Far away, in a grand mansion in England, a mother's furious voice tore through the silence of the hall. She was yelling...relentlessly scolding her son, hurling harsh words like arrows meant to wound.
This woman was none other than Pranee, Talotkan's mother.
And the boy standing before her, trembling with his head bowed, was Phop Rak.
Why?
Because his grades had fallen short of her impossible expectations.
"All year you studied, and this is what you bring me?!" Her voice thundered, echoing off the marble walls. "Eighty percent? Pathetic! Do you think this is enough? Do you think this is what I expect from my son?!"
Phop Rak stood frozen, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, tears glistening in his eyes. He wasn't crying because of her words...no, he was crying because deep down, he longed for something he could never have: his mother's warmth. Her approval. Her love.
And yet… it never came.
"M-Mother… I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice trembling like a fragile thread about to snap.
But apologies were meaningless here.
Just as sweetness cannot erase the bitterness of poison, his words couldn't dissolve the venom in her heart.
Even if Phop Rak had scored full marks, even if he had been perfect, she still wouldn't have smiled at him.....not today, not ever.
---
Later that evening…
Phop Rak stepped into his room.
Darkness greeted him like an old friend.
The stillness inside seemed to have been waiting just for him.
He closed the door gently....
And the moment the latch fell into place, he collapsed.
Sliding down against the wooden door, his knees pulled to his chest, his face buried in his trembling hands… and then, he broke.
Sobs tore out of him, raw and unrestrained, echoing in the darkness. He cried as if his heart wasn't just breaking...but his very soul was shattering into two jagged halves.
So much pain.
So much loneliness.
He had believed.....just this once...maybe his mother would smile at him, speak to him softly, maybe even say "Well done."
But perhaps… that was nothing more than a dream.
A dream that could never exist in his reality.
His sobbing grew louder, desperate, as if the act of crying was the only thing keeping him alive.
And through the storm of his grief, a single name surfaced in his mind.
Talotkan.
Her voice, her laughter, her gentle scolding.....they all came rushing back to him like a tide he couldn't hold back.
---
Flashback.
Back when Talotkan still lived with the family, Phop Rak was the boy who always got things wrong.
No matter what he did, he could never succeed the first time.
He loved gardening.
But no matter how many seeds he planted, not a single one sprouted.
Every time he stared at the barren soil, disappointment would cloud his little face.....
And every time, Talotkan would kneel beside him, her voice soft yet firm.
"Phop Rak, listen," she would say, ruffling his hair. "If a plant grows in June, and you sow it in October… how will it grow? You have to learn its seasons. Its nature."
Patiently, she'd gather the seeds with him, explaining one by one which belonged to which month, how deep to plant them, how much sunlight they needed.
And every time, his face would light up with happiness...because she believed in him when no one else did.
She was his teacher, his shield, his warmth in a house full of storms.
Even when arguments erupted daily, as long as Talotkan was there, Phop Rak could still smile.
But then… he made the worst mistake of his life.
He chose to stay with his mother, thinking he'd find happiness by her side.
He thought love came from blood alone.
And that was his greatest sin.
---
Flashback ends.
Talotkan's voice.....her laughter....echoed in his ears like a ghost.
And in that silent, empty room, Phop Rak cried harder, his heart bleeding with regret.
Maybe…
Maybe all he really wanted…
Was to see her again.