HER MOTHER’S HUSBAND

HER INSECURITIES

During the most magical time of the year, when twinkling lights adorn every street corner, Los Angeles shines brighter than ever. The city buzzes with holiday cheer, blending glamor, warmth, and dreams come true. Amidst the festive chaos, where palm trees meet snowfall, Vanessa Morgan-Blackwell’s story of passion, secrets, and heartbreak begins to unfold.

VANESSA’S POV

Vanessa lay in bed, tossing from side to side, unable to shake off the remnants of another haunting nightmare. The echoes of her past had once again invaded her sleep, dragging her back to the worst memories she could never escape from.

She jolted upright in her bed, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. “Mommy...” she muttered, wiping away tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to push those memories away.

“It’s been seven years... but it still feels like yesterday,” she whispered to herself, staring blankly at the ceiling as the early morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting soft patterns across her messy dorm room.

As the dream replayed in her mind, she couldn’t stop the tears from pooling in her eyes. She could still hear the shouting, the crash of furniture, and her mother’s desperate cries.

Flashback****

Vanessa, only fifteen years old, had woken to the sound of her parents arguing. Peeking through the c***k in the door, she watched in horror as her father, Andrew, gripped her mother, Isabella, by the throat, pinning her against the wall.

“For the sake of Nessa, Andrew, please don’t do this to us... to our marriage,” Isabella begged, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“No, I can’t do this with you anymore,” Andrew replied, his fists clenched, fury intensifying with every passing second.

“Do I have to sign these divorce papers? I thought we promised each other ‘till death do us part,” Isabella pleaded.

“She’s pregnant! She’s giving me a son, something you couldn’t do..a simple task every other woman seems to handle with ease. You can keep your daughter while I take care of my son,” Andrew retorted.

“So, all this drama was just about giving you a son? You don’t care about us, about me or Vanessa? Do you have any idea what this will do to her, the damage, the trauma of a single-parent upbringing? You’re willing to throw away sixteen years of our life together for something so shallow? What can she give you that I haven’t? You would choose that foolish woman, that piece of trash, over me?”

These words unleashed Andrew’s rage, turning him into a beast. In a fit of fury, he lashed out, hitting Isabella.

A loud slap, followed by the sound of repeated blows, echoed from the room.

“Do I have to kill you to make you understand that I don’t want you anymore?” he snarled.

“I… I…” Isabella stuttered, tears streaming down her face, unable to utter another word.

“Sign these divorce papers and let me go!” he shouted, shoving her to the ground. She hit her head, a small cut forming and blood seeping out.

Vanessa watched in shock, hidden from her parents’ view.

Struggling to breathe, Isabella gasped for air, coughing as she signed the papers with trembling hands.

Andrew snatched the signed documents. As he turned to leave, Isabella grabbed his leg, begging one last time. “Please, give us another chance. We’ve been together for sixteen years… Don’t throw it all away. I thought you loved me…”

“I married you out of pity and for your family’s wealth, Isabella,” Andrew spat. “You were useful to me when I needed to climb up. I never loved you. I only stayed because you helped me heal from a broken heart. But now that she’s back, I want to be with her. So don’t ever cross paths with me again or even mention my name!”

Isabella persisted, her voice breaking. “No, I won’t let you do this! Andrew, please!”

Andrew shoved her again, harder this time. She collapsed, her vision spinning, feeling like her world was falling apart.

Vanessa screamed at the top of her lungs, “Mommy!” as she rushed to her mother’s side, sobbing uncontrollably, while Andrew walked away without a backward glance. Leaving behind a shattered wife and a traumatized daughter.

*******

“This dream again? I thought we’ve gone past this already. Whew”… she exhaled, blowing the strands of hair on her face.

“It’s been seven years, get it together gurlll! Grow up already, you're not that scared little girl anymore.”.. she muttered to herself. Trying to feign ignorance of her insecurities which included trust issues, fear of abandonment, do***tic vio***ce, self doubts and seeking validations.

No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, the scars from that night were still there, buried deep in her heart.

Today was supposed to be a good day. The end of her senior year at college was supposed to feel like freedom, yet all she could think about was the anxiety that churned in her stomach. She was going back to Los Angeles, back to the house that held so many painful memories.

Vanessa got up and a few hours later, she began to pack her suitcase, shoving clothes into it haphazardly.

