We have been married for more than ten years now, Dorian and I. There have been challenges that would cause most pairs to break apart. As a couple, we have been through the pain of losing our jobs, the loss of his father, and a few close breakups.
Is that Seraphina, his mother? It is she who has been the raging storm that never ceases to swirl.
She made it abundantly clear from the beginning that I was not deserving of her cherished son. At Christmas, she might be seen smiling coldly at me, and throughout family meals, she would sneak insults at me. On the other hand, it was the kind of subtle animosity that does not leave any obvious signs yet wounds profoundly nonetheless.
My naive expectation was that things would change after the birth of our daughter, Liora, which occurred six years ago. What Dorian refers to as his brilliant light is her. He tells her stories in a humorous tone before she goes to sleep, constructs forts out of blankets, and allows her to color his nails. Liora has never been treated as anything other than his universe by him at any point in time.
That icy heart of Seraphina’s would have been warmed if she had become a grandmother, in all likelihood. However, it did not.
And the events that transpired that evening… they broke something inside of me.
“Could we really be expected to show up?” While I was watching Dorian struggle with his tie in the mirror that morning, I asked him the question.
“Mom, this is her sixty-first birthday, Marina. She is going to make sure that we never forget it if we do not go.
And if we do decide to go?
On his collar, Dorian’s hands paused for a moment. “It is highly likely that she will find another method to make us miserable.”
While he was adjusting his tie, he inquired, “You set?” We are unable to arrive late to her big six o’clock.
Liora’s clothing was smoothed down, and I faked a smile on my face. The phrase “ready as we’ll ever be”
There was a naïve part of me that continued to believe that Seraphina might, just might, treat Liora as if she were a member of the family.
This is a major mistake.
We came within the allotted time. Grabbing a handmade birthday card that she had spent hours decorating with glitter and heart stickers, Liora jumped up and down with a gleeful expression on her face. The excitement in her eyes was palpable as she exclaimed, “Grandma is going to absolutely adore this!”
My stomach was in a spin. What if we had known what was going to happen?
It appeared as though Seraphina’s home had been taken straight from a high-end magazine. Tiny lights emanated from each and every tree. The valet service imparted a sense of exclusivity to the guests. On the deck, the music band created the ideal atmosphere for the occasion. She had invited everyone, including her family members who lived far away, her old school friends, and even her personal trainer.
As soon as we entered the building, I became aware of the arrangement of the seats. A sophisticated table that was draped in white cloth was placed in the main dining hall. Stunning delicacies sparkled brightly amid the glimmering lights. Using embellished writing, name cards were used to mark each seat.
Located close to the large window, there was a smaller table that was adorned with colorful plates and brilliant balloons. At that table were the children. Every single child has their name card arranged in an orderly fashion. excluding Liora, every single child.
What is the location of my daughter’s seat? Questioning Seraphina, I was perplexed.
She sipped her wine and flashed that ferocious grin that I had come to despise over the years. In the direction of the back of the house, she pointed. “That’s up there.”
My heart sunk as I followed her move, and I was shocked. A metal folding chair was found in the restroom, sandwiched between a heap of soiled towels and the hum of the dryer. As she sat there, Liora held a narrow paper plate that had a bread roll, two very small carrots, and a bread roll.
When I got closer to her, her small hand grabbed my dress and held it. Why is it that I can’t sit with the rest of the people, Mommy? Have I committed a horrible act?
The anger that I had never experienced before caused my chest to burn.
The name “Seraphina.” I went to my mother-in-law for assistance. “What exactly is the significance of this?”
With that stern grin that never seemed to go away, she came at the doorway. Please, Marina, don’t be such a dramatic person. There, she won’t have any problems at all.”
“Is that okay? You would like for my daughter to have her dinner next to your dirty clothes, right? Why would you choose to act in this manner?
The eyes of Seraphina shone with a spiteful glint. “Because she does not abide by the traditions that this family follows. Tonight, everyone will finally understand why this is the case.
The temperature of my blood dropped. It is unclear what you are referring about.
She turned around and walked back toward the dining hall, her heels tapping against the wood floor like a ticking clock. This occurred before I had the opportunity to demand a genuine account of the situation.
It is unclear what Grandma meant. Liora mumbled, her brown eyes welling up with tears as she shed them.
As I crouched down next to her, my hands began to shake. It’s hard for me to say, dear. Nevertheless, we are going to find out.”
In an effort to attract attention, Seraphina used a fork to tap the bottom of her wine glass. The room fell silent, and talks came to a halt in the middle of their sentences. Everyone’s attention was drawn to her.
As she started talking, my heart started to beat faster. Thank you very much for being here with us tonight. This is a very important comment I want to make about Liora before we eat.
From the other side of the room, Dorian’s head suddenly jerked up, and his face became pale.
The smile on Seraphina’s face became nasty. “I’ve wondered about this for quite some time now. Over the course of the previous month, I took it upon myself to remove a single strand of hair from Liora’s brush as she was celebrating her birthday. Only a single strand of hair. I mailed it out to be tested for DNA.
The crowd reacted with gasps that were like blocks falling from the sky. I was on the verge of collapsing. Dorian appeared to have been struck by a lightning bolt.
Seraphina added, “I wanted to be absolutely certain,” and she took pleasure in each and every word. Furthermore, the findings were highly illuminating. It has come to my attention that Liora is not biologically my grandchild. All of this indicates that Marina has been lying to my kid for a number of years.
