Scars

"Aren't you angry?" The older woman asked as she slowly turned around revealing the face that has great resemblance to Han Meixiu.

Han Meixiu gasped as she saw her full countenance. It's been a long time since she saw that face. The gentle alluring beauty with few lines showing how the years caught up, still gave her a warmth feeling of comfort.

Back in Q City, she was wearing a mask thus she only assumed she was her mother in disguise. Besides, she also felt an indescribable connection towards her.

While her eyes softened and her emotions started to jumbled up, she remembered her father words.

'Your mother has thousand faces and characters. Those times when you were attending official occasions, she was probably there. It's just that you're not aware.'

She was probably busy nurturing her own despair of being abandoned while her mother was still around watching her.

She thought that wearing mask was to protect her original identity but now, it's clearly not the only reason.

There was a deep scar embedded on her cheekbone extending near her mouth.

Han Meixiu didn't know when exactly her anger and resentment vanished into thin air. There was no words that wanted to come out of her mouth.

Even the questions she nurtured ever since her mother left her in her grandparents care, seemed to be seen nowhere.

She wanted to kneel and apologize. Because the more the looked, the more she saw the other scars hiding beneath her dress.

The sheer fabric used over the tube top dark colored dress wasn't enough to cover the scars beneath, especially the one that started from her neck downwards.

She lowered her head as tears wanted to escape from her eyes.

"What? Are you scared of me now?" The woman asked as she walked closer.

Han Meixiu bit her lips as she shook her head.

Scared? No. She's in pain and it wasn't for herself.

That face scar looked extremely painful and she couldn't imagine how she was able to endure it. What about the other? What are the stories behind those?

"Have a seat." Hearing no response from the young woman, Zhang Huiling ordered her to sit.

Han Meixiu sat quietly as she tried to calm down. There was a big lump in her throat and it was harder to breath.

"Where is your courage now? Didn't you give me an attitude earlier?"

Her voice wasn't scolding or anything similar to it. It was just like a passing remark without any deeper meaning.

It took Han Meixiu a couple of minutes before she was able to find her voice.

"I..I'm sorry..." In a small breaking voice she uttered those words.

"Are you pitying me?" Zhang Huiling asked touching lightly the scar that was the most visible of them all.

She saw in her eyes the different emotions suddenly sprung up earlier after she turned around. Her baby was easy to read, especially for her.

"I don't know. Maybe I do..." Han Meixiu answered without lifting her head.

"How sweet."

"Mom..."

"You don't need to pity me. Do you know that scar is a symbol that you're stronger than whatever or whoever tried to hurt you. It's a badge of glory. A sign that the past is real, your fights were real. We should wear them proudly." Zheng Huiling softly said as every word glided through the air like a mantra attracting power while her finger that softly trailed that scar on her face stopped.

These scars were the result of her indecisiveness. Every time she would waver her life would always be at stake.

It took her several fights for her dear one and only life to realize that in this path she took, countless of human emotions should be forgotten.

If she ever felt even an ounce of it, she's doomed to die.

Enemies weren't only present outside. Sometimes, the most scary ones were those who were closely around you.

Wang Jinyi, that woman was the one who inflicted the wound on her face. It was to destroy her and wanted to take what she had.

She was supposed to be a friend. But she was just too good to play her cards well and her, Zhang Huiling, was too trusting.

If it weren't for that former leader, she would have been dead even before getting the top position.

"I'm sorry." Han Meixiu softly said.

The words made the older woman's thought of the past cut.

Han Meixiu inhaled deeply. She never imagined she could one day sit together with her mother again as if nothing happened in the past.

Han Meixiu finally lifted her head while the corner of her eyes were nurturing a tear ready to fall down.

"What for?" Knitting her eyebrows, the older woman asked.

"For the attitude earlier..." Han Meixiu wanted to say more but she was cut off by a soft laugh.

"Showing your fangs and then apologizing for it, tsk tsk. I was right. You're not really suited with me..."

"What do you mean?" Han Meixiu asked. Although more or less she knew what was the meaning behind, she wanted confirmation.

But Zhang Huiling just smiled without giving her an answer.

"Have a tea. You might feel cold. Don't worry, it is just chamomile tea. There's no caffeine in it."

Han Meixiu looked surprised but still took the cup and zipped a little.

She enjoyed the gentle taste and the fragrance along with it. It helped her calmed down a little.

"You're husband is a worrywart." Zhang Huiling said as she peacefully looked at her.

The short talk they had earlier was more than enough for her to know her baby is being treasured.

The young woman blushed a little and smiled softly that made Zhang Huiling raised her eyebrow.

'That brat really has this much affect on her!' She enviously utter as she held her own tea cup tighter.

Although she knew her baby already grown up, she still couldn't shake off her 'selfish' attitude of sharing her with someone else.

What could she do? She saw how the two evolved from having a simple relationship to something so serious.

Mr. Liu gave her some kind of compensation by providing her the pictures of the two. And she would always eat her heart out looking at her baby's smile beside that Liu brat.

She inhaled deeply. Time flew so fast. She's no longer the center of her world.

More precisely, the moment she stepped out of that room that night, she was already not part of her baby's world.

The painful part was, it's her choice.

"Why do you want to see me?"

Han Meixiu stared at absentmindedly. She blinked twice while searching her mind how to answer her question.

Indeed, what was her reason again?

"I....I..missed you.." Before she could even formulate her answer, her words came out unexpectedly.

Well, it wasn't really unexpected. It was more or less, her heart just wanted to blurt them out. Those were the words hidden deep down inside.

Yes, it was the first set of words her heart wanted to say.

She could have ask a lot of questions but she didn't want to be bombarded with answers that might ruin the atmosphere of their first meeting.

It wasn't a question of why.

It was a simple statement of a daughter who longed for her mother.

Zhang Huiling's hand shook upon hearing her words. She lowered her gaze as she tried to compose herself.

When was the last time she needed to control this much emotions?

She thought she already abandoned this kind of feeling long time ago.

She slightly coughed and even she didn't want to, those words made her gaze soften and her guard down.

"What is it that you want to ask? Why I left you? Why I'm here?"