"Justin..." she called under her breath while standing back up to her feet.

"Please look at me..." she sobbed.

"I want you to go." I told her.

We shared a few moments of silence before I heard her sighing, "I admit that I was the one who hired Mark to end her life." she confessed which made me turn my head back towards her with my eyes grew wide. I never thought she said that.

"I did it because I don't wanna lose my only child."

"I've got nobody else. I've lost everything when your father left me. I don't wanna lose you too. Please..."

"Mom." I cut her off but not in a harsh tone. I pressed my lips together as I saw her eyes began to swell from crying too much. The tears bursted forth like water from a dam, spilling down her rosy cheeks thus messed up her make up a little bit.

"Why did you even think of that? Losing me?" I asked, lowering my voice.

"I was afraid that you would choose her over me. I know..." she sighed before continuing what she wanted to say.

"I know that one day you'll find someone that you would want to spend the rest of your life with. Someone that you'll love. Someone that will give everything that you ever wanted."

"Someone that will change who you are..."

"When I finally realized that you're no longer going out partying with your friends, I knew that something was going on. I noticed the drastic change in you. You've become someone else and not the person I used to know."

"I thought maybe the time has come but..." she locked her gaze to mine and started walking timidly towards me but I didn't stop her this time until she reached the bedside.

"The moment you brought that Muslim girl home to meet me, I got panicked. All I ever think about was that you're making the same mistake as your father did and I was so afraid." she suffocated, struggling hard to catch her breath. Those painful memories slammed againts her all at once. As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent scream.

"I don't want her to take you away from me." she confessed, dropping her gaze in the process.

"You left home because you've made the decision to choose her over me..."

"Mom, please listen to me." I stopped her by putting one finger in the air and she did.

"I want you to know that I've made the choice myself." I blurted and she looked up at me.

"And not because of her." I took her hands in mine, stroking them gently.

"I don't know how to explain this to you but..."

"Just remember that she's still your mother." those words never go away every time I think about my mother. I still remember the night that she made me promise her to never lose my respect for my mother no matter what happens. I love Camila and I'm gonna keep that promise.

"She has a great deal of respect for you since the first time she met you. Althought you despise her and call her a bitch like a thousand times but she still knows how to respect you." I simplified. My eyes scanning her face, assessing her expression.

"You know what she told me after I drag her with me out of the house after you went ballistic on her?" I asked, keeping a calm expression.

"What?" she whispered, waiting for my answer.

I smiled, "She told me to remember that you're still my mother and always will be." I repeated each of Camila's words and she raised her eyebrows.

"Mom..." I said, still holding her hands in mine.

"I want you to know that I've never regret meeting her or loving her or even when I caught the bullets for her." I've never been this honest to anyone about anything before but I want everything to be crystal clear this time.

"She is all I ever wanted. I wanted her so badly. I wanted her more than anything. I wanted to live every second of my life with her by my side. I just want you to understand that, mom." I said without realizing that I was shedding tears myself. I swear to God that I would never shed my tears for anyone but if the subject is Camila, I'd cry a river for her.

"Justin, I..." she began but I cut her off one more time.

"If you can't understand that, I'll be fighting you for the rest of my life. We'll keep fighting for our love and there's nothing you can do to stop me from loving her." I said, meaning every word that came out of my mouth.

"I promise you that..."

"No matter where I go or whom I am with, you'll always be my biggest love, mom." I let myself speak out the truth thus one small crystal bead escapes from my right eye. I can feel the warmth, sliding down my cheek and rolling off my chin until my eyes flood with them.

"I will always love you and nothing could ever change that. I know you very well, mom. You're a good person. You're just haunted by your dark past and what happened between you and dad. But I can still see the goodness inside of you. You should bring out the goodness in you heart that once filled with evil, hatred, greed and revenge before it's too late. I'll be with you every step of the way." I held her hands firmly in mine and I reached out to wipe the tears off her cheek with my thumb.

In the moment, that flash of remorse protected me from the pain. I've failed myself and everyone else. I never understood before why love must be free but I do now. It must be free or the need will warp your own nature and change the love into something it should never be. In my heart I retract all the bad things I ever did, they were the reflection of my inner demons.

Regret washed over me like the long slow waves on a shallow beach. Each wave was icy cold and sent shivers down my spine. How I wished to go back and take a different path but now I know that was impossible. There was no going back. There was no way to make it right. The remorse would eat at everyday of my life. It will stay in my heart until the day I die.

Today was the day I finally realized that I couldn't possibly keep Justin and Camila apart. He is so in love with her and so does she. I never knew how big Justin's love is for her because I was blinded by the grudges that I held for too long. Does that make me a cruel mother? Taking something that he loves most from him?

Well, that's what happened. I nearly took the only thing that was ever made him happy. I almost took the only thing that mattered to him. In the end, he was the one who paid the price for my sinister plan. I'M SUCH A BAD MOTHER!?

"I never knew how much you love the Muslim girl." I whimpered. A salty fluid dripped over my cracked lips as my eyes were burning and my chest felt heavy as if it were filled with guilt.

"I love her more than anything, mom." he looked at me with that same disappointed face he'd given me a million times before.

With that, I collapsed to my knees and everything inside me shut down. My eyes stung and my body trembled, "I'm so sorry, Justin." I muttered, loud enough for him to hear me.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you and Camila. I was so afraid of losing you until I lost sight of really means the world to me. It's you, Justin."

After that, I realized that it's never too late to make things right. I have to fix the damage that I caused. Even though it's painful for me to admit it but I'm doing this for Justin. I'll do anything to make him happy again.

"I have to make things right." I said, hurrying up to my knees and made my way towards the door.

"Wait! Mom? Where are you going?" he asked, surprised by sudden actions.

When I reached the door, I looked back at him before answering, "You'll know soon."

I opened the door and God knows how stunned I was when I found the Muslim girl was standing in the doorway right in front of me with her eyes wide opened. She is probably here to see Justin. I thought to myself.

"Camila?" I heard Justin called her name. I bet that he thought that I was going to assault her like I used to do every time we encounter each other.

Without further instinct, I pulled her into my arms. I know that I was unworthy of her love and forgiveness but I was aware of what I've done to her. I'm very sorry for it. I couldn't describe how I felt at that time, not to mention when Justin told me that she still have the respect for me although she knows that I hated her.

We were locked in an embrace for a few seconds before I release her. She didn't actually return the hug and I noticed that her hands were hanging at both side of my waist. I could tell that she was hesitated whether or not to put her hands around me.

"I'm so sorry." I confessed, meaning those words from the bottom of my heart while taking my time to stroke her left cheek with my thumb before I left.