She hadn’t seen her mother in months. Isabella had insisted Vanessa come home for the summer, but their relationship had never fully recovered from the years of bitterness.

“Let’s get this over with,” Vanessa muttered as she zipped up her bag. She checked her reflection in the mirror. Her dark curls were pulled into a messy bun, and her eyes, though tired, still held a spark of hope.

Isabella arrived to pick Vanessa up at the campus gate in her sleek black SUV. The tension in the air was almost palpable as Vanessa slid into the passenger seat.

“Hey, Mom,” Vanessa said, trying to sound casual. Isabella smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“It’s good to see you, Vanessa,” Isabella replied, her voice tight. There was a strained politeness in her tone, the kind that made Vanessa’s skin crawl. They both knew the underlying issues between them, yet neither was willing to address the elephant in the room.

As they drove through the bustling streets of Los Angeles, the city seemed to taunt Vanessa with its bright lights and holiday cheer. She glanced out of the window, trying to focus on the twinkling decorations rather than the awkward silence inside the car.

“So... you’ve finished your final year,” Isabella finally said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I did,” Vanessa replied, her tone clipped. “You’d know that if you called more often.” The words slipped out before she could stop them, and she instantly regretted it.

Isabella’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I’ve been... busy, Vanessa,” she said, a hint of defensiveness in her voice.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Busy with what, exactly?” she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for her mother to hear.

"Work.. obviously"... Isabella replied.

"Yeah, I thought as much. The same excuse of not showing up and being the kind of mother I need"..

"Can you just stop?".. Isabella yelled but soon realized herself. "I'm sorry, Nessa"..

"Like I care"... Nessa replied, rolling her eyes.

The tension reached its peak, the silence grew more awkward as they traveled back home.

Two hours later, they arrived home. As they stepped into the house, Vanessa noticed subtle changes, new furniture, a different arrangement of decor, and an overall feeling that the place no longer belonged to her.

“What’s with all the changes?” Vanessa asked, eyeing the unfamiliar surroundings.

Isabella hesitated, her eyes darting away. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something important...”

Vanessa’s heart sank. Whenever her mother used that tone, it was never good news.

“I recently... remarried,” Isabella blurted out, her voice almost too cheerful, as if she was trying to convince herself as much as Vanessa.

The words hit Vanessa like a slap to the face. “You what?” she exclaimed, her voice breaking.

“I know it’s sudden,” Isabella said quickly, stepping forward as if to comfort her daughter, but Vanessa stepped back, shaking her head.

“Who is he? When did this even happen?” Vanessa’s voice trembled. Her mother had never mentioned dating anyone. How could she marry someone without even telling her own daughter?

“It just... happened, Vanessa. I didn’t want to burden you while you were finishing college,” Isabella explained, her tone pleading.

Vanessa could feel the tears welling up, but she refused to let them fall. She clenched her fists, trying to steady her breathing. “So, I wasn’t important enough to know?” she whispered, her voice breaking despite her best efforts to stay strong.

Isabella looked down, guilt flashing in her eyes. “I wanted to protect you... after everything that happened with your father.”

Vanessa let out a bitter laugh. “Right, because keeping secrets has worked so well for this family,” she snapped before turning on her heel and storming up to her old bedroom. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over as she slammed the door behind her.

Alone in her room, Vanessa let the sobs escape, her body shaking with the weight of her emotions. The betrayal, the pain, the feeling of being left out of her own family’s life, it was all too much.

“Why does she always do this?” Vanessa whispered to herself. “She’s always making decisions for me, thinking she knows what’s best. But all she ever does is hurt me.”

For a long while, Vanessa sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the old photos on her nightstand. Pictures of happier times, before her father’s betrayal and her mother’s emotional distance. She missed the days when she felt like she actually had a family.

But now, with her mother’s new marriage, it felt like she was being pushed even further away. Who was this new man? And why did Isabella keep him a secret? Vanessa’s mind swirled with questions, but there was no one to answer them.

Vanessa wiped away her tears, taking a shaky breath. “I’m not that weak little girl anymore,” she muttered, trying to convince herself. “I can handle whatever this is.”

She stood up, looking at herself in the mirror one last time, her reflection a mixture of pain and determination.

“Hi, I am Vanessa Morgan-Blackwell... and this is my story,” she said softly, as if to seal her resolve.