Chapter 217
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“Your mother?” Timothy whispered, and he whipped his head around and looked at her, as if to
confirm for himself.
I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. “I never thought I’d even see her again…” Anger simmered
beneath the surface, a mix of betrayal and confusion.
Timothy ced a hand on my shoulder. “Do you want to go back? We can-
“No,” I interrupted, determination cutting through my words. “I’vee this far; might as well see
what this dinner is really about.”
Timothy’s expression reflected understanding, though concern lingered in his eyes. Together, we
approached Kamran and my mother, a peculiar quartet converging for an evening that had be
far moreplicated than I could have imagined.
Kamran greeted us with a weing smile, oblivious to the storm brewing within me. “Timothy,
Evie, d you could make it. This is Mia,” he said, gesturing toward my mother.
My eyes fixated on Mia, who stood there with an air of calmposure. The woman who had been
absent for so much of my life now stood before me, a stranger in the guise of familiarity. The
question burned on my tongue, demanding release.
“Evie,” Mia acknowledged with a nod. Her face remained neutral. Figures she wouldn’t recognize
her own daughter.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted out, my voice sharper than intended.
Mia blinked, her expression pleasant but guarded. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
I couldn’t fathom the casual tone in her voice. After all these years of silence, all she could muster
was a casual greeting? Anger surged within me, a tempest threatening to break free.
“A while?” I scoffed. “Try a lifetime. Where have you been?”
Timothy and Kamran stood awkwardly to the side. Kamran, attempting to bridge the awkward
silence, asked, “Do you two know each other well?”
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Mia smiled at him before turning her attention back to me. “Evie’s my daughter. We have a lot of
catching up to do.”
The words hung in the air, a delicate dance between the past and the present. I felt a storm of
conflicting emotions, the wounds of abandonment ripping open anew. “Was your n to ‘catch up‘
at a family dinner orchestrated by your boyfriend?”
Kamran attempted to diffuse the tension, suggesting, “Why don’t we head inside? We have a
reservation, and we can talk more there.”
I shook my head, a bitterugh escaping me. “Talk? After all this time, now you want to talk?”
“Evie, please,” she started, and her bottom lip poked out like it usually did when she was
confronted.
The tempest within me refused to be quelled. “No, Timothy. This is long overdue.” I turned to Mia,
my voice cutting through the night air. “You left me with a father who was mentally absent. I had to
navigate that alone. Where were you?”
Mia’s gaze faltered, a hint of remorse flickering in her eyes. “Evie, I-”
“Don’t,” I interjected, my anger boiling over. “Don’t act like you have the right to exin now. You
lost that right a long time ago.”
Kamran attempted to mediate, his voice a measured attempt at peace. “Let’s not do this here.”
I shot him a withering nce. “Figure things out? You’ve got to be kidding me. You invited me to this
twisted family gathering, and now you want us to have a calm, collected conversation?”
Timothy spoke, his tone gentle but firm. “Evie, we can leave now. We don’t have to stay.”
I reluctantly tore my gaze away from Mia, feeling a swirl of emotions that left me dizzy. “No, I’m fine.
Let’s just go inside,” I conceded, though the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach persisted.
As we entered the restaurant, the warm interior felt oppressive. The low hum of conversation, the
clinking of cutlery, it all seemed like a surreal backdrop to the unraveling drama. A waitress led the
way to our table, and as we took our seats, the air hung heavy with unresolved tension.
The atmosphere at the table was strained, the weight of unspoken words threatening to suffocate
us. Kamran, suddenly such a diplomat, attempted to steer the conversation toward safer waters.
“Let’s order and try to enjoy
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the evening. There’s no need for animosity.”
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My mother nodded in agreement. “He’s right, Evie. We can talk about everythingter. For now,
let’s just have dinner.
I clenched my jaw, a seething anger bubbling beneath the surface. The audacity of suggesting a
casual dinner. after all these years of absence infuriated me. “Fine.”
As we navigated the awkward dance of dinner, Kamran’s attempts at pleasant conversation cut
through the strained atmosphere. I reciprocated with forced smiles, my mother’s presence a
constant irritant.
“So, Evie, tell me about yourself. You’re still awyer, right?” Kamran inquired, his tone genuinely
curious. “I saw you win that big case against your firm recently
Well done.”
I took a sip of my wine, choosing my words carefully. “Thank you. I was promoted recently to senior
attorney, so things I have pretty busy for me.”
Kamran nodded. “That’s impressive. Takes a sharp mind to navigate a whole firm.”
I offered a polite smile, the conversation feeling like a charade. “It has its challenges, but I
manage.”
As the evening progressed, I couldn’t shake the sense of unease that settled over me. Kamran’s
attempts at pleasant interaction were disarming, a stark contrast to the cold res he’d given me
before. Mia, sitting beside him, wore an expression of detached amusement that added fuel to the
fire of my resentment.
The delicate dance of dinner took an unexpected turn when I mustered the courage to ask, “So,
how did you two meet?”
Kamran’s eyes twinkled with a mixture of nostalgia and affection. “Mia actually tailored a suit for me
a while back. We hit it off from there, and the rest is history.”
My stomach churned at the casualness with which he spoke. Mia’s eyes, however, held a flicker of
something more, a sentiment that made my skin crawl. The realization hit me like a wave- Kamran
and my mother weren’t just casually dating; they had a history that predated this orchestrated family
dinner.
Timothy, seated across from me, seemed to absorb the revtion with a mix of and his expression
grew distressed. His eyes met mine, silently pleading for reassurance.
“You were with Mia while my mother was still alive?” Timothy asked, his voice unsteady.
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Kamran’s expression hardened, a defensive edge to his words. “Timothy, Lydia and I were already
over by then. Our marriage was falling apart, and Mia and I foundfort in each other.”
The revtion hung in the air, and suddenly I wasn’t the only disappointed child in the room.
Timothy’s gaze flickered between Kamran and Mia and his frown deepened.
An ufortable silence settled over the table as we continued our meal. Kamran and Mia
exchanged flirtatious nces and gentle caresses, leaving Timothy and I to sit awkwardly as
unwilling spectators.
As the dessert arrived, the atmosphere remained charged. Mia suggested, “We should catch up,
Evie. It’s been so en so long.” She handed me a slip of paper with her number, a gesture that felt
flippant in the wake of the revtions.
I nced at the number in my hand, a bitter taste in my mouth. “Catch up? You can’t be serious.”
Mia offered a nonchnt smile. “Life was…plicated, Evie. I think we should discuss it.”
The dismissiveness in her tone fueled the simmering anger within me. “Complicated? You
abandoned me, and now you want to chat over coffee and pretend everything’s fine?”
“Think about it,” she said, and she took my hands in hers, “You’re still my best buddy.”
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