Enemies by Fate, Lovers by Choice

Mira arrived at the restaurant where Luna's mother had asked her to meet. She gazed at the building before taking a deep breath and stepping inside. It was still early, but she had decided to come early to give herself time to prepare. Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, she felt a sense of déjà vu.

At a table by the window, a woman in her 30s with a stern expression was taking a sip of her drink. Even without asking, Mira knew in her heart that this was Luna's mother, Lilith.

' So it's true ' Mira thought, ' like mother, like daughter ' She calmly walked towards Lilith's table.

"Excuse me, Ms. Lilith?" Mira asked.

Lilith looked at the girl in front of her. The girl resembled Maria when she was younger, but she had a different temperament.

Lilith nodded. "Take a seat. Order whatever you like."

Mira didn't hesitate and ordered a milk tea. After placing her order, she waited for Lilith to speak.

Lilith observed the girl sitting with impeccable posture. She had a good impression of her, but knowing she was Maria's child, she couldn't bring herself to like her.

Mira's milk tea arrived shortly, and she decided to break the silence however Lilith manage to speak first

"Are you close with Luna?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," Mira answered without hesitation.

"Why help her?" Lilith inquired.

"I'm not helping her. I just want everything to be fair and for those who deserve it to be rewarded," Mira replied.

"Oh," Lilith said, then continued, "Tell me what you want. I'll give it to you."

Mira frowned as she tasted her milk tea. "What do you mean, ma'am? I already told you I don't need anything,"

"Just say what you want," Lilith said seriously. "In exchange, don't get close to my daughter."

Mira laughed sarcastically. She knew that Luna's mother had a negative impression of her simply because she was Maria's child.

"Ma'am, that kind of line is for those who want to chase after your daughter. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. Besides, so what if we get close?"

"Get close? Are you even worthy? Don't even think about it!" Lilith snapped.

"You look down on me as if I've done something unspeakable," Mira countered.

"You haven't, but your mother did," Lilith said sternly, her voice laced with disgust.

This look provoked Mira's self-control. "Hahaha, my mother?" Mira asked, laughing as if she had heard a joke. But the next second, her gaze turned cold, and her hatred was palpable. The anger she had been suppressing seemed to boil over the moment Lilith mentioned her mother. "Don't even mention my mother. It's because of you that my mother suffered."

Lilith felt uncomfortable hearing that Maria had suffered, but she believed she had done nothing wrong. "What do you even know? What? Did she tell you I bullied her? Or seduced her man—"

"Enough, Ms. Lilith," Mira interrupted. "Don't disrespect my mother. I only decided to meet you because I was curious what kind of person you are."

"What do you mean?" Lilith asked 

"What I mean is, in your eyes, my mother is nothing," Mira said, her voice laced with bitterness. "That's why you could leave her without thinking twice in the most critical moment when she needed you the most!"

"You know nothing," Lilith said, her hand trembling beneath the table. She wasn't trembling out of fear of Mira but because she couldn't express her emotions well. What Mira said about her not thinking twice to leave Maria was obviously false. She had tried to reach out, but every time she did, she was rebuffed by Mira's father, who claimed that Maria didn't want to see her and didn't need her. This hurt Lilith deeply.

Mira didn't want to lose her temper and be disrespectful, but she couldn't help it when facing the person her mother had always wanted to see but couldn't.

"Yeah, I know nothing," Mira said after regaining her composure. "But I saw how she suffered. But you, you know nothing from the beginning to the end." She continued, her voice cold. "You don't have to worry about me getting close to your daughter. I don't even want to have anything to do with your family."

She stood up to pay the bill without waiting for Lilith to say anything and walked out, leaving Lilith in a daze.

Mira continued walking until she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She looked up to prevent herself from crying. It wasn't her intention to have a conflict with Luna's mother, but she had lost her cool the moment her mother was mentioned.

She kept walking and then remembered to check her phone, which had vibrated earlier. She saw a message from Luna. She smiled bitterly. 'I'm sorry' she thought. 'It seems I won't be able to fulfill my promise' 

 

Lilith didn't know how she managed to get home. Mira's words were like a knife stabbing her in her blind spot. Like Mira said, although that unfortunate event happened with people closest to her, she was left in the dark. Everyone acted as if it was Maria's fault, and she had believed it, especially after seeing them in bed. But she also wanted to hear Maria's side, but she was always blocked. She thought Maria knew about it.

Thinking about what Mira said, Lilith got a headache. Her hand was still trembling. Now she was scared, scared that maybe, just maybe, she had missed something and it was already too late to fix it. No one knew how important Maria was to her, so it was even more painful for her that this accident had happened.

Lilith keep frowning, she doesn't want to believe to anything Mira said but a part of her heart inexplicably urging her to meet the person she hated the most yet.. she loves the most. She wants to know what happened back then, she wants to hear Maria's voice again, she wants to see the person who gives color to her life before.