Zara: Glances sharply at her mother Who is he, Mom? Why won't you tell me?! Why now?!
steps closer to her mother, eyes narrowing Cut the crap, Mom! I've been asking you questions for months now, and you keep dodging the topic!
well your not making this easy
grabs her mother's shoulders firmly Make it easy? You think this is easy for me? Finding out the truth about my real father after all these years?
well then let’s sit down and calm down so we can talk about this
pulls away from her mother, pacing back and forth Calm down? How can I calm down when my whole world is being turned upside down?
because we’ll get to the bottom of this together
stops pacing, takes a deep breath Fine, let's sit down and talk. But don't expect me to just accept anything you say.
sits down, glaring at her mother Alright, let's start with the basics. What's his name?
his name is charles Charles…..
leans forward, intense gaze Charles, huh? That's a start. But I need more than just a name, Mom. I need to know everything. Why did he leave us?
he didn’t really leave us he just had to go away
leans back, arms crossed "He had to go away"? That's all you're giving me? Come on, Mom, I deserve the truth!
what else do you want to know
smirks Oh, I've got a few more questions for you, Charles. But first, let's talk about what made him leave in the first place.
Look, Zara, your mother wasn’t really in a good position to have kids, so she adopted you…
Zara's face falls as she processes the revelation, feeling a mix of betrayal and anger towards her mother
your mother has always loved you
stands up abruptly, fists clenched Loved me? You think that's going to make up for all these years of lies and deception?
no, i’m saying that while she was lying to you, she was protecting you
takes a step closer to her mother, voice trembling with suppressed rage Protecting me? By keeping the truth hidden from me my entire life? Is that what you call protection?
slams her hand on the table, voice rising Well, congratulations, Mom! You've done a great job of protecting me all these years.
don’t you see? charles is a bad person and your mom was trying to protect you
pauses, takes a deep breath to calm herself Bad person? That's all you have to say about Charles? How convenient for you to paint him as the villain while you and Mom play the victims.
that’s not what i’m saying
narrows her eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm Oh no, I'm sure you're not saying that. You're just trying to justify all this mess.