The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Perhaps it was because he first shared his family stories so openly that I found it easier to speak.

Hesitating, I said,

“My mom passed away, and my dad, like yours, cut ties with me.”

That year, at my mom’s funeral, a sea of people came, all dressed in black.

The master of ceremonies gave a long eulogy, but I couldn’t fully understand it. My mind wandered midway.

I remember looking at my mom’s photo, where she seemed to smile at me, and I smiled back.

The next second, I was slapped to the ground by my father.

He roared, “Your mom’s dead! How can you still smile?”

Everyone turned to look at me as if I were some kind of monster.

In that moment, I was terrified.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I bit my lips and didn’t dare make a sound.

In the first year after my mom’s passing, my dad often sat in the living room at night, flipping through her letters and photos.

By the second year, he had packed her belongings into a few boxes and pushed them into a dusty

corner.

By the third year, he had remarried.

The new stepmom dumped the boxes into the yard, saying she wanted to burn them all.

I desperately rummaged through the pile and saved the camera, holding it tightly to my chest.

I burned myself in the process.

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Chapter 10

From then on, the camera became the only thing left of my mom.

Later, my younger sister was born.

The love and attention of the whole family shifted to her.

I grew up as if invisible, turning eighteen without anyone noticing.

college to study

enrollment, my dad handed me a thick stack of money and

adult now. Don’t

counted

the blood ties between

my teachers and classmates praised me for being well–suited to be a doctor,

that I could stay calm no

I started working, this became

composure, but only I knew–I was too

ང་ད

I wondered if, on the day of the funeral, I hadn’t angered my

he still have abandoned

grown used to suppressing

if I ever laughed freely again or shed tears recklessly,

something even

point, I let out a small sigh.

in my heart for so long, had never been shared with anyone

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Ruined Bride of

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Chapter 10

deeply. The usual faint smile at the corners of his lips had

was

You were only five

a little

“Crying and laughing are

no one ever let you be a child.”

but it struck

my dad stopped speaking to me

when my sister was born, my

college, I had to juggle my studies and find ways to support

realized there wasn’t a single moment

I understood that my tears and laughter didn’t matter to

to bury

my head, I said bitterly,

an adult now. It’s impossible

laugh, or cry when

as I finished speaking, a sudden jolt ran through my ribs, like a

out a strange yelp and turned to

poking my side.

he said, “Who says it’s

tried to dodge, but he grabbed me.

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there was a switch on my waist–I couldn’t stop laughing, no matter how hard I tried to keep