I set my hands firmly on my hips, pointed straight at Veda, and declared loudly, “So what? Just because there’s money in my home, I need to help raise your son’s child? Where does that leave my brother and sister-in-law, should they call me sister, or call me mother in the future?”
This was the first time I had ever talked back to Veda, and for a moment, she stood there, dumbfounded.
Then, with a resentful mutter, she said, “Wasn’t I just joking? Besides, don’t TV dramas always say that if you have a son, then a daughter is only icing on the cake? But if you only have a daughter, then it’s nothing at all!”
I didn’t back down. I still spoke loudly, “To you, a daughter is nothing. But to my in-laws and my husband, she is everything. You yourself are what they call a money-loser, but don’t drag my daughter into it, my daughter is a princess!”
My words lit a fire in Veda’s chest.
She couldn’t even wait for the grab ceremony. She lashed out, screaming, “And you still dare to argue! Rocco and his parents treat you so well, yet you ran around with all sorts of men, making Rocco raise another man’s child! You’re utterly ungrateful!”
3
As soon as Veda’s words ended, the lively birthday banquet turned deathly still. Even the servers and emcees froze in place, scandals like this were not something they stumbled upon every day.
Everyone’s gaze fell on me, branding me as a shameless woman. After all, who would imagine a mother fabricating such filth about her own daughter?
Yet this was Veda’s true nature. Her favorite pastime was making such so-called jokes, no matter the occasion, jokes that cut instead of amused.
I recalled my childhood. While I bathed, she would suddenly scream as though she had fallen, crying for help. In my panic, I would dash out unclothed, only to find her waiting by the door, perfectly fine, phone raised, laughter trembling on her lips.
“Child, why aren’t you wearing clothes? I was just on a video call with my colleagues. Come, say hello to your uncles and aunties!”
I had been so furious I nearly fainted, but she turned to my dad and brother and said with a straight face, “I was only joking, testing to see how much she cared for me. How could I know she’d be so careless, running out without clothes?”