Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Mirror Mirror

There is a ten years leap in the story. Also, flashbacks on what happened in their individual lives. Please read on and I hope you enjoy the story and also kindly drop reviews for me.

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Narrators pov

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"How was school today," Elena asked. Ava angrily dumped her school bag and lunch box on the floor as usual, even though her mother had scolded and asked her to learn to keep her things tidy. Her grandmother instead encouraged and cheered Ava to do as she wished according to her the servants were paid to pick up and tidy the mess.

"They say she looks like me, mum." on the couch. "Can I have a French teacher," Ava asked sulking

"Why? Do you want to learn French?" She looked at her 10 years old daughter, she had her father's facial features, and each time she looked at her she remembered what could have been.

"Yes, I want to learn how to speak French."

"Okay, maybe next year."

"No, I want one now."

"I said next year, you have so much you do already, ballet, piano class, and your schoolwork. Next year." Elena put her foot down, she was gradually trying to set boundaries with her daughter who seemed to be getting out of hand lately.

"Grandma, can I."

"Sure darling, anything for my favorite granddaughter." Mrs. Badmus replied without looking at Elena who stared at her mum angry that she was going against her.

"Thank you, grandma." She stood to leave hopping on towards the kitchen to demand a snack.

"Young lady, come over here and pick up your bags," Elena called out to her child.

"Grandma."

"You can go, darling, the servants would pick them up."

Ava had happily obliged her grandmother who did everything to counter all the disciplinary steps Elena made towards her daughter.

"Mother, you have to stop interfering whenever I'm correcting Ava, you are not helping her at all." Elena tried to reason with her mum, who only scoffed at her.

These days Elena regretted ever going against her husband just to please her mum who had humiliated her so often since Anthony left.

Some months after Anthony left, she started matchmaking with her friend's son Mike.

"Anthony is gone, thank God for that. Don't wallow in self-pity. You are still young and beautiful and any man should be glad to have you in their life."

"But mother, I have two daughters already and I and Anthony are not divorced yet." Elena tried to make her mother see reasons. Even though she had not seen her husband for close to a year she still yearned for him.

"That's not a problem, my lawyer said you can file for divorce based on desertion. I've already told him to start the process."

Elena's heart sank, she wasn't ready to divorce Anthony at least not yet. "Mother you don't know for sure if Anthony won't be coming back."

"You are just naive Elena, what makes you think he isn't already married." She saw that this statement rattled her daughter so she continued.

"As we speak now he might even be expecting a baby too, after all the young man never enjoyed his marriage to you. You guys mostly lived apart." She sneered.

Elena stood up from where she was sitting in the living room, her eyes blurred from the tears that filled her eyes. She almost bumped into the small bar where liquors and spirits were kept and that could have been disastrous.

"Where are you going to Elena." Her mother asked, acting as if she didn't say those things to hurt her.

"To the toilet, I want to relieve myself." Her voice was inaudible mostly because she was close to crying and didn't want to do that in her mum's presence. Unfortunately, Elena had started seeing that her mother wasn't her ally but whatever she did against Anthony in the past was to please herself and her ego.

"I hope you would think about what I just said, Mike is the best man for you." Taking a long drink of her beer she relaxed on the couch and started making plans to get her daughter remarried.

Mrs. Badmus took over everything concerning her daughter and grandchild. Elena was mostly miserable, the matchmaking wasn't what angered her but her mum trying to mum Ava and not allowing Elena to be a mother to her child.

Ava's birthday party had always been planned solely by Mrs. Badmus. She invited all her rich friends and you could count the number of children present at the party. It was as if the party was for her and not for Ava.

When Elena complained, her mother cursed and laughed at her. "Are you not good for nothing Elena, you couldn't even keep your husband with you for a year? You live off your parents and you dare to teach me how to run things in my own home."

Elena had been so sad but she knew there was an element of truth in what her mother said, if only she had listened to Anthony and been a wife to him, if only she had been independent of her mother. She couldn't change the past but she could take charge of things in the present,

So she started celebrating her child's birthday in school even after her mum threw her a lavish party, she still made sure to celebrate a quiet one for Ava amongst her agemates in her school.

Over the years she found solace in doing those minimal things away from home for her daughter and herself.

The joy and happiness she got from sharing quality time with her daughter were enough to keep her going but as the years passed she wanted more and the idea to start dating kept crossing her mind.

Elena knew she won't stay alone forever, no matter what she felt for Anthony she had to move on, but before that she would file for divorce and put an end to her marriage maybe then she would finally be able to start all over again.