Broken ties.

*Flashback*

"Over my dead body!"

I hear my mother shout at the top of her lungs as I go upstairs to pack my bags as instructed.

"You don't know anything! You're 18!"

She continues to yell. I chuckle lightly at that because she'd always told me I'm one of the smartest people she knew despite my age. And that wasn't only because I was her daughter, she'd always reiterated.

She's finally doing it, she's kicking me out. Months and months of threatening me and she's going through with it. I'd thought she was bluffing to be honest. I knew she didn't like the fact that I'm dating an older guy but I'd always told myself she would accept it one day. That it would take a while but once she sees how happy I am she would have no choice but to accept it.

But as I stand taking out clothes from my drawers and putting them in my bags, I finally let my tears go. Because it hurts, more than anything I've ever experienced in my 18 years of living. My mother basically asking me to choose between my family and the love of my life. I've never known pain like this.

I didn't choose because I didn't want to, I just didn't understand why I had to. Why couldn't I have both? Was that a lot to ask?

"How can you do this to me?"

Was what she'd asked emotionally when I first told her about it. She'd made it seem like I'd purposely fallen in love with someone older to get back at her or something. Which didn't really make sense to me because mom and I always had the greatest relationship. Certainly one that rivaled that of a lot of mothers and daughters. She was my best friend.

Why would I want to hurt her in any way?

It had taken me a while before I decided to tell her, which was a lot harder than I would've ever thought because mom and I have always been really close. I used to tell her everything.

I'd been single for the majority of my teenage years and I'd used to think it was because I simply wasn't ready for a relationship, that was until I realized I just wasn't attracted to the boys my age. That was confirmed when I met the infamous Aaron Miller who now owns my heart.

There was no doubt from the moment we'd met that my heart craved for him, that the gods aligned and perfectly crafted him for me. Of course that was something I hadn't experienced before so I didn't really know how to react to it, so I did the most logical thing - I was rude to him.

"What do you need sir? I don't have all day." were the exact words I'd used on him. I'd never seen someone get so livid from what I'd said before.

In all honesty, my attitude was unjustified. All he did was walk in and offer a genuine smile. Maybe that's where he went wrong. He confused my heart and my mind with his beautiful pearly white teeth and his dimpled smile. Don't get me started on his drowning grey eyes. Point is, he was a very attractive man.

I was working at a hotel as a receptionist in the summer. Cousin Andrew was the hotel manager and he'd always hooked me up with the position during the holidays to earn a little extra something for myself.

The Phoenix Hotel was known to shelter some of the most distinguished figures not just in our country but in the world, I knew this of course and one of the most important things that were communicated to me before I even started was that I needed to keep my cool, no matter what. I never had a problem with that as I'd never been one to care for people's status and wealth.

I'd already seen too many of these affluential beings and was well over their existence in its entirety.

But one thing that people didn't quite know about the Phoenix was that it had a brothel in the nighttime. So whenever we had these known figures check-in at certain times, we knew what they were there for. And that had been exactly what Mr. Arron Miller himself had been there for.

In retrospect, I think my bad attitude towards him had to do with knowing what he was there for. I think a part of me didn't want him to go there, I wanted him all to myself even though I didn't quite know it at the time.

Clearly he didn't know too because the man got me fired.

No he didn't go to cousin Andrew to complain - something I was actually thankful for, he'd instead went to the owner of the hotel to complain about me - which I guess was much worse. Long story short was that I didn't last very long there. By the end of that day I was told to never return to the hotel ever again.

I'd never hated someone so much in my life before.

I let a smile unconsciously occupy my tears at the memory of how we met as I continue packing. I then send him a quick message letting him know that I'll be done soon and he can leave so long to come to pick me up.

I'd never wished for any of this to go down this way. I never wanted to not have a relationship with my family anymore but they quite literally left me with no choice.

"I'm sorry that I turned out to be such a disappointment. To you and everyone."

I say to my mother when I pass the kitchen where she seems to have started dinner, with my bags in hand.

"I hope that one day you can forgive me. It'll never be late because I'll never give up."

She doesn't bother to look at me but I don't need her to. I just need her to hear me.

"I love you so much, mom. And I know you love me too despite your being upset with me right now. We'll get through this... I promise."

I finish before finally leaving the house I'd grown up in to start a new life.