Chapter 333

Mia's face paled beneath a mask of denial, her hands trembling as she reached for her purse. "I-I don't know how her phone got in there," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "It must be a mistake."

But the truth was plain to see, the evidence of Mia's deceit laid bare before us like a damning verdict. “Mom…”

Mia's eyes darted away, her hands shaking as she struggled to formulate a response. "I...I meant to give it back to her," she stammered, her voice wavering with uncertainty. "She left it at my house, and I forgot to return it."

But her feeble attempt at deception fell flat, her lies unraveling before my eyes like a poorly woven tapestry. The truth was plain to see, the evidence of her betrayal laid bare for all to witness.

Before I could confront her further, Lucas emerged from Aria's hospital room, his brow furrowed with concern. "Is everything alright?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

I turned to face him, my eyes blazing with righteous fury. "No," I declared, my voice trembling with indignation. "My mother is a liar, Lucas. She's been hiding something from us all along."

Mia's face flushed with anger as she turned on her heel and stomped away once more, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. Without a word, she disappeared into the women's restroom, and I growled.

“What happened?” Lucas asked right as I turned away. I faced him and jammed a finger at the space my mother had been occupying before running off.

“She had the phone. And now I’m about to see why. Stay with Aria.”

“Wait, Evie-” He started, but I was already rushing down the hall.

The hallway echoed with the sound of my hurried footsteps as I followed Mia into the dimly lit restroom, my heart pounding with a mix of anger and fear. I couldn't let her get away with what she had done, not this time.

"Mom, wait!" I called out, my voice trembling with emotion as I pushed open the door to the restroom. "We need to talk."

Mia froze in her tracks, her back stiffening as she turned to face me, her expression a mixture of defiance and fear. "I don't have anything to say to you, Evie," she spat.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but the anger inside me threatened to boil over. "You don't get to just walk away from this," I said, my voice shaking with emotion. "You need to explain yourself. Now."

Mia's eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched tight as she took a step backwards, as if trying to put some distance between us. But I refused to back down.

"You have five seconds to tell me what happened," I said, my voice cold and calculated. "Or I'll have no choice but to get the authorities involved."

For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the sound of our heavy breathing and the distant hum of the restroom's ventilation system. And then, finally, Mia spoke.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

I felt a surge of frustration rise within me. Did she really expect me to believe that? After everything that had happened?

"Don't play dumb with me!" I snapped, my patience wearing thin. "Aria knows something about you, and you keep trying to silence her."

“The girl just survived a fire! Of course, she’s suffering delusions and will blame anybody for what happened. It’s only natural.”

"She just doesn't want you to hear how much of a psycho she is," I muttered under my breath, my words laced with bitterness and resentment.

But Mia's fury knew no bounds, her anger boiling over into violence as she lashed out with a vicious strike. Instinct took over as I dodged her blow, my muscles tensing with a surge of adrenaline.

In a fit of rage, I retaliated, throwing her to the ground with a force born of righteous indignation. "You can't silence me anymore," I declared, my voice ringing out clear and strong. "Give the phone back, now."

Tears welled in Mia's eyes as she stared at me, her expression a mixture of hurt and disbelief. "When did I raise such an ungrateful daughter?" she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

I couldn't believe the audacity of my mother as she stood there, tears in her eyes, asking me when she raised such an ungrateful daughter. The nerve of her to play the victim when she's the one who's made my life a living hell.

"What did you do to deserve it?" I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "How about years of emotional manipulation? How about never once considering what I wanted?"

Mia's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "Evie, please, just listen to me—"

"Don't you dare tell me to listen to you!" I interrupted, my anger boiling over. "You've never listened to me! Not once!"

Tears welled up in her eyes, but I refused to let myself be swayed by her crocodile tears. She had no right to play the victim now. Admittedly, the hurt in her eyes almost made me feel guilty, but I quickly pushed the feeling aside.

She deserved every bit of my anger.

"And don't even get me started on Dad," I continued, my voice dripping with venom. "Even he was a better parent before he chose that bottle over me!"

I saw a flash of anger in Mia's eyes at the mention of my father, but it quickly faded into resignation. "Your father was never worth anything anyway," she snapped, her temper flaring. "He was a drunk, a failure—"

"Don't you dare talk about him like that!" I shouted, my voice shaking with rage. "At least he tried! At least he loved me! I was always your burden."

For a moment, Mia looked taken aback, as if she hadn't expected me to defend my father. But then her expression hardened, and I knew I had pushed her too far.

"I just…" I began, my anger giving way to regret. "I just... I just wish things were different between us."

Mia sneered. “Wish all you like. I actually put in the effort, which you refuse to acknowledge even to this day.”

I clenched my fists, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. I wanted to believe that my mother could change, that she could be the mother I needed her to be. But deep down, I knew it was hopeless.

Mia's expression hardened, her features set in a mask of cold indifference. "Fine," she spat, her voice icy with contempt. "If that's how you want it, you can have Aria's phone back."

Before I could stop her, Mia disappeared into one of the restroom stalls, the sound of rushing water echoing in the silence. With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I watched in horror as she dropped the cellphone into the toilet, the water swallowing it whole.

With a cool detachment that sent chills down my spine, Mia emerged from the stall, her expression unreadable. "Enjoy your life while it lasts," she remarked in a tone devoid of emotion before turning on her heel and striding out of the restroom.