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I follow her into the living room where she gestures for me to sit. After her response when I arrived, I didn’t expect her to allow me in, but now I’m here, I may as well take the opportunity and broach the subject I want to discuss.
“Well, it’s not about the society. It’s about his father…and you. Ever since Tarian learned he’d lost both his parents, he’s struggled. But now he’s discovered you’re still alive, it’s getting worse.”
Mrs. Calvert’s expression darkens at the mention of her deceased husband. A shadow of pain crosses her features before she quickly masks it with a veneer of indifference.
“What about his dead father?” She waves a hand in the air as if he meant nothing to her. “He stopped being my concern once he was buried six feet under. Tarian is nothing like the monster I married, and I’m thankful every day for that. I believe my son’s a better person because he didn’t have either of us to raise him. He certainly doesn’t need his parents now that he’s a grown man. He needs to sort himself out and move on.”
My mouth pops open in shock as I regard her. Apart from the anger I saw earlier, she has shown no emotion. Any evidence of heartbreak, remorse, or even just some kind of affection for her son or late husband is non-existent as she speaks.
“How the hell can he move on when you’re here, making a mockery of his childhood. He lost both his parents and was abandoned by his uncle. He needed his mother, and finding out that you were still alive and didn’t choose to be with him has finally broken him.” I doubt Tarian wants his mother to know these things, but I can’t stop myself from letting them spill out. “You have to go to Tarian, Mrs. Calvert. You need to tell him the truth and explain to him in person why you left him. You owe him that much, surely.”
A flicker of emotion dances in her eyes, but it’s gone too quickly for me to identify it. However, I can clearly see the look of resentment etched on her face. Her body is tense, and her hands are fisted tightly at her sides, making her knuckles turn white as she pins me with a cold, hard glare.
Her eyes, so similar to her son’s, hold nothing but contempt for me.
“I know about your history with my father, Mrs. Calvert. I know you were in love with him before he married my mother.”
Tarian’s mother recoils as if I’ve struck her with my hand. Her mask of indifference crumbles in the face of my revelation.
“How… how dare you speak of a past you know nothing about?” she hisses as she takes a few steps toward me. “That man destroyed my life, and you have the audacity to bring him up in my presence? You have no right to talk to me about him. You shouldn’t be with my son. But I can’t tell him what to do. He’s no longer a child, and even if I tried to offer him advice, I know he’d just brush it off.” Her voice drips with venom as she speaks.
“I’m good for your son,” I throw back as frustration and anger overtake me. “I looked after him while you didn’t. I was there for him when he needed me, and I would never abandon him.” Even as the words come out of my mouth, I want to pull them back.
“It seems you’ve abandoned him now,” she retorts.
I take a step closer to her, my resolve strengthening in the face of this woman’s hostility. I’m not a violent person, but when pushed, I will fight for those I love.
“I’m not here to dredge up the past, Mrs. Calvert. I only brought it up to remind you how our past relationships can affect the people we become. I’m here because Tarian needs closure, and you’re the only one who can give it to him. I’m not asking you to love him, or even act like a real mother, but I’m hoping you can be a half decent human being and talk to him. Face-to-face.”
For a moment, there’s silence as she regards me with a mixture of disbelief and begrudging respect, and then I see her shoulders slumping with defeat.
“Fine,” she relents, her voice barely a whisper. “But make no mistake, Grecia. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for my son.”
Finally, I see evidence of emotion. Maybe she’s consciously hiding it or she’s refusing to let herself feel it, but there is some humanity inside this woman.
“Thank you,” I respond with a nod.
I didn’t think I’d get her to agree. Bringing up my father was underhand, but I want to do all I can to make sure Tarian gets what he needs to heal. Even though he’s acted like an asshole, I can’t bring myself to stop caring about him.
My heart weighs heavy with memories of the times I’ve spent with Tarian. We’ve had so many special moments, but I know I have to let him go. He can’t be allowed to believe a liar over me and treat me like trash ever again.
“You love him,” she says suddenly.
“I don’t know.” I shrug, not wanting to talk about my feelings with this woman.
She nods slowly before saying, “I’ll show you out.”
As we make our way through the dimly lit corridor to the front door, I can’t shake the feeling that beneath Mrs. Calvert’s icy exterior there’s a woman haunted by the ghosts of her past.
“Sweetheart,” Thane’s cold tone comes from the sweeping staircase behind me as we reach the foyer, and my feet stop in their tracks.
Mrs. Calvert turns, and I witness the way she looks at Thane. There’s an emotion in her eyes that was absent throughout our meeting. The woman in front of me, whose heart appears to be as fractured as my own and her son’s, seems to have found true happiness.
Granted, it is with a domineering asshole, but who am I to judge.
“I don’t think you should be leaving so soon, Grecia,” Tarian’s uncle says as he makes his way down the stairs to where we’re standing. His movements are slow and calculated.
“Grecia can’t stay,” Mrs. Calvert tells him, and her tone is tight with something I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s anxiety, fear even, but I can hear it entwined in her words as she speaks.
