A HEART'S DESIRE FOR REVENGE

Layla's POV.

“Layla,” Dad said as soon as he entered my room in my mother’s house.

I just stared at him with no emotions in my face. Why is he here again at my mother’s house? He has often come here these past few days to talk with my mom about important matters in his business.

“I have to tell you something,” he said as he sat beside me on my bed.

“Is it important? Can we wait for Mom to arrive?”

“This is about your mom.”

“You can’t brainwash me, Dad. I won’t leave Mom if that’s what you want me to do. You have your own family now, you chose them instead of us,” I turned around, so he wouldn’t see the tears ready to escape my eyes.

“No. Layla, listen,”

I looked into his eyes and I could see sadness. Why was he sad? Did he regret everything he did to Mom now?

“Your mom. She’s gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone? She’s on her way home. I was just talking to her an hour ago,” I rolled my eyes at him.

“No, you don’t understand, Layla. The police called me. There was a car accident on the highway, your mom’s gone,” tears are falling in his eyes now. Is he really sad that my mom is gone?

I paused for a minute, trying to process everything. My mom is gone? I still won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.

My dad was crying in the corner of my room. I had never seen him cry that way before. I was astounded.

“Bring me to mom, dad.”

Dad nodded and we went inside his car. It’s been a long time since I entered his car, a lot has changed in his car and I noticed the little things about it. My purple pillow that used to sit in his car is now colored pink. I think it belongs to his daughter with his mistress. I may be young, but I understand what is happening around me, especially with my family.

Dad drove to the hospital. I was expecting we’d enter the emergency room, but to my shock we entered a morgue.

“This can’t be,” I said, almost whispering. Dad hugged me.

“No! Mom! ” I sobbed in front of Dad. “You can’t leave me, please, wake up.”

Dad let me cry for hours. I just couldn’t accept that she was gone, that I wouldn’t be able to see her every morning preparing breakfast for me and be there for me every time I needed a best friend.

“I’m all alone now.”

“Honey, you’re not alone. I’m still here,” Dad held my hands to comfort me.

“But you have your new family.”

“You’re still a family, Layla. You’re still my daughter. Nothing has changed, you’re still my baby girl.”

I didn’t react when he said I was still his daughter and that nothing had changed. Lies. A lot changed when he chose to be with his mistress and divorced my mom. Little did he know that he didn’t just lose my mom when he chose his mistress, he also lost me. Her only daughter, but I guess it never really sunk into him that he lost me as well, because he now has a new daughter with his mistress.

“You’re just seventeen, Layla. I cannot let you live alone just yet. So, you have no choice but to stay with me, with us. Your stepmom will treat you well, I can guarantee you that.”

“Treat me well? I doubt that”

“Layla, you need to give Paula a chance. And you need to bond with your sister, Cora.”

“You don’t even look like Cora,”

“What are you trying to say, Layla? She’s your sister.” He said, his eyes were trying to make me believe.

I have my doubts about Paula and Cora. I don't know if I'm overthinking or if my doubts are true, because I don’t have any proof to prove that she’s not my dad’s daughter.

I shook my head. My stepmom will only be nice to me when he’s around. I hated my stepmom Paula to the guts. She’s a social climber. I’m pretty sure she’s only after my dad because of his money. I still can’t forget when she talked badly about my mom to her friends.

I cried, thinking about what my life would be like now that I’d be living with my father’s new family. Can I endure it?

After confirming that my mom was gone, Dad drove me back to the house I used to live in when I was young.

Paula was sitting in the living room with Cora, who was on her phone.

“What happened?” Paula asked and hugged my dad, and he explained everything.

She acted concerned about me, when in fact she might have been celebrating ever since she heard the news.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Paula hugged me, and I wanted to pull her long hair so badly because she ruined my family. I didn’t hug her back to express that I was still mad at what she did to my family.

“This is your sister, Cora,” she smiled at me. I looked at Cora, she might have been wondering who the hell I was.

“Hi, Cora,”

“Who is she?” Cora asked Dad.

“Oh! She’s your older sister,” Dad smiled at her.

“I thought I was your only princess.”

I scoffed at hearing that from Cora. I saw how Paula looked at my reaction, and I guess she didn’t like it, but I don’t care. Now that my mom isn’t here anymore, no one will stand up for me. That's why I need to be strong, and fight for my position in this family, and I’ll make sure to put Paula in her right place, in the trash.

Now that I'm here in the mansion, I think I saw a purpose, and that was to annoy Paula until Dad saw her real colors.

You might be the wife now, Paula. But you will always be a homewrecker, a mistress. And Cora, you will never be at my level. You will always be known as the mistress's daughter.

Layla's POV.

“Mom’s gone. Are you happy now?” I couldn’t help speaking to Paula. Yes, just Paula, because there’s no way I'd call her mom. No woman can replace my real mom.

