Souls Remember What Matters — Corey Gibson 28
Chapter 28- Face Them Instead
SERA
I stood outside Luna’s bedroom door for what felt like hours, my hand pressed against the wood, listening to Darius’s low voice trying to comfort our daughter. My daughter. The one who had just said she hated me.
The words kept echoing in my head, sharp and cruel despite coming from such a small, innocent mouth.
I hate Mommy.
My legs finally gave out and I slid down the wall in the hallway, pulling my knees to my chest. The tears came hot and fast, silent sobs that shook my whole body. I pressed my fist against my mouth to keep any sound from escaping, not wanting Luna to hear me crying.
What kind of mother was I that my own daughter hated me?
I thought about all the nights I’d spent rocking her to sleep when she was a baby, singing lullabies until my voice went hoarse. All the scraped knees I’d kissed better, all the bad dreams I’d chased away, all the bedtime stories I’d read until the words blurred together.
And somehow, despite all of that, I’d still failed her.
It wasn’t just that, there was also Darius…what did he also think about all of this?
Was he truly serious about leaving Vivienne behind?
Would he blame me afterwards? Hate me for separating him from a woman who he probably shared an intense past with?
Maybe my desperation to want a family so much has made me a bad mom.
Am I a bad mom?
The door opened and Darius stepped out, nearly tripping over me sitting on the floor. His eyes widened when he saw my tear–stained face.
“Sera,” he said softly understanding immediately dawning in his features, crouching down beside me. “She didn’t mean it,” He reassured quietly, his voice was soft, honest yet, I couldn’t bring myself to believe him.
“She said it, didn’t she?” My voice came out thick and broken. “Those words came out of her mouth,” I added with an uncontrollable shiver. To be honest, I thought I was done showing Darius my tears, letting him see me in such a pathetic state, yet.
“She’s four years old. She was upset and confused-”
I shook my head slowly.
“She’s four years old and she already sees me as the villain in her story.” I wiped my eyes roughly with the back of my hand. “Just like everyone else does. Your sister, Vivienne. And now my own daughter,” The thought of it was so heartbreaking. It spread an ache through my chest, slowly stealing the breath from my lungs as I tried to come to terms with just how badly my life has spiraled.
Darius sat down beside me on the floor, our backs against the wall. “You’re not the villain, Sera. You’re the
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person who loves Luna more than anything in this world.”
“Then why does she hate me?” The question came out as barely a whisper.
We sat in silence for a long moment, the weight of everything pressing down on both of us.
“Luna wants to say sorry,” Darius said finally. “But I think she needs some time to understand what she did wrong first.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“Sera, she loves you. More than anything. You have to believe that.”
“I want to,” I whispered. “I want to believe that so badly. But it’s hard when I keep failing her. When I keep being the reason she’s unhappy.”
“You’re not-”
“I am.” I stood up, my legs shaky beneath me. “I’m the reason we’re moving away from her friend. I’m the reason there’s tension in this house. I’m the reason everything is falling apart.”
“That’s not true.”
But it felt true. It felt like everything I touched turned to ash, like I was cursed to destroy the very things I loved
most.
I thought about my own childhood then. About being the orphan girl who never quite fit anywhere, who was always too much or not enough. About learning to be invisible, to not ask for too much, to be grateful for whatever scraps of affection came my way.
I’d promised myself my daughter would never feel that way. That Luna would grow up knowing she was loved, wanted, cherished beyond measure.
And somehow, I’d still managed to fail.
“I need to fix this,” I said, more to myself than to Darius.
“How?”
“I don’t know yet. But running away isn’t the answer.” I straightened my shoulders, wiping the last of my tears away. “I’ve been running from problems my whole life. It’s time I learned to face them instead.”
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