I was able to hear the hammering of my heartbeat in my ears as the room immediately fell into perfect silence.
Dorian’s expression changed from one of amazement to one of pain, and then finally to one of rage. The tension in his jaw became so intense that I was afraid he may break his teeth.
After that, there was a change in his facial expression. Eventually, the rage evolved into something that was more icy and substantial. After repositioning himself in his chair, he cautiously rose up as the entire room’s attention was focused on him.
“Mom, do you really want to get this done in front of everyone? It’s fine.”
He turned around to face the visitors who were stunned. “On a biological level, Liora is not mine. The statement made by my mother is accurate. On the other hand, she failed to highlight the fact that I have been aware of this fact ever since before Liora was ever conceived.
As Dorian continued, the room was filled with shocked whispers coming from inside. “I am unable to have children. When I was 26 years old, I discovered it. IVF with a donor was the option that Marina and I decided to go with. The therapies, injections, and surgeries that she underwent lasted for several months. During each and every one of her visits, I was there, and I was holding her hand throughout it all.
Although he was looking directly at Seraphina, his eyes were burning. Due to the fact that it is nobody’s business, we decided to keep it a secret. For you to sneak about gathering my daughter’s hair like some crazed spy, you have not only embarrassed Marina; you have also embarrassed me. You have insulted our child. You have embarrassed me.
It was as if a taut rope was about to break under the strain of the silence.
“Mom, do you have a desire to learn the truth? Liora is more of a part of my life than she ever could be of yours. I went with her. To defend her, I fought. What’s more, I adore her more than I love life itself. It was a small wavering in his voice. “And you just missed out on the opportunity to get to know her.”
He gave me a look before nodding his head in the direction of the exit. We will be leaving.
We were in the process of grabbing our coats when Seraphina came sprinting after us, her makeup dripping down her face.
Dorian, if you please! Hold on! Wow, I had no idea! Shouldn’t you have told me about it?
Although he came to a stop, Dorian did not turn around. What did I just tell you, Mom?
“With regard to… the procedure! It is the donor! I wish I had known…”
“What would you wish to have? Liora was not treated as well? You loved her in a different way?
“All I was doing was attempting to protect you.”
Protect me from what exactly? And from my very own daughter? What about my wife?
By avoiding being deceived! That Marina was trying to deceive you, I thought!
At long last, Dorian turned his attention to Seraphina. This evening, you were the only one who managed to fool anyone in this room. Because of your twisted beliefs, you degraded a youngster who was only six years old in front of thirty devoted individuals.
Now, however, I am her grandmother! I am entitled to that information!
“You have every reason to have faith in your son. On the contrary, you opted for distrust. He gazed at her with an expression of genuine disdain. And now you have both of us in your possession.
After coming to a complete stop in the doorway, he made one last loop around. “In order to preserve your selfish pride, you have just attempted to destroy my family. It’s over for us here.”
The night air was brisk, and we decided to walk outside. Liora gently swayed both of our hands in a manner that was consistent with her usual behavior.
The silence was broken by her delicate and perplexed voice, which was little. “Daddy, do you still want me to be your little girl? Despite the fact that my hair does not match yours?
Suddenly, Dorian came to a stop. He got down on his knees and held her face in his hands, tears welling up in his eyes as he did so.
I want to tell you, baby daughter, that you are the most desired and most cherished little girl in the entire world. Before you were even born, your mother and I had dreams about you for a number of years. We went with you. There was a wait for you. In addition, we battled for you.
“However, Grandma advised me that I am not…”
Please put what Grandma said out of your mind, honey. A family is not formed by DNA alone. It is love that does. And I have loved you ever since the moment you took your first breath, my darling.
She flung her arms around his neck and embraced him. “Yes, Daddy, I love you as well.”
On the other side of town, we sat down in a quaint kitty café an hour later. Despite the fact that she had shed tears earlier, Liora couldn’t help but laugh when a tiny orange kitten crawled into her lap.
Are you able to come back to this location for my next birthday? While she was softly rubbing the kitten’s fur, she requested.
“Without a doubt!” After placing his arm around my shoulders, Dorian spoke.
As I observed my husband and daughter eat a cookie together, their heads were bowed together in a conversation that was very quiet. Seraphina had made an attempt to drive a wedge between us, but we had managed to emerge more resilient.
I was alerted by the sound of another text message from her. It was the fifteenth one since we had left: “I beg your forgiveness. I have committed a terrible error.
Dorian gave the screen a quick peek before reaching across to turn my phone over so that the screen was facing down. He admonished, “Do not.” Some bridges are designed to remain in a state of flame.
There was a profound realization that came to me while we were walking to the car later that night, with Liora skipping between us. As a means of destroying our family, Seraphina believed that she might employ biology as a weapon. Instead, she had provided us with the opportunity to demonstrate that love triumphs over heredity in every single instance.
“What’s up, Mommy?” The sound of Liora’s voice was now drowsy. The question is, “Will Grandma Seraphina ever apologize?”
I turned my attention to Dorian, who was looking in a forward direction. In the end, he stated, “When it comes down to it, there are certain individuals who reveal their true nature to you.” And when they do, you have faith in what they say.
With our tiny family of three intact and more powerful than ever before, we drove home in a warm and quiet atmosphere. It was possible for Seraphina to keep her apology. We possessed something that she would never be able to understand… such a love that could not be put to the test, measured, or destroyed by the cruel schemes of any one.
