Chapter 3

Seeing my reaction, so different from before, my mom looked surprised, even forgetting to continue her "act."

As the guests saw how composed I was, the buzzing gradually died down.

My fiancé David and his family, whose faces had been stiff, slowly relaxed.

Just as my mom frowned, realizing this wasn't going according to her plan, and raised the mic to say something else, I spoke first.

" Brenda Johnson, thanks for trying to liven things up, but this 'act' isn't funny at all."

"How about I be your partner instead?"

In her astonished gaze, I turned to the audience and said, unhurriedly,

"Actually, the charming person with 99 ex-boyfriends that she just mentioned, is my mom herself."

"My mom, even though she's almost sixty, still has endless charisma!"

"Who knows, maybe some of those uncles she's charmed are sitting right here in the audience!"

As I spoke, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my mom's TikTok account, listing off several IDs that had frequently liked her posts and left flirty comments, along with the names of a few older men from her regular dance group who were very close to her.

"'LoveNoTrace,' 'FatedLover,' 'BigPotential,' are you here for the wedding today?"

"And Mr. Peterson, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Johnson from the dance group, are you all here?!"

Suddenly, all eyes turned to the table where the dance group sat.

Those older men, who usually loved to chime in with my mom and gossip about me, hastily lowered their heads.

Meanwhile, my dad, Richard, sitting below, had a face as dark as thunder.

My mom was dumbfounded. It took her a while to snap out of it, her face burning red as she snatched my phone, yelling, "You brat, what nonsense are you spewing?!"

I smiled. "Mom, and you said you love stand-up! Now you understand, don't you?"

"Stand-up, you see, it's an 'art of offense'!"

It was the first time she'd been shut down by me. My mom forced a smile, seething with anger, and stepped down.

Her murky eyes fixed ominously on my face, she gnashed her teeth,

"Well, Maya, you've really grown up, haven't you? You've grown wings and become defiant!"

See? Some lessons you only learn the hard way.

But when the knife falls on them, they'll know the pain.

For as long as I could remember, my mom loved putting on a "stand-up routine."

Whenever inspiration struck, whether it was in the neighborhood, the park, or the square, as long as there was an audience, anywhere became her stage.

The only constant was that her target was always me.

The more sensational the effect, the more excited she got.

The more publicly humiliated I was, the more triumphant she became.

At parent-teacher conferences, she spread rumors that I badmouthed teachers behind their backs.

When I accidentally fell and bruised my legs, she said my private life was too wild.

When David and I planned to get our marriage license a bit later, she said my in-laws disliked me.

When I was taking medication for my health, she said I was treating infertility.

She even boasted to relatives that I couldn't have children because I'd had too many abortions...

One shocking declaration after another left me mortified and scorned. I couldn't even stand up straight from the shame.

After countless breakdowns, I finally exploded, screaming and smashing everything I could get my hands on at home!

But my mom just widened her eyes, fiercely poking my forehead, absolutely furious.

"Why are you always so dramatic?!"

"If you're so sensitive, then what about all the comedians who make fun of their partners? Do you think they'd still be alive? Go ask any professional comedian if they'd mind!"

My dad and brother looked impatient, chiming in to criticize me.

"You're just too precious. Does being talked about a little make you lose weight or something?"

"Yeah, wait until Mom makes it big on a national comedy show, then you'll regret it!"

And so, insecurity and hypersensitivity accompanied my entire childhood.

It wasn't until later, when I went thousands of miles away for college and met my emotionally stable husband,

That I could finally hide my scars and live somewhat like a normal person...