Chapter 1 Chapter 1

After scoring eight million in the lottery, I sold the restaurant I'd been running for, like, twenty years. Then I started hunting for a three-story house for Henry—a place he could settle into once he got married. That night, I gave him a call. "Henry, I closed up the restaurant today. Thought I'd come crash with you for a bit, cool?""Closed it? What, did it go under or something?" he asked, totally thrown. "Yep. Sold it at a discount," I replied with a hint of playfulness. "Honestly, I've been running it solo for years—I'm wiped. Feels like the right time to retire. And with your wedding next month, I don't even have to worry about asking for time off—" Before I could finish, I heard Tina, my future daughter-in-law, shout in the background, "Retire? You're not even fifty! Don't tell me you're planning to mooch off us already?" Her words left me speechless for a second. Tina and Henry had met right after college and dated for two years before getting engaged last year. We'd met a few times, and she'd always been super polite, sending gifts and holiday greetings. But now, her tone was sharp, almost hostile. Then again, I got it—she was probably just stressing about the future, worried about extra responsibilities after marriage. I was about to explain, dropping the playful tone, but before I could get a word in, Tina's voice cut through the line, shrill and icy. "I don't care! No way am I supporting your mother! If she even tries to come here, this wedding is off. I'll move out right now!" Her words left a bitter taste in my mouth. Frustration, I could understand, but this felt extreme... Henry sounded annoyed too. "What's wrong with you? My mom's treated you like family these past two years, and we should take care of her, together!""Well, go ahead—you take care of her. I'm not doing it!" Their argument just kept escalating, and I could even hear stuff slamming around on his end. After a few minutes, Henry's voice came back, low and careful. "Mom, don't worry. Tina's...she's just got a bit of a temper. But I know she cares about you deep down. I'll talk to her once she cools off, then we'll bring you over. You've worked hard your whole life—it's time you relax. I'll take care of you now." His words were so warm and genuine, they actually made my eyes sting. Just knowing he felt this way was enough. After we hung up, I figured I'd wait until they sorted things out, then tell Henry about the lottery. I'd even give him a couple hundred thousand to help him finally start his own business. With this money, he wouldn't have to worry about cash anymore... and if anything went sideways, I'd be here to back him up. I thought I had everything under control. But Henry's next call brought nothing but disaster. On the other end, Tina's voice was shaking with tears. "Henry's been in a serious car accident. He needs fifty thousand for surgery! Please, help us... find a way to get the money!""What? How did this happen?" My heart dropped as I transferred the money immediately. The restaurant payment had just cleared—it was exactly fifty thousand. Tina didn't say another word. She just hung up as soon as the money went through. I tried to book a ticket to go see Henry, but a storm hit, canceling all flights and trains. I had no choice but to stay home, calling Henry and Tina over and over. But after that day, neither of them ever picked up. A week later, both their numbers were disconnected.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

A week later, the storm finally let up enough for flights to resume. I booked the first one out and headed straight to Henry's apartment. I knocked for what felt like forever, but no one answered. Finally, a neighbor walked by and stopped. "Are you sure you've got the right place? The people here moved out last week." My stomach dropped. "Are you positive?" She must've noticed the disbelief on my face because she led me to her door and pointed. "Yep. Left in a hurry. They even gave me some furniture they couldn't take..." I glanced over—and there it was, unmistakably Henry's stuff, piled up by her door. What could've happened that made him leave so suddenly? Was he in debt? Or caught up in something he couldn't escape? But even if there was trouble, why would he keep it all from me? Anxious and desperate, I thought about going to the police but worried it might just make things worse for Henry. So, I hired a private investigator instead, hoping they could track him down. We arranged to meet at a hotel, and when I mentioned to the agency that I was searching for someone, they brought extra staff to help. As I headed downstairs to meet them, I noticed a huge commotion in the lobby—a wedding, by the looks of it. From across the room, I caught sight of the bride and groom, and my heart just about stopped. It was Henry and Tina. I froze, barely able to process it. But any lingering doubt disappeared when I saw Henry lift his glass to a middle-aged woman, saying, "Mom, here's to you." That woman... I'd recognize her anywhere. Mona Lott. My late husband Sebastian's high school "friend" and relentless shadow. When we were together, she tried every trick in the book to break us up, pulling him into constant drama and misunderstandings. Even after we married, she didn't stop. Once, while I was pregnant, she came by with "nourishing" soup, hoping to cause a miscarriage. Thankfully, I was cautious and didn't fall for it. But Mona wasn't done. After Henry was born, she tried to worm her way into his life, almost like she was trying to take my place as his mother. When Henry turned five, we'd finally had enough. Our family moved to another city to get away from her for good. Two months later, Sebastian was in a horrible car accident. Mona was involved too. The difference was, she walked away with minor injuries, while Sebastian was gravely hurt and died in the hospital before anyone could save him. She had no reason to be in the same city as us, yet there she was, right at the accident scene with my husband... I'd always suspected Mona had something to do with Sebastian's death, but I had no proof. And with Henry still so young, I couldn't chase answers. All I could do was bury that bitterness deep inside. And now, here was my missing son, cozying up to the woman I despised most, calling her "Mom." The cruelty of it hit me like a punch. I couldn't tell if I was more furious or heartbroken, but before I could even react, I looked closer and saw the man sitting beside Mona— It was Sebastian. The husband I'd buried over ten years ago. My face went pale, and I staggered back, barely able to process what I was seeing. Mona spotted me almost instantly. Her face froze for a second, then shifted into a smug, triumphant smile as she leaned over and whispered something to Henry. In seconds, Henry turned, his eyes full of hostility. He stood up and marched right over to me. "I've already moved on! Can you stop clinging to me like a leech? Are you seriously trying to drag me down until there's nothing left?"

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Henry's hysterical expression was a far cry from the warm voice that had once promised, "I'll take care of you in your old age." At this point, it was painfully obvious—he'd lied about the car accident, lied about everything. I wasn't family to him. I was dead weight he couldn't dump fast enough. "If you've got even a shred of decency left, leave!" he yelled, pointing dramatically at the hotel doors like he was casting me out of paradise. His face was