Ivan stood in the living room, staring at his mother with cold, angry eyes. His hands were shaking, but his voice was steady when he spoke.
"Respect you? For killing my father?"
Jaya's breath stopped. She swallowed hard. It felt like her son had slapped her with words.
"Ivan… don't say that," she whispered.
But Ivan stepped closer. "Why not? Isn't it the truth?"
Jaya forced herself to stay calm. "Your father took his own life," she said quietly. "I didn't kill him."
"You pushed him to the edge," Ivan said. His voice cracked with pain. "Mother… he died because of you."
Jaya looked away. She wiped her hands on her dress, pretending she wasn't trembling. "No… no, he was too weak," she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Weak?" Ivan's voice rose. "Weak because he couldn't accept that his wife was having an affair with another man?"
Jaya flinched.
Her lips shook, but she didn't answer.
Ivan shook his head slowly. "You know what hurts the most? You still refuse to accept your mistakes. Even now."
She took a small step back. "Ivan, you are crossing the line."
"No, Mother," he said firmly. "You crossed the line. You destroyed our family."
Jaya stared at him, shocked. She had never seen him speak like this before. For years, he had stayed silent. He never questioned her, never argued. But today he wasn't the quiet boy anymore. Today he was a young man burning with anger.
"You broke Dad," Ivan continued, his voice rising and falling with emotion. "You broke me too."
Jaya held her breath. She knew she was losing him.
"Dad is gone because of you," he said, pointing at her with a shaking hand. "Now I am alone here. I am the one left with the pain."
"Ivan—" she tried to speak, but he cut her off.
"Why did you do this to us? Why couldn't you just love him? Why couldn't you stay loyal? Was it that hard?" His voice cracked again.
Jaya felt her throat closing. Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. She couldn't answer him. Maybe she didn't have an answer.
Ivan took a deep breath, like he had been holding the pain inside for years and finally let it out.
"All this time I stayed quiet… I respected you… I listened to you. But today I can't. Today the truth is choking me."
Jaya covered her mouth with her hand. Her body shook as tears finally escaped her eyes.
She turned away and walked quickly to the kitchen. Her legs felt weak. She grabbed a glass with trembling hands and filled it with water. She drank it fast, as if the cold water could wash away the guilt and pain.
Behind her, Ivan's voice came again, but now it was colder.
"Do whatever you want, Mother. I'm done with your drama."
He walked upstairs, every step heavy with anger. He slammed the door behind him, and the whole house vibrated.
Inside his room, he collapsed on the bed. His chest hurt. His breathing was rough and uneven.
"I hate you… Mother… I hate you," he whispered into his pillow.
His tears soaked the bedsheet. His whole body felt empty, as if someone had taken all the strength out of him.
"Why did my life turn out like this?" he cried softly. "Why only me? Why didn't I get a normal family? When did everything go wrong?"
He wiped his eyes but the tears kept coming.
"I know what Dad felt," he whispered. "He was trapped… alone… with no one to help him. And now I'm just like him."
He curled up on his side, hugging himself tightly as the room grew quiet.
Tears kept falling, one after another, down his pale cheeks.