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"I'm sorry, I can't. It's just awful!"
"But it's so good for you." She pouts. "Please, have one cup at least."
I hesitate and her expression changes in an instant. This isn't the first time it's happened—my mother is used to getting her own way, and the moment people don't blindly do what she says, she fucking loses her composure. I find myself longing for the predictable cruelty of Father. Yes, he was a prick, but at least I knew his moods wouldn't shift in an instant. With Mother, she'll adore me one second and accuse me of ruining her life the next. You just never know what's coming, and it's stressful as hell.
I force another few gulps of the gross tea into my stomach. It burns as it goes down. Whatever's in that stuff is fucking awful. But Mother's watching me, silently encouraging me to drink more and more. After I've emptied the cup, I push it back, feeling relieved that it's over with.
"Want more?" she asks right away, not even waiting for my response as she refills my cup.
"God, please, no," I mutter. "I hate it."
She doesn't insist, but I know she will sooner rather than later.
"Aren't you going to have any?" I ask her with furrowed brows.
"No," she replies cheerily without offering any kind of explanation.
"But why-" Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through my stomach. I grip the table for support and grit my teeth together. "Shit."
"Language!" she says in a shocked voice. "Watch that filthy mouth, Pandora. Anyway, this is for the best. Truly, truly for the best."
"What?" I manage, gasping for breath as the pain subsides, then hits again with renewed strength. "Oh God, I don't feel good at all."
"It will pass," she replies with a beatific smile. "Have more of the tea."
She pushes the golden cup toward me again just as another awful cramp makes me double over.
"I don't want this awful tea!" I hiss, sweeping the cup off the table. It shatters. The tea spills all over the floor, and my mother seems pissed off at my disobedience.
"Well, be that way if you must," she says with a huff of resignation. "The amount you drank should be enough, anyway."
"Enough?" I whisper. "Enough for what?"
"To get rid of it, of course." She smiles. Her teeth are so perfect. She's the picture of beautiful, unmarred beauty. And she's fucking evil. "It's for the best, like I said, darling. You don't want to be stuck with a baby when you're as young as you are. It absolutely will ruin your life."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I rasp as I pick myself up from my seat, still gripping my belly. "And what the hell was in that tea?"
"Valerian root," she smiles. "An old family recipe. You're in the last stages where it will work now. I had to hurry, didn't I?"
"Are you trying to make me lose the baby?"
"It's for the best," she repeats for the umpteenth time. "I should have done the same, really."
"But I'm your only child," I groan.
"And I'm trying to save you from the same pitfalls I faced on my journey," she chirps, picking herself up, too. She wets a cloth with water and presses it to my forehead. "Don't worry, my pretty girl. It won't take long. Just a few hours."
"I need a doctor," I demand. "Call an ambulance, for God's sake!"
"Why on earth would I do that?" she smiles, oblivious. "I've done this before. It will work, like it always does."
"Are you fucking crazy?" I growl, grabbing her arm. "I don't want to lose this baby! I can't lose this baby!"
"It's for the best," she repeats, but her voice is smaller and a little scared now.
"What on earth is going on here?" Alli appears in the doorframe and I stumble toward her. She catches me in her arms, shooting murderous glances at Mother. "What the hell did you do to her, you crazy old hag?"
"I'm not old," Mother pouts.
