Enemies by Fate, Lovers by Choice

Luna walked back and forth in her room, feeling worried. She wanted to be there for her Aunt Maria, who was scared, but she was also worried about her own mom, Lilith. As her mother could be unpredictable, and that made Luna nervous.

 

After a while, Luna went out to her balcony for some peace. She locked the door so her mom wouldn't come in suddenly. She needed to think.

 

Luna didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell Mira about what happened, but she was afraid to talk about their parents' conflict. She was scared that it would change their friendship, which was really important to her. She shook her head and decided to focus on helping Maria. She called Maria.

 

"Aunt Maria, how are you feeling now?" Luna asked, sounding worried.

 

"Thank you, Luna. I'm okay now. It turns out the person who was following me lives around here too. Maybe I just imagined it... but it was weird that she parked so close. Maybe the driver was confused," Maria said, trying to explain it away.

 

Luna listened, but she felt bad. She knew the truth - her mother was following Maria on purpose. But she didn't want to say anything, because she wasn't sure of the pros and cons yet.

 

"Luna?" Maria asked, bringing Luna back to the conversation.

 

"Yes, Aunt," Luna said, her voice a little shaky.

 

"You must be tired. Thank you for being there earlier. You should rest," Maria said kindly.

 

Luna felt bad for pretending she didn't know what was going on. Maria was so nice to her, and treated her like her own daughter, which made Luna feel even more guilty.

 

"Aunt, I'm free tomorrow. Don't go to work. I have something important to tell you," Luna said, sounding serious.

 

Maria could tell Luna was serious, but she hesitated. "Do I really need to stay home from work?"

 

"Yes... it's about... my mom," Luna said nervously, closing her eyes, waiting for Maria's answer.

 

Maria thought for a moment. She liked her job, but if it was about Lilith, it was more important. "Okay," she said.

 

"I'll come see you tomorrow morning. Is that okay, Auntie?" Luna asked, hoping Maria would agree.

 

"Of course. Are you nervous?" Maria asked, sounding concerned.

 

"Well," Luna said, unable to hide her nervousness.

 

"Don't worry. I'll be here tomorrow. What would you like for breakfast?" Maria asked, trying to make Luna feel better.

 

"Anything is fine, Auntie. Thank you," Luna said, feeling a little relieved. She had been afraid Maria wouldn't care, but she was happy that wasn't true.

 

"Okay, you should get some rest now. Good night," Maria said.

 

"Good night, Aunt," Luna said, feeling a little better.

 

But Luna was still worried. She thought about Mira again and the secret she was keeping. She sighed and decided to...

 

...

Early in the morning, Luna saw her mom having breakfast. She looked at the wall clock and it was just 7 in the morning.

 

"Mom, are you going to work now?" Luna asked.

 

"Yes, come here and have your breakfast," Lilith replied.

 

Luna sat down and drank her coffee. "Is there something wrong with the restaurant? You usually go to work around 9," she asked casually.

 

Lilith paused for a moment. She wasn't sure if her daughter knew that Maria worked at their restaurant or if she should tell her. "I've been busy these past few months, so I thought of giving them a surprise visit. What do you think?"

 

"I see, just don't scare them Mom," Luna chuckle as she imagine it

 

"What about you? Are you staying at home?" Lilith asked.

 

"No, but I might come back before dinner," Luna replied.

 

"Alright, I'll just visit the restaurant then I'll be back soon too," Lilith said.

 

"Okay," Luna said.

 

"Finish your breakfast. I'll have to go first," Lilith said.

 

Luna nodded and saw her mother off. She had some doubts in her heart and hesitated about whether she should really go to Maria's house now. Her mother didn't usually go to work early unless something important happened. Luna went to her room and quickly changed into her casual clothes.

 

Since she had some doubts, it was better to just ask. She called the security and asked if a black car with plate number xxx had already left the subdivision. The security guard responded and said that it had already left.

 

Luna took her bike and rode to Maria's house. She pressed the doorbell and saw Maria coming out. She went inside with her bike, parking it in the parking lot. She quickly followed Maria inside the house. 'Thankfully Mom didn't come here,' she thought to herself as she walked.

 

"Luna, come here and eat with me," Maria invited.

 

Luna looked at the food on the table. She hesitated for a moment, then she sat down. She had just eaten her breakfast, and now seeing Maria waiting for her to eat, she reluctantly ate again. She ate slowly, and to avoid Maria noticing, she found a topic.

 

"Did you manage to sleep well last night, Aunt?"

 

"Haa... not really. Although the security already assured me, it still scares me," Maria said.

 

Luna chewed slowly, then paused, then continued to talk again. "Actually, I know who followed you last night, Aunt."

 

This time it was Maria's turn to pause. "Is it Lilith?"

 

Luna nodded, bowing her head as if she had done something wrong.

 

Maria smiled helplessly as she looked at Luna. She patted Luna's head gently. "Why are you bowing your head? I already expected this to happen sooner or later the moment you said you live nearby,"

 

"I... there's more, Aunt," Luna said.

 

"What is it?" Maria asked.

 

Luna hesitated. Maria saw how reluctant Luna was and patted her head again.

 

"Just tell me, I won't get mad," Maria assured Luna.

 

Luna looked at Maria's warm smile. "The restaurant where you're working... was actually owned by my mother. She has been busy these past few months and just managed to return yesterday, but it seems that she saw you, that's why she followed you," Luna explained.

 

Maria's smile faded and turned into a frown. If what Luna said was true, then Maria quickly thought of resigning.

 

"If that's the case... then I should really not go back there," Maria said.

 

"Wait, Aunt, don't you want to talk to Mom?" Luna asked.