I couldn't describe what I felt then. It was like my mind slipped out of my body as if I drifted into a world far, far away, a world where there was no pain, no death, no betrayal, no tears.
Later, I went to see a psychologist. He told me I was experiencing dissociation, a severe psychological condition. He suggested I get treatment as soon as possible.
But my mother fell apart before I could even take care of myself.
My father’s death broke her completely. She became unrecognizable— confused, unstable.
The gentle, graceful woman she used to be had lost control whenever she saw me now. She hit me. She cursed me. She spat on my face.
Once, she cried and screamed at me.
Sierra's POV
“It was you. You’re the one who killed your father! You’re the one who destroyed this family! Sierra, why did you make that call? Why did you get involved with Liam? I hate you. I hate you!”
Yeah, why? Why did fate have to be so cruel to me? I kept asking myself that question, hoping someone could give me an answer.
But no one could.
Overnight, everything changed. I lost my husband. I lost my friends. I lost my parents. I lost the warm, happy home I once had.
And there I was, sitting alone on the street, letting the cold wind cut through me until I felt like nothing but open wounds.
That was when Veronica sent me their maternity check-up photos. The two of them holding hands, looking like a loving married couple—sweet, intimate, complete.
A picture-perfect family.
For a moment, I wanted them gone—both of them. But I still had my mother to take care of. My father was gone, so I couldn’t stay a child forever. I had to carry what was left of this broken home on my own.
So, I asked Liam for a divorce.
And the ridiculous thing was, he refused.
He said he couldn’t bear to lose me, couldn’t bear to throw away our ten years together.
“Sierra, you don’t understand,” he told me. “Feelings between people are complicated. Choosing Veronica doesn’t mean I don’t love you. She’s not like you. You grew up in a loving home. You had your parents supporting you. But Veronica, she only has me.”
He said that once Veronica gave birth, he’d give her some money, send her and the baby away, and then he and I could go back to living a good life together.
“Sierra, everything passes eventually. People have survived far worse than this. When the dust settles, let’s forget all of this and go back to how we were, alright?”