Witch

'Ha… it seems that they can't wait any longer,' I smiled at the beautiful woman in front of me. As always, Emma looked perfect, in a white short dress, with long sleeves, a pair of diamond earrings hanging from both sides of her head and a lovely diamond necklace shinning on her lovely collar.

I recognized them instantly, they were the ones Ethan gifted to her in her birthday, just one day before our wedding. I stupidly thought he was giving them to me, but… how foolish.

"Cousin, how have you been?" she smiled the same as in the past, with such gentleness that no one would be able to hate her. But I knew her true self, even Madame could see it. I wonder why she never told her son.

"Good," I answered back, "then… I have somewhere to be, I won't…"

"Oh, Mina! You are very cute," she tried to pat Mina's head but Mina hid behind me.

"Mommy, that woman is weird," I heard Mina whisper. "She is talking to a stranger, I had never met her. Maybe she is a bad woman. She wants to kidnap me!"

I almost clapped but I had to suppress my urge. "Mina, darling, you had met her before, maybe because you were very little you don't remember."

"No… I don't want to remember, she is scary and I heard grandma say once that people like her want to trick kids to kidnap them…"

"People like them?"

Mina moved closer to me, and signaled for me to lower my head, "she is a witch, grandma told me, can we leave now, Mommy? I am scared."

I wanted to laugh right there. My lovely daughter said the words I kept hidden in my heart for a long time, and I was not the only one who heard them.

"Okay, let's go," I turned to see my confused cousin again. She was making a strange expression. The one she made when she was offended but was trying to hold the anger back. Then watery eyes, pursed lips and a little frown appeared in her forehead.

She looked so aggravated that someone would think she was bullied. Maybe Ethan was behind me and she was making a show to create more hostility than before. Whatever, I didn't want to stay here to participate in this stupid drama. I had better places to go.

"That daughter of yours doesn't seem to have any manners, you should start teaching her or later…" my aunt entered from the living room door. The same as always, with her excessive gaunty clothing, as if reminding the world she rich. Though those clothes that didn't fit her age only made her look disgusting and vulgar.

"Who are you?" I asked with indifference in my eyes.

"What? Now you don't recognize your own family?"

"No, I don't have any family, I cut ties with them. Therefore, you can keep your advice to yourself."

"You! How dare you?! Now that we all know that you were just schemer and unfaithful wretch, you don't have any right to talk back to me, you sl…"

"Mother!" Emma stopped the woman before she finished. Ethan had already arrived at end of the stairs. "Stop it…"

I looked at that old woman again with a raised brow. When I was little, I lived with her and her family for a small period of time before they send me to a boarding school. However, my life with them had always been a painful memory. That woman kept taking everything from me, the money my parents left me, my mother's things and when she had not enough, she tried to extort me after my marriage with my mother's belongings.

When I married Ethan and Madame took me in, aunt Miriam tried to make me ask money from the Madame. Then, I knew she will never stop. I had to cut ties with them even at the expense of my mother's things. That was painful, but now I had Mina, and my mother wouldn't like it to continue living like that, inside that woman's claws.

""What is going on here?" Ethan's voice echoed behind.

"Ethan," Emma moved quickly behind me and Mina, most likely she was about to put her show of a bullied little woman, then she will ask Ethan to forgive me and Mina for saying such words. She will tell him that I didn't mean it but maybe I was on edge because of everything that happened and she will stay quiet making things worse. Sigh…

"Ethan, please, don't blame…"

"Let's go, Mina," I carried my daughter before they will start their little show. "Pizza is waiting for us."

"Yei!"

"Hold on!"

Ethan shouted but why should I obey him when he is nothing to me. Just a fleeting memory and a painful present.

I continued to move forward until I reached the door and came outside. Finally, a bit of fresh air.

"Mommy," Mina's voice sounded concerned for me.

"It's okay, darling. The air inside the house was a bit heavy."

"Yes…" she nodded as if understanding, "they smell too much, grandma said that women that use a lot of perfume couldn't be good persons, maybe they don't shower well."

"Pff… hahaha…" there was no way to repress my laughter now. "Darling, I love you so much."

"I love you too, mom, more than pizza."

"…"

This girl…