Estelle's sky blue eyes widened immediately. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt a tug in her throat. "Grandma, please stop saying things like that" she whispered as her voice trembled slightly. She was scared that Amelia would hear what Rita had just said. Her hands reached for her scarf at her neck, tugging it tighter and hiding the ends deeper in its folds.
However, her grandmother's weak and shaky hand rose slowly. The weakness in her fingers did not stop her as she reached for Estelle's face. In one slow, deliberate motion, she pulled the sunglasses away. Then her other hand moved, loosening the scarf that clung around her granddaughter's neck.
"Grandma, no!" Estelle gasped, reaching out to stop her, but it was too late.
Her mother, who had been watching in confusion, froze. For a moment, the room was silent. No one spoke. Then Amelia's eyes caught the dark bruises on Estelle's cheekbone, the faint swelling near her jaw and the faint bruise marks around her throat.
"Estelle…" Her mother's voice shook as her brows furrowed and her lips trembled. She took one step forward, her face had a look of disbelief. "What… what is this?"
Estelle immediately reached out to grab her scarf, desperate to cover herself again. "It's nothing, Mom. Please, give it back–"
However, Amelia's hands were faster. She pulled Estelle up by the wrist and snatched the scarf completely away from her. She was shocked as her gaze roamed the bruises, her voice shook as she spoke up. "Who did this to you?"
"Mom, it's nothing–" Estelle tried to dodge the question.
"Who did this to you?" Amelia's voice was sharp, her lips trembled between rage and heartbreak.
Estelle tried to snatch the scarf back. "Please, just give it to me"
Her mother slapped her hand away. "Was it Blaise?"
"Mother, please…" Estelle's voice cracked. She tried to control her breathing as her chest rose and fell. She didn't answer immediately. Her hands still reached for the scarf in her mother's hand like a drowning woman grasping for air.
"Talk!" Amelia's voice rang through the silent room, her chest rising and falling in fury.
Instantly, Estelle lost all control. The emotions she had been trying to keep in, burst out. Her knees weakened and she broke into tears. "Mom, I'm tired!" Her voice cracked so loudly that it pierced the room. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she said, "I'm so tired of everything! You keep pressing me, asking me and reminding me of what I've been trying to forget, but you won't let me!"
Amelia took a step back in shock, her whole body shook at the sight of her daughter collapsing. She shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. Her weak and trembling voice came out in a whisper. "Did he… did he really hit you?"
She didn't dare to believe that her own son-in-law would hit her daughter. No, she wouldn't dare to believe that her own daughter was a victim of a toxic marriage.
Estelle nodded her head slowly as she swallowed and then whispered, "Yes, Mom"
Her mother blinked rapidly, shaking her head. "No… no, no, no…"
She didn't want to believe it.
"Yes, Mom!" Estelle's voice broke again, louder this time. "He hits me. He forces himself on me. He broke my fingers so I couldn't play violin again. He–he makes me take birth control pills every time we have sex" Her hands reached for her hair, grabbed it in desperation. "I'm suffering. I'm about to lose my mind. I can't even sleep anymore, I can't breathe. I'm… I'm depressed, Mom!"
Amelia felt her world spin. Her chest tightened so hard that it felt like she was going to die, and her knees gave way. She gripped the chair beside her, her face pale and her lips trembled uncontrollably. The air felt too heavy… too sharp to breathe.
"What?!" Her voice cracked as her heart sank deeply.
She covered her face with her palm as she broke into tears. It was the shock of her life; the daughter she thought was safe and living a happy married life, was standing before her broken and bruised. She never thought that Blaise would hurt her daughter so badly. She had always had high expectations from their marriage.
She knew she was at fault. She had never visited her daughter ever since she got married. She thought everything was going on with her, so she never made plans to visit Estelle.
She cried. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as her body shook.
"When… when did this start?" she managed to say.
Estelle froze. She didn't speak for a while and when she finally did, these are the words that came out from her mouth. "A few months after our wedding."
Her mother stumbled back. "Jesus Christ… why? Why didn't you leave?"
"I couldn't, Mom" Estelle's voice was low and hoarse. "I loved him. I thought he would change. I thought I could change him."
The moment Estelle said that, her mother felt anger run through her veins. She hit Estelle's arm with trembling hands. "You should have come home! You should have come back home, Estelle!" Her voice cracked with every word she said until her strength left her completely. Her legs trembled and she slid down to the floor, sobbing.
"Mom, please" Estelle bent down quickly, her hands reaching for her mother's shoulders. "Don't do this. Please don't cry like that."
But her mother could only stare at her bruised face, her heart torn between sorrow and anger. Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone. "I'll call him right now-"
"No!" Estelle grabbed her mother's hand as panic rose in her eyes. "You can't, Mom."
Amelia raised her head to look at Estelle, her gaze burning with anger. "Why not?!"
"Because Blaise isn't who you think he is." Estelle whispered slowly. "He can ruin us. He'll destroy everything."
Her mother's hands shook harder. "Then divorce him."
Estelle laughed. "Do you think I haven't tried? He said I should give him back the dowry… ten times the dowry he paid."
Amelia looked at her daughter. "What?! Ten times the dowry?!"
Estelle's eyes welled up again and her voice cracked. "I don't even have a job, Mom and now, how do I even get one? I'm still his wife"
Amelia was shocked. She couldn't believe that this was happening right before her eyes. If someone had told her that her daughter would end up being a victim of a toxic and abusive marriage, she would have argued. Not only that, her daughter has endured all these pain and suffering for over 3 years without even saying a word to them.
She knew that she had truly failed as a mother.