Dad looked at me in disbelief when I said those words to Paula. “Go to your room, Layla. Fix your things,” he said, and I went upstairs.

I buried my face in my hands in frustration. I slowly opened the box where my things were kept, and the first thing that I saw was my mom’s favorite jacket of mine. I held it in my arms and couldn’t help not to cry. You’ll always be in my heart, Mom. I won’t ever forget you in this lifetime.

I was emotional when a sudden knock echoed in my room.

“Come in,” I said, and to my dismay it was Paula.

“I know you're in a tough situation right now, so I'll try to understand you, Layla. But I'm your mom now, so respect me. Remember I'm your father's wife," she smiled.

"You're my father's wife now, but my mom will always be my father's first love, first wife, first of everything. Stop acting like a caring stepmother. I know what you are. Show your real self, Paula. I may be young, but I'm not dumb to not know the truth," I glared, and Paula was amused.

“Is that what your mom taught you? To talk back to elders?”

I smirked when she said those words, “Don’t bring my mom into our conversation. My mom was a woman of class, and you are nowhere near her,” I looked at her from head to toe to intimidate her.

“For your information, I knew everything that you did to get my father. Even though mom tried to hide it from me, I still knew exactly what kind of woman you were. Oh! And Cora, is she my dad’s daughter?” I smirked and could not draw her face right now.

“Cora is William’s daughter, Layla,” she insisted.

“If that’s what you want to believe, then fine. You can leave my room now, Paula,” I said and continued fixing my clothes. But Paula didn’t leave my room.

“You are nothing now, Layla. You have no one, you lost your mom, and you think your dad will love you the same as he loves my daughter?” she chuckled, but I didn’t let it consume me.

“It’s funny how Dad couldn’t see the real you, the arrogant and cheap woman who’s only after my dad’s money,” I smiled back at her.

“I’m not after your Dad’s money, I love William,” she said, getting mad at me.

“Oh? You’re not after my dad’s money? Then why is Dad always at my mom’s house trying to persuade her to give her stocks to you because you are now his wife and not my mom anymore? I know you kept begging Dad for that, Paula. But in case you didn’t know, Mom secured the stocks of the company for me when I turned eighteen.”

Paula’s face is so red in frustration with me. She was about to slap me, but Dad suddenly entered my room.

“Is everything okay?” he asked Paula, who tried to calm herself quickly.

“Yes, Dad,” I smiled at him.

I may be too harsh to my stepmother, but she deserves all the hate I have in my heart. If she hadn’t arrived in our lives, my family would still be complete, and my mom would probably still be here with me.

Paula excused herself and left my room. Dad was still there, staring at something in my room.

“I didn’t know you still paint,” he said.

“Painting is my first love, Dad,” I said as I took the painting to see it.

“Am I not your first love?” he asked. A father will always be the daughter’s first love, but Dad broke my heart when he got Paula pregnant while still married to my mom.

I saw how my mom wept in pain when Paula arrived at our house with her big belly, as if she was so proud that my father got her pregnant.

I was even more hurt when my dad told my mom that he was in love with Paula.

“You broke my heart, Dad,” I said honestly.

“I’m sorry, Layla,” he said, looking into my eyes, but I didn’t look into his eyes because once I did, I knew tears would flow.

“Funny how love can make you blind, right?” I smiled at my Dad, and he didn’t answer me. He was just staring at the painting we did when I was young.

“Did you miss us?” I asked him.

“Of course, I miss how we used to be,” he smiled weakly.

“But it’s too late, Dad. You can’t have us both back in your life. Mom’s gone.”

Dad nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“You chose Paula, Dad. Be it,” I said sternly.

“I know you’re mad, Layla. But please give Paula a chance in your life, and also your sister, Cora,” he said.

“They ruined my life, Dad. They ruined my family, our family. You can’t just make me be okay with that. Besides, I know what you have been doing in our house, talking to my mom,” I said, getting mad at him also for being brainwashed by Paula.

“It'll be mine once I turn eighteen. No one can have it Dad, especially Paula, and Cora. I’ll make sure of it,” I said to him.

Dad didn’t say anything but only nodded to what I just said. He might have felt the anger in my heart too. I just hope that Dad will give up on trying to give the stocks Mom has to Paula. Paula didn’t deserve it, she didn’t even work hard to get such a thing. She thinks so highly of herself now just because she was married to a multi-billionaire.

Let’s see how far you can go with me by your side, stepmother. I bet you can’t even move a step forward now that I'm here in the mansion.

The funeral of my mom was taken care of by my Dad’s staff. I decided to go to the funeral to visit Mom and to meet the people who were with us during these hard times.

“Where are you going?” Paula said as soon as she saw me dressed in white.