0018

Even though he was driving, Alex's mind wandered faraway with different thoughts running through his head. As his mind raced back to what happened earlier between himself and Rosy, he wondered what he was thinking to have rejected her offer without a thinking it twice. He believed he loved Rosy and wanted to be with her always -but for the rest of his life? He wasn't sure about it.

“...It's not even up to a month since my last marriage ended, I can't jump into another one...”was this even enough reason to turn Rosy's proposal down just like that? Or is there something more to his rejection that even himself can't pinpoint.

Alex ran his left hand through his head, frustration visible on his face —coupled with the eye bags under his eyes because he isn't getting enough sleep since Lisa had left, he looked horrible. He tried to think of something; anything that could justify his action but nothing was to be held accountable, this was just a foolish move on his part.

He got home at almost dawn, still yet to sort his own thoughts out. As he inputted his door pass code, he heard a strange sound like metal clanked a little but shrugged the thoughts off and entered his house with the thought of sleeping out the little time he has left before going to his office.

"You are finally home, isn't it?" He heard a strict voice which made him staggered lightly, completely taken unaware. Who would have dare barge into his house; it's not even that his house was broken into.

Realizing whose voice it is and with an expression of displeasure on his face, he faced the source of the voice —it was his mother. She was sitting comfortably on his favorite couch, her both arms crossed over her chest and her facial expression wasn't entertaining; Alex sensed something was wrong but he did not care at that moment, he's too tired to be bothered by his mother.

"Why are you here, mother?" He asked her, scratching his forehead lightly. "Since how long have you been here? It's not even morning yet —but wait, how did you get my pass code? I did not remember telling you."

"Too many questions at a time, boy but that doesn't even matter at this moment." Mrs. Williams replied, waving his questions off. "Where are you coming from by this time of the day, Alex? I checked your day's schedule, your surgery finished almost five hours ago. It's Rosy this time as well, right?"

Alex seems paranoid, angry that his mother had been tailing his day's activities. "When would you stop all of these and let me have my own peace, Mrs. Williams?" Alex countered, his face crumpled in a deep frown. "Don't you get tired of bossing me around even after I'm grown, huh?"

"You are grown, huh? I see..." She uttered with a tinge of sarcasm in her tone. "You might look grown to yourself, Alex but you don't have what it takes to act like one yet! You are no different from the same little boy I've been nursing for almost three decades, you only changed in size."

Alex scoffs, a sad smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You still see me as that same helpless Alex, don't you?" He asked his mother, his voice seems downcast as he tried to block hurtful memories from flooding in. "You still think you own my life and can control it the way you wish, isn't it?"

"I never said I own your life but I own you, I gave birth to you so I can make you do as I wished, did you still not understand, Alex?" His mother's eyes sparkled with a kind of emotion Alex couldn't fathom but he do see them often. "You do as I say as an appreciation for giving you life!"

"Did I asked to be born?" He blurted out angrily, raising his voice e at his mother. Alex's mother had wanted to slap him for his rash act but kept her cool; she has never raised her hand against him when he was a kid, why should she start now?

"You don't raise your voice on your mother, Alex, I did not bring you up to be this disobedient towards me." Mrs. Williams reprimanded him, her voice stern as well as her facial expression. "You see this as a normal routine to go against me since you met that Rosy of a bitch!"

"She's not a bitch, Mrs. Williams." Alex countered, showing his displeasure towards how she had Rosy described. "She's the woman I love! Try to show her a little respect, why are you so against her without any reason?"

"I'm not against her, son." Her voice was calm but firm. "I'm only against your life getting ruined by some random gold digger who is pretending to love you!"

"Neither is she a gold digger nor did she connive with you to force me into marrying her like Lisa!" Alex thundered, already getting worked up. "Rosy did not use my weakness against me to get what she want like Lisa did."

"What...?" His mother sprouted out in disbelief. "I can see you know nothing Alex! Lisa did not connive with me to have you marry her, it was my idea from the start. Do you know how much length I have to go to convince her before she gave in?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders off. "Well, I don't care." He muttered flatly. "It still doesn't change the fact that she took advantage of our..."

"I'm the one who took advantage of your trust in her." Mrs. Williams quickly interjected, cutting Alex off abruptly. "I see how much she cared and looked after you as her patient and how you trusted her as your nurse, Rosy wasn't even there for you when you were going through hell but Lisa was."

"..." Alex was silent, not knowing the reply to give his mother, he could only sigh without no words. His mother might be right but that doesn't warrant a marriage with Lisa —after all, she was fulfilling her duty as a nurse just as sworn.

"Of course, I did entice Lisa with money but she didn't take a dime from me. Do you still call her greedy? Rosy seeing how well Lisa took care of you and back on your feet had to come out from nowhere and ruin your marriage! Tell me, who am I to choose among the two?"

"You shouldn't have done anything without asking of my opinion, mom." He argued. "Whosoever I choose to spend my life with, I expected you to be okay with it. Why choose for me?"

"I see that you are still adamant, Alex." She countered, holding back her anger. "It's almost two weeks since Lisa left you after realizing how shameful you are but it's fine. For you to right your wrongs, you will have to look for Lisa by all means, I don't care how far you have to go to win her back."

"What...?"