Brenda paused in her steps as she slowly turned to look at Catrin.
"What did I do?" she asked, pretending not quite to understand her accusation.
Catrin couldn't help but laugh out loud, not caring that there were still many people around staring at them.
She had already been humiliated beyond measure by her own daughter tonight. And any further addition to it won't make much of a change. Hence, she didn't mind people watching her at her brink of insanity.
"What did you do? Don't you know that already?" she scoffed bitterly. "You ruined all that I tried to build, and now you are asking, 'What did you do?'. Mom, how could you be so cruel to me —your own daughter? Did you not at all feel apologetic?"
Brenda's expression remained composed beneath the storm of Catrin's accusations. She simply stared, waiting for daughter to finish. When she finally did, Brenda replied calmly, "You still haven't understood it at all, Catrin. You never did. Not because things weren't clear enough —but rather because you simply didn't want to acknowledge them."
Catrin heard her and scoffed again, looking away arrogantly.
But Brenda wasn't fazed. She was her mother. And even if she knew her words mighty fall on deaf ears, she still holds both duty and responsibility to make her daughter see the right thing.
"I didn't ruin it all for you, Catrin. You did —yourself. If only you had not been obsessed with controlling everyone around you, things would have come to this. You might still have your daughter by your side. You might still have your husband —"
She didn't complete her words deliberately. People were watching, and she had no desire to embarrass her daughter more than she had already embarrassed herself.
Although Idris and Catrin have come and stood together tonight, Brenda's seasoned eyes could still see the cracks between them. It was heartbreaking for her, but she couldn't deny that all this was the result of Catrin's own choices.
"Obsessed," Catrin echoed as if it were some kind of joke she was listening to. "I am obsessed with controlling … what? Arwen? My own daughter?" her voice cracked with raw disbelief. "So what? Can't you see why I am doing this? I just wanted to make her life better. I am her mother. Don't I have the right to want a good life for her?"
Brenda gave a small, weary smile and nodded. "You do. But that depends on how you define a good life and how Arwen sees it. If Arwen finds joy in a man who cherishes her, supports her, and puts her happiness above his own —then that's enough. A good life shouldn't be limited to your version of it."
Her gaze shifted to Ryan, her expression unreadable but clearly lacking any kind of warm. "Forcing her towards someone who least deserves her will never lead to happiness."
Ryan lowered his head, guilt flickering in his eyes. But he didn't argue. He wanted to, but he failed so much that even though he wanted, no words came to his aid.
"Haha .." Catrin laughed again —an ugly bitter sound. "Ryan doesn't deserve her? Fine. Then who does? Who deserves her?" She pointed towards the exit in disdain. "That pretty man she just left with? That eye-candy who clung to her side like a pet?"
Derision colored her voice as she shook her head. "That man is simply good-for-nothing. Did you not see that he even wore the ring that Arwen got him? Probably, he even wore the clothes that she would have bought for him with her money. Do you think living with him Arwen would be happy?"
"What does he even have to offer her? He is just an eye-candy, waiting to leech off her earnings and income. What could he even offer?"
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