Lara screamed, a look of pure horror on her face. She pushed Dami off Helena and dragged her out of the room.
"Mom, no, stop, please!" Helena cried after them, but Lara kept pulling her down the stairs.
Dami cursed herself as tears blurred her vision. She knew this would happen. She'd always known, and it was all her fault.
"How dare you do this to my little girl!" Lara cried, her voice trembling with rage.
"Mom, stop!" Helena screamed, yanking herself free. Lara froze in her tracks, turning to face her daughter.
"I love her, and she loves me. We're in love," Helena said firmly, though her voice wavered at the edges.
Lara's face twisted into something dangerous. She stared at her daughter as though she didn't recognize her.
"I'm sorry," Dami whispered, barely audible, tears streaming down her face.
"Get out," Lara roared, glaring at Dami. "Get the hell out of my house!"
"I'm sorry," Dami cried again, her voice breaking. She stumbled toward the door, ran to her car, and drove off. Instead of heading to her apartment, she went to her mother's house.
When she arrived, she parked and bolted inside, running straight to her room without stopping to answer when her mother called out to her.
---
Helena sank to the floor, tears spilling down her cheeks as she watched Dami drive away. How did this happen? How did they go from happy to shattered in mere seconds?
Lara stood by the door, her fists clenched, her expression shifting between anger and heartbreak.
"How long has this been going on?" Lara asked, her voice sharp and cold as she turned to Helena.
"Mum…" Helena began, her voice cracking.
"How long?" Lara yelled, her face flushed with fury.
"Since we met," Helena admitted quietly, wiping at her tears.
The look of disgust that crossed Lara's face cut Helena to her core.
"No," Lara whispered, shaking her head. "Was it me? Was I a bad mother? Is that why you're punishing me like this?"
"Mum, this isn't about you," Helena pleaded. "It's about me and Dami. We love—"
"Stop," Lara snapped, cutting her off.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and marched to her car.
"Where are you going?" Helena called after her, panic creeping into her voice.
"Don't leave this house," Lara commanded as she started the engine. "I'll be right back."
Helena stood frozen, her head pounding, her heart racing as she stared at the gate her mother had just driven through.
---
"Where is she?" Lara yelled, pounding on the door of Mabel's house.
Mabel had been in the kitchen, satisfying a craving by baking some muffins. She'd heard Dami come in earlier, but when Dami didn't respond to her calls, she assumed her daughter had retreated to her studio as she often did.
Opening the door, Mabel was greeted by the sight of a furious and tear-streaked Lara.
"Are you okay?" Mabel asked cautiously, trying to piece together what was happening.
"Where is that girl?" Lara demanded, her voice shaking.
Mabel blinked. What girl? she thought. Was her friend having an episode?
A sniffle behind her caught Mabel's attention. She turned to find Dami standing there, her eyes puffy and red, staring blankly at Lara.
It only took Mabel a second to put it all together. She wasn't blind—she'd always known her daughter was different. From kindergarten, when Dami was shy around other girls, to her lack of interest in anything feminine, it had been clear.
At first, Mabel had been scared. She'd tried to steer Dami toward boys and church, hoping to "fix" her. But over time, she realized this wasn't something to be fixed—it was just who her daughter was. Dami was kind, sweet, and always tried to do the right thing. And Mabel loved her, no matter what.
"Calm down," Mabel said, stepping between Lara and her daughter.