Chapter 327: Nowhere to Go (GT Bonus - )

"Hey."

Mary turned around, her stomach clenching on reflex.

Her mother watched her from across the room, bottle in hand, a malicious smile on her lips.

"That little boyfriend of yours," her mother said, taking a swig from the bottle without taking her eyes off her. "The one upstairs... what’s his name?"

Mary froze completely, her hand still on the doorknob.

"Who’s name?" she answered, forcing a nervous laugh. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mom... I’m just going for a walk. That’s all."

"A walk..." her mother repeated, drawing the word out with obvious mockery. "Right. A walk."

"Yeah, that. I’ll be back in a—"

"I followed you the other day."

Hearing that, Mary felt like time had come to a complete stop.

"I saw you," her mother went on, finishing off the bottle of liquor in one gulp. "Saw you climbing the stairs, hanging all over that boy. Saw the two of you go into his apartment together, all cozy."

"..."

"So don’t give me any of this walk crap. I’m not an idiot."

Mary’s heart started racing, her mind scrambling desperately for any excuse, any lie that could get her out of this.

"At least tell me you make him wear a condom," her mother continued, curling her lip in disgust. "Because if you’re not careful, you’re going to end up alone, dirt poor, dragging around some brat you hate that ruins your whole life... You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?"

The jab was clear enough to sting, but Mary didn’t have time for that.

"It’s nothing like that!" Mary said quickly, waving her hands as she tried to explain. "Mom, seriously, you’re misreading this. What you saw doesn’t mean what you think it means."

"Oh, it doesn’t?"

"No! That guy was so drunk he nearly fell down the stairs. I just helped him get to his apartment so he wouldn’t hurt himself, okay? Just a favor between neighbors... there’s absolutely nothing between us, I swear."

Her mother said nothing for a moment.

Then she set the empty bottle aside and walked slowly toward her, until she was standing right in front of her.

She looked down at her, using every inch of her height advantage, with an expression of pure contempt.

"You know how I know you’re lying?" she said quietly.

Mary swallowed.

"It’s your face," her mother went on, a cold smile spreading across her lips. "I wish you could see yourself right now... that panicked look you’ve got. It’s exactly like a kid who just got caught doing something bad and has no idea how to talk their way out of it. You’re a terrible liar, Mary."

"I’m not lying," Mary insisted, though her voice shook. "I swear, I just helped him, there’s nothing—"

"Fine, fine," her mother cut her off, shrugging with fake indifference. "If what you’re saying is really true, then you won’t mind if I go pay your little friend a visit myself, will you?"

Mary’s stomach twisted.

"What...?"

"You heard me." Her mother started walking calmly toward the door. "I’m going up to meet him. I’m curious what’s so special about this guy that my daughter dolls herself up every time she knows she’s going to see him."

Mary’s eyes went wide.

"Although, thinking about it... maybe I should thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve had a little fun," a malicious smile spread across her mother’s face. "Who knows, maybe I can show him what it’s like to fuck a real woman."

She let out a cruel laugh.

"And if things go well, maybe I’ll even land him as your new daddy."

And she reached for the doorknob.

"No!"

Mary reacted on pure instinct, grabbing her arm, stopping her with a desperation that even surprised herself.

"Please, don’t," she begged, her eyes filling with tears. "Please, Mom, leave him alone... I’m begging you... I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t go up there—"

The punch caught her square in the face.

"I told you not to touch me!" her mother screamed, furious. "You disgust me!"

Mary hit the floor from the impact, her glasses flying off, clattering against the tile with a sharp crack.

When she looked up, dazed, her cheek burning, she saw the lenses had cracked.

Before she could recover, her mother grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up violently, dragging her toward the door.

"So it was true after all!" her mother snarled, throwing the door open. "You’re completely head over heels for that idiot. Well, perfect. If you love him so much, grab your things and go live with your new dildo."

She shoved her out of the apartment without an ounce of care, and Mary ended up on her knees in the hallway.

"Get out!" she screamed from the doorway. "Quit getting in my way, quit ruining my life. I never want to see you here again, you ungrateful little bitch."

Mary stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"After everything I sacrificed for you... this is how you repay me? Ditching me for the first dick that crosses your path?"

Mary didn’t even get the chance to respond. Her mother slammed the door in her face, the crash echoing down the entire hallway.

She was left on the floor, alone and shaking.

Her face hurt, her scalp hurt, but none of it compared to the knot twisted in her chest.

With clumsy fingers, she felt along the tiles until she found her glasses, and when she picked them up and put them on, she saw the world split apart through the cracks in the lenses.

The tears started falling before she could hold them back.

Mary sank down onto the hallway floor, hugging her knees as the tears ran down her face.

She cried in silence for a long while, not knowing what to do or where to go.

She had no money. She had no home to go back to.

Her mother had just thrown her out of the only home she’d ever known, leaving her in the hallway with nothing but the clothes on her back and a pair of broken glasses.

She had absolutely no one.

But then, little by little, through the tears, a thought began working its way into her mind.

There was one place she could go.

One single place where, maybe, just maybe, someone might be willing to let her stay the night.

Mary wiped away her tears and, after tucking her broken glasses into her pocket, forced herself to her feet.

Then she slowly started climbing the stairs to the floor above.

To Mark’s apartment.

When she reached the door, Mary took a deep breath and knocked.

Knock

Knock

Knock

But no one answered.

She knocked again, a little harder this time, and waited.

But on the other side there was only silence.

She tried a third time, then a fourth, pounding the wood with growing anxiety, but no matter how many times she tried, she got no response at all.

And with every failed attempt, the thin thread of hope she’d been clinging to unraveled a little more.

’I’m such an idiot...’ she thought, feeling the ache in her chest swell again. ’I should’ve known... There’s no place in this world for someone like me... Not here, not anywhere... There never was.’

Her vision blurred again.

She lowered her hand, resigned, and turned to leave, ready to go find some bench, some random corner of the street to spend the night out in the cold.

Whatever, it didn’t matter anymore.

But just as she started to walk away, she heard the click of the lock behind her.

The door opened.

And there was Mark, leaning against the frame, eyes half-closed, face flushed from alcohol, barely managing to keep himself upright.

"Mmm...?" he mumbled, slurring, trying to focus on the figure standing in front of him. "Who’re you...?"

Mark squinted even harder, studying her for a few seconds, trying to make out her face through the blur the alcohol had left over his vision.

Then something shifted in his expression.

The confusion vanished all at once, replaced by a mix of surprise and longing Mary had never seen in him before.

Mark’s eyes began welling up as a trembling smile spread across his lips.

"...Rebecca?" he said, throwing the door wide open. "Rebecca, sweetheart... is that you? Did you... did you really come back?"