''Mum.''

I knock once on her bedroom door and then come in. She's typing away on her tablet, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She's clad in her grey pajamas and a bonnet is covering her head.

​​

Deep breaths, Mel. Deep breaths.

''Hey, sweetie. Are you good?''

''Somewhat.'' I settle on her bed and lay on her lap. She runs her fingers through my hair. ''What happened?''

Heather Blunt happened. I've been thinking all week about how I'm going to approach the conversation with my mum. I had many opportunities to talk to her: I could have talked to her that Sunday, or this Wednesday, since she was home but I waited till now-Saturday night-to open up an old wound. I don't know how mum would react. It has been ten years and I believe she has moved on but sometimes bringing up the past can resurface old memories that have been buried with time.

However, I need to tell her about what Heather told me. I can't keep this secret from her since it affects her-affects us-directly. Plus, she needs to fill in a few blanks for me.

''Remember how I went to Jason' s family event last Sunday?''

''I remember. You never told me how that went. You came home and went straight to your bedroom.''

In my defense, I was a bit overwhelmed. I tried to be all cool and act natural but it was weird. When I went for the event, I never expected to see a blast from the past. But, it happened and I had to deal with it.

''It was good, till I had a conversation with Jason's mum.'' I raise my head from her lap and look at her. My hands tangle with each other and she raises a brow.

''You met his mum?''

I more than met his mum.

''I did.''

''That's great, I think. I don't know. You don't look too excited.''

''Do you by any chance know of any one named Heather? Does the name ring a bell?''

She scrunches her eyebrows and thinks for a bit. The silence makes me even more nervous, if that's even possible.

Say something.

'No, not that I know of. What has she got to do with anything?''

''Mum, Heather Blunt is a part of our past.'' I'm trying to tread softly. ''You must know her.''

''Jason's mum is Heather Blunt, right?'' she asks for confirmation.

''Yes.''

''I can't say I remember her.'' Her face contours to a frown. '' Can you stop being parabalic and tell me what's eating you up? You clearly look like you want to tell me something.''

''Heather Blunt dated dad, mum.'' I whisper softly. Her whole body stills and the mug in her hand shakes a bit, I quickly grab the mug from her before it breaks and place it on her bedside table.

''Mum, I'm sorry. I just had to tell you.''

''Who told you that?''

''She told me herself.''

I explain to her everything that Heather told me: the timeline of their affair along with all the other things she revealed to me. I also chip in a few things from what Jason told me. Mum listens intently without interrupting. I can see that she is trying to keep her emotions at bay, for my sake, I think. When I'm done, she sighs deeply and I bite my lip.

''Melody, your father and I had our issues. You'll be eighteen this year and you're old enough to understand some things. Yes, your father did cheat on me.'' Grandma Maggie already told me this years ago. ''At that time, we were always arguing and things were generally bad. He had lost his job at the time, and I was the sole breadwinner of the house. It took a strain on our marriage, and coupled with your sister's diagnosis and treatment, the bills were racking up and we were spiralling.''

She continues. ''I did note that your father was spending a lot of time outside the house. Those were part of the things we argued about. I would accuse him of cheating and he would say I was being paranoid. I let it slide for a while till I found text messages from a woman on his phone, explicit text messages. I confronted him about it and he confessed that he had been cheating. I had saved the number of the other woman somewhere, with the intent of calling her, but I decided that it wasn't worth it. Going by your story, the other woman happened to be Heather Blunt. I never knew her and I never met her. Your father didn't save her mumber as 'Heather' on his phone,'' she chuckles bitterly. ''He saved it as 'H'.''

H stands for Heather.

''Your father didn't so much as give us an explanation for his departure.'' I nod slowly. ''He left a stupid note and left, and I guess it was to be with Heather.''

''Heather said she dumped him two months into the relationship[ because she found out that he was married,'' I point out.

''The damage had already been done. The marriage wasn't perfect, but it crumbled due to that affair.''

''Do you hate her?''

She must feel some sort of animosity towards her. Like she said, the marriage did crumble due to that affair.

''I did,'' she admits. ''For a period of time I did hate her. But it has been ten years now. I'm over it.'' She grabs a pillow from her side and props it under her arms for support. ''The only person to hate really is your father. I'm not saying you should hate him, Grandma Maggie would never let me live it down if I so much as suggest it-''

''That's true.''

''But, he did cause all this. And Heather, from your account, looks like she was just as much a victim as we were.''

She's taking it surprisingly well. I thought she'd break down or cry or send me out of her room for even talking about dad, but she's cool, calm and collected.

''So, you don't hate her?'' I ask again for more confirmation.

''I don't.''

''I guess I should forgive her too,'' I sigh.

When I left, I told her that I can't promise forgiveness because it was a bit overwhelming. It's not everyday your boyfriend's mum tells you that she was the reason your family fell apart.

''Forgiveness is a nice thing to do, Melody. Trust me, I've spent forty plus years on this earth and I know for a fact that harbouring resentment in your heart would lead you nowhere.''

''You always say this,'' I muse.

''It's because it's the truth. I spent a lot of years hating your father and by extension, Heather, and I figured that I was becoming a bitter person. Resentment chokes up the happiness inside you and leaves you with nothing but emptiness. Whether or not you want to forgive her is up to you, but as your mother, it's my job to lead you aright and tow you towards the right part.''

Basically, she's saying I should forgive her.

''I don't know,'' I groan. ''I should, shouldn't I?''

''Well, you are dating her son.''

''Speaking of her son, we had a talk about this.'' She removes her glasses from her face. ''Oh.''

''Yea.''

''How did he react?''

''The conversation was awkward at first,'' He was a bit nervous. ''But we talked things through and we had a mutual understanding. It's all in the past and we want to focus on our future.'' I smile lightly.

''Aww,'' she pokes my cheek as a blush creeps through. ''My baby is all grown up and talking about the future.''

''Mum, stop it.''

''You really like him, huh?'' I nod vigorously and sigh in bliss. ''I do. He asked me to be his girlfriend.''

Her eyes widen and she put the tablet to the side. ''He did?''

''He did.'' I squeal. ''And I couldn't be happier.''

Because I love him.

I've fallen hard and fast and I love him with every fibre of my being. It took me a while to come to the realization but I love him.

I love Jason Blunt and I want to shout it from the rooftop so the whole of Bridgewood would hear me. I don't know if he feels the same, I'm too scared to ask, but my heart burns for him.

''Does he treat you right?''

''Like a Princess.'' Like I'm the only one he sees. Like I'm the light of his entire world. Like he'd so much as kill anyone who hurts me. He did hurt Gerald when he objectified me.

''I like him,'' Mum says. ''You seem really happy with him. I can tell because you always have this glow when you're around him.''

''Since you approve and Heather approves, I guess our ship is sailing in the right direction,'' I muse.

''I guess it is. As long as he's not anything like your father, then you have my blessing.''