watch at your place.
I don’t want to see it again.”
“Harper, please—” she started, but I cut her off.
“No, Mom. I need time to process this,” I said firmly. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up, my heart heavy with conflicting emotions.
I took off the watch and placed it on the table, staring at it for a moment. I needed to figure out how to move forward, but for now, I just needed some space.
I curled up on the couch, feeling exhausted. It had been a night full of unexpected revelations, and I wasn’t sure what to do next.
All I knew was that things would never be the same again.
What should I do next?
Source: amomama
