Dorothea's heart started aching as Vernon mentioned how much he wanted to kill her. She knew it was justified for Vernon to have that kind of vengeful drive toward her.
She also knew that getting killed by her own son might be the best retribution that Dorothea would ever get.
'But I still feel sad nonetheless,' Dorothea thought. 'Now I know there is no hope in us bonding as mother and son.'
"You might be able to fool Chloe many times you want, but you should know that you'll never fool me, Dorothea," Vernon stated firmly. "Now that you've gotten my answer, let's wrap this up and never see each other, looking at your face makes me sick."
Dorothea saw that Vernon was about to get up and leave again, so she took a deep breath and answered, "You're not allowed to leave, Vernon. I'm yet to say what I want to say."
"Tsk, fine! Just say it and let's get this over with!" Vernon yelled and sat on his seat again.
'Stay strong, Dorothea. Vernon's anger is well justified because you've been a horrible mother to him. But no matter how angry he is, you must stay on your ground and tell him what you want,' Dorothea braced herself.
Dorothea was about to say something but stopped when she noticed the Dalmore Wine on the table.
Dorothea loved this wine so much and drank it whenever she was stressed out with life. She assumed this was also Vernon's favorite wine since they were related.
And the fact that Chloe was the one who set this up, it was obvious that she wanted Dorothea to drink and relax.
Thus, Dorothea poured the wine into the two wine glasses and grabbed hers. She took a sip and felt more relaxed.
Vernon watched how his estranged mother kept on taking a sip of her wine glass, and he scoffed, "You're going to get drunk now? How ironic. Your alcoholism is reason why I hate you so much. You were drunk most of the time when I was a kid, and then you'd beat me with the wine bottle when I was trying to get your attention."
"Vernon, I can't return back to the time when you were young," Dorothea said. "I'd love to get the chance to return back in time and take care of you as a proper mother, but I can't, and now I'm facing my retribution."
"There are a lot of things I want to say to you, but I know that you won't listen because you hate me to the bone."
"And it's well deserved, you're a shitty mother," Vernon added. He wanted to challenge Dorothea. He wanted to see her acting like a crazy drunkard again, so he could continuously hate on her.
But Dorothea was calm, as if Vernon's provocation didn't faze her.
She nodded in response, "Indeed, I am a shitty mother, and the hatred is well deserved. I... I want to apologize, but I don't know where to start...."
"No need to apologize, but I'd probably forgive you after you're dead, heh," Vernon was entertained by his own statement. He thought Dorothea would react hysterically after what he said just now.
But she nodded in agreement and added, "It's true. I think the only way for you to forgive me is with my death. That's why I'm not asking you for forgiveness, since both of us know that it's futile anyway."
"Since you know it's futile, then stop trying to influence my woman with your pitiful act!"
...
"Let me tell you something about my past, Vernon," Dorothea said, knowing it was impossible to get forgiveness. She took a big gulp from her wine glass and started her story.
"Back before I married your father, I was just a naive girl born from a wealthy family. Vaughn Gray was the hearthrob in our circle. He was handsome, gallant, with a superb family background. He was the ideal bachelor for all the young women, and I was no exception."
"I fell in love with his charm, and the way he made me feel loved when we were dating. He said all the good things about me that made me say yes when he suddenly proposed. We were at our marriageable age back then, so I said yes without thinking twice."
"Everything starting from our quick engagement up to the wedding day was perfect. Vaughn was an amazing man, and I felt the envious gazes of those women who failed to marry the ever-so-charming Vaughn. I was proud and happy, and I thought my happiness would stay until the end of my life."
"Vaughn treated me well for a year until I gave birth to Vincent. Then he started returning late from work, which he told me was just because he got a lot of work to do."
"I accepted his alibi back then because he just took over the company after his father retired. He worked hard for both of us, and worked hard for Vincent, and I was just a traditional housewife who wouldn't question a thing as long as things were doing well in the Gray mansion."
"Then, I finally discovered his cheating when Vincent was about three years old. I caught him red handed fucking a maid in one room inside the Gray mansion. I was utterly shocked and became hysterical when I saw it."
"But Vaughn acted as if nothing was wrong, and I was just overreacting over something so trivial. He made it look like the whole cheating thing was normal for a man to do, because a man would get bored easily."
"I asked for a divorce right on the spot, but he beat me up because of that. He told me not to say a thing and never ask for a divorce, because it would ruin his reputation. He said that he'd kill my entire family if I dared to open my mouth about his new adultery hobby."
"He forced me to play house in front of Vincent while he cheated behind my back repeatedly. The man that I loved became a monster that I hated the most."
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