As they sat at the dinner table, Mr. Alexander said, "Mr. Harrison invited us for dinner."
"When is the dinner taking place?" Lilian asked.
"Next week Saturday," he replied.
"Oh, I was actually sick of sitting at home all the time. Thank God I'm going to see Emmy again. When did they come back from the other state?" Lilian asked with a smile on her face.
Emmy was Lilian's friend, whom she only wished to be with or associate herself with.
"Oh yeah, you're always at home, that's why I see," Mr. Alexander said mockingly at his wife. "Let me ask you, do you even know what the date is today?"
Hearing what his father was saying, Ace turned to look at his mother, who was eating her food as if her husband's words were meaningless. However, after his father's last comment, Ace's anger flared up, and he snapped at him.
"Father, what's wrong with you? Can't you see that your words are hurting Mom?" Ace said, looking at his father angrily.
"Mind your own business, Ace. This is between your mother and me," Mr. Alexander replied, his voice stern.
"No, Father, I won't mind my own business. You're always saying hurtful things to Mom, and it's not right. She's your wife, and she deserves respect," Ace said, his voice firm.
"Respect? Ha! Your mother doesn't know the meaning of the word. She's always cooped up at home, doing nothing," Mr. Alexander sneered.
"That's not true, Father! Mom takes care of us and the house. She's always there for us, and that's what matters," Ace argued.
"Enough, Ace! You don't know what you're talking about," Mr. Alexander shouted.
"I do know, Father. I know that you're being unfair to Mom, and it's not right. Please, just stop saying hurtful things to her," Ace pleaded.
The room fell silent, with all eyes on Ace and his father. Lilian's eyes welled up with tears, seeing her son stand up for her.
Slowly, Lilian's lips formed into a small smile. This was the first time her son had stood up for her, and she felt so happy about it.
Back then, all she would do was cry her eyes out because of how her husband mocked her, just because she was introverted, like Ace, who enjoyed his own company and had only one friend, Manson.
Lilian stood up from her seat and was about to leave when her husband said, "This boy has gone beyond his line."
"You cursed it yourself," Lilian said and walked away, leaving her husband standing there, glaring at her.
Getting into her bedroom, Lilian sat on the edge of the bed and wondered what had made her son change and stand up for her. She slowly smiled as she lay down on the bed, still smiling silently as tears rolled down her eyes as she thought of what had happened back then when all her kids were too small to stand up for her.
"These are tears of happiness," she said, sniffing back her tears with a small smile on her face. "Finally, my child is grown up. Thank you, God. So I'm going to see this day in my life."
Lilian sniffed back her tears as she remembered everything from back then.
Her parents had insisted she marry William. He was 27, and she was 23. She had no feelings for him and wanted to have a job, not just be a housewife. However, seeing her parents' insistence, because they liked him, she agreed, as she loved her parents and wouldn't like to see them angry with her just because of marriage.
After graduating from university, she got married to him immediately. After one year of marriage, she lived happily, and she got everything she wanted, because he was rich. However, gradually, he became distant to her, and she gave birth to her first son, Ace.
The first time he asked her to go out with him to dinner after their marriage, she agreed and dressed herself nicely. However, after going there, she got humiliated by some women, and everything got out of her heart from then on.
Every time he asked her to go out with him to events or something, she turned him down, because she didn't want to go out with him.