Chapter 331: Everyone has their own pain

''Did you know consider me as your mother? You knew the truth and still kept it away from me. Did you think that the truth was going to stay hidden forever?''

''I… I really didn't know, mom. She is lying against me. Paula, why are you suddenly acting like this? Just because your relationship with mother is bad, doesn't mean you should destroy mine with her. Tell mom the truth''

Mali turned to her mother desperately trying to prove a point. All these years, she had allowed the special treatment that she got enter her head. She felt that it wasn't her fault as long as she was able to get what she wanted, as long as it had to do with her, the fault will be with those who didn't act the way she wanted.

Looking at her daughter, Mrs. Emelia now realised how wrong she was. How her own selfishness had caused her what she was ripping?

''Give it to me. Hand over the ring to me, you don't deserve it. It belongs to me. Andy, you don't love her. No, you can't love her. I am the one that you have always loved. I am your first love; how can you love her?'' Mali said and started struggling with Paula over the ring in her hand. She forcefully attempted to pull the ring out of her fingers, hurting her in the process.

Andy stepped in and pushed Mali away, pulling Paula behind him to protect her.

''Stop this madness, Mali. Looking at you acting this way I think you need help'' Andy said to her.

''Mali stop. They are already married, what are you trying to do. He is your brother in law'' Mrs. Emelia finally said.

''Mother!!! He is supposed to be with me. She took him from me''

''I haven't even asked you about what happened that year. Andy, please take Paula and leave this place. I want to have a word with Mali alone''

''No, I can't let the go. No, I won't let them go. Andy, you need to decide here, whether is it going to be me or her'' Mali stepped aside and removed a gun from her bag and pointed it at Andy and Paula.

Everyone gasped in shock as they looked at her. Compared to Mrs. Emelia and Paula who were nervous, Andy was very calm. He looked into Mali's eyes and said to her.

''You know I am not fazed by such kind of threats, right?''

''I don't care. I have nothing to lose at this point and I won't go down alone''

''Turns out I made you into the monster that you are now, Mali. I am so disappointed in myself for not seeing through you all these years'' Mrs. Emelia said and shook her head.

''Mali, put the gun away, it is dangerous to play with a gun'' Andy said to Mali and she chuckled.

''Why? Are you suddenly afraid that I might shoot and kill your beloved wife?''

''Mali, get back to your senses already? Haven't you done enough harm to everyone here already? Your selfish attitude has so much damage already. Why are you so evil?''

''Mother, you don't have the right to call me evil. You are the one who turned me into this, no? You always gave me everything I wanted. You thought it was alright for me to take Andy back because he was mine in the beginning. You told Paula to let me have Andy''

''I regret for saying that nonsense to you but Mali, don't you have a conscience at all? Don't you even know what's right and wrong?'' Mrs. Emelia massaged her temple as she continued, ''I am to be blamed. I am the one who made you into this kind of person''

''It is too late to regret anything because only one of us can get out of this place. It is either her or me?''

''Mali… don't you even feel remorseful towards me? I lived my life as an outcast but still, I never hated you for it. Does it have to be Andy?''

''I've already lost anyways but Paula, did you think that I would be grateful if you took the fall for me? I didn't ask you to do that for me. You could have insisted on telling the truth, so don't act kind to me. I hate you when you act as if you are so holy''

''That's enough, Mali. Hand the gun over right now and I will let you walk away but if you try to harm anyone here, I will let you pay for it'' Andy said and stretched forth his hand towards Mali.

Mali chuckled dryly and pointed the gun at herself saying, ''I am the problem, then I can just kill myself, right? Andy…'' her voice turned solemn as she looked at him with teary gaze, ''why can't you just love me back? I came back because of you. All these years, I haven't met anyone who was so good to me like you. I can't live without you, Andy. I just can't, I love you so much''

''I doubt that you do. Mali, you don't love me. You just hate to loss. Before you left, you told me in your note that you couldn't deal with my past and that people always question why you are with someone who has a background like mine. Why are you suddenly back for me, who you left?''

''Because I realised I couldn't be without you''

''But, I moved on. I am with Paula now and it has nothing to do with you. I don't see you in her. our meeting was purely coincidental and I have come to love her so much. Mali, come back to your senses already before you do something that you will regret later on. This is not the way forward, it is not the solution and it won't get you what you want''

''But, everyone hates me now. I have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. My mother will never forgive me for what I did? I have lost everyone by my side. You are the only one I can count on, Andy. Paula, you are my sister. Can't you give Andy up for my sake? Can't you let me have him? I can't live without him''

''Big sis, I've always let you have your way but I can't let you on this. Andy is not an object that can be tossed and played around with. He is a human being. Before asking someone to be by your side, have you ever tried to be by someone else's side? You have always been thinking about yourself alone and don't care about other people's feelings. You don't love Andy. You are just afraid…''

''What?'' Mali looked at Paula and chuckled sarcastically.

''You are afraid to be alone. You always want to be surrounded and showered with love but you don't attempt to give that love to someone else. You always want to receive, be it affection or anything else. Mali, it is time to give that love for it is only in giving that you can truly receive it back''

''Are you done preaching? Tsk. Give back? I have never received anything that I didn't work for. You think you were the only one who had it rough? No, I had it rough too. Every night, I sleep and wake up because of nightmares. I have never had a good sleep because I kept thinking back to that day at the beach and I see dad's face. I hear voices and I feel like I am going to go crazy. That was why I left this place in the first place. Because I couldn't get any sleep. You said no one cared about you? Paula, I cared… I did care about you but I did it in my own way. All the lunchboxes that were delivered by the housekeeper, do you think they were prepared by her? No, I was the one who made them and let her hand it over to you''

''You… you were the one?'' Paula gasped and bit her lips as her tears fell. She remembered very well. the housekeeper at their house with their mother and Mali at that time would always bring her lunchboxes but she could never have imagined that they were made for her by Mali.

''Yes, I was the one'' the gun dropped from Mali's hand as she fell to the floor. Andy immediately took the gun from her.

''I did that because I felt guilty. I always wanted to tell mom the truth but I was scared. You know… that you are emotionally stronger than me. I could never stand been hated by anyone, and worse been hated by my own mother. Well, it's out now. I don't have to live in fear anymore, right mother? I always feared this moment but now that it has happened, I feel relieve. I guess I won't be having nightmares anymore''

Paula sighed as a certain realisation dawned on her.