𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔.

as hours passed, her hands were starting to get sore from how much she'd been sewing and making adjustments. there was a possibility her hand might getting sprained but didn't care since she was hyper focused on her work. another realization hit her and it was the reason why she was a workaholic is because she didn't like dealing with her issues instead of solving them. this was something she definitely needed to work on. right now, all lessa wanted was to forget about the shit show from yesterday.

maybe going to that halloween event wasn't a great idea. especially since she was still suffering the consequences of her drinking five sangrias. the headache wasn't feeling either. she could go and rest but didn't. just continued on with commissions and projects she needed to get done before the due date. letting out a deep sigh, she stopped and turned off the sewing machine, slumping against her seat and running her fingers through her curls. her phone was right there. no one had texted her yet, which was a little surprising since she had tons of clients to work with. she stared at it for a moment before it rang out.

her hands reached for it but it only said unknown number. her brow arched slightly, wondering who it might be. alessa had always made sure she had everyone's names listed but this number didn't have one. her finger hovered over the accept option, she was hesitant but there was no reason to be. no one outside of knew her contact number. only her friends and clients. that's it. so who the hell is this? only one way to find out.

"this is alessa speaking, how can i help you?" she asked through the line, getting up from her chair with her phone still to her ear. it was silent, and lessa was about to end the call, but a voice was heard on the other end, and she froze right there.

"¿es así como le hablas a tu madre?"

how the fuck did she find her number? she never gave her the new number after getting a new phone. so who gave it to her? alessa was quiet because she was trying to figure out if she was dreaming, but heard her voice again. this time sharper than she remembered. "¿hola, estás ahí? ¿por qué no me respondes, alessandra?"

her jaw clenched as she heard her call her by her first name. she knew that alessa didn't like it, yet she used it when she didn't respond right away. alessa wasn't going let her speak to her in that manner. she wasn't a kid anymore. she was a woman who was trying to make her life a little less chaotic. "hey natalie, how did you find my number?" that wasn't her name, but it was the name of a famous actress since she remembers her mother wanted to be an actress except it didn't work out for her. if she was going to endure this unexpected call, she might as well get under her skin. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. "can you explain to me how the hell you have my number? because last time i checked, i never gave it to you."

an exhausted sigh came from the other end. "dios, alessandra, ¿por qué lo pones todo dramático? ¿por qué no puedo llamar a mi hija y verificar si está bien?"

alessa was ready to end this call because talking to her mother was making her upset each time she spoke. "can you cut the bullshit and tell me why you're calling me when you have other people to talk to? her patience with her was getting worse, and never in her life did she want to throw her phone, but she didn't do that. letting out a deep sigh, she began speaking in her native language. "bien, ya que quieres actuar como un niña, te hablaré en español. ¿eso te hace feliz? si lo hace, no me sorprendería porque siempre has sido el tipo de conseguir lo que quieras. así que date prisa y dilo. ¿qué diablos quieres?" her tone sounded venomous, and she was quick to clear her throat. the way she said it made her feel ashamed of herself for talking that way.

"calma, quería llamarte y decirte que lo siento. lo siento por qué? por lo que te hice cuando estabas creciendo. cómo te hice sentir como si no fueras suficiente. lo siento por todo."

listening to her words, alessa couldn't help but laugh while her mother was asking her what was so funny. her laugh died down before she put her phone on speaker; her hands were getting sore. "no te refieres a nada de eso porque si lo hicieras lo harías más natural, pero no lo es y sé que me estás llamando. estás solo, ¿verdad? ¿te dejó robert? ¿es por eso que estás llamando? ¿por qué ahora no tienes a nadie?"

she grabbed a bottle of water to clear her throat to ease her nerves. alessa had never spoken to her that way. her younger self would immediately apologize profusely, but now that she's older. it's different. "well, i hate to break to you but you're suffering from the actions of your consequences. now i don't really know how to feel about robert since he never didn't do anything. he was a stranger that happened to be my dad." she paused before continuing on. "but i can say i have somewhat of a respect for him. you wanna know why? because he apologized to me when we had that huge fight in 2013 while you were throwing a temper tantrum, and that says a lot."

a huff was heard at the end of the line. "realmente lo siento. estoy tratando de ser mejor y—"

"no." a quick response came from her before her mother could say anything, alessa decided to stand up to her. she couldn't do it then, but now she can. "you had all the opportunities to apologize to me when growing up, but you never did! you're making it worse, actually, because i'm overwhelmed about everything in my life. so excuse my language, but fuck you." hanging up the call, alessa could feel herself tense, so much rage was in her, and it seemed like her mind was all over the place. she was clutching the phone tightly until she threw it against the wall, hearing the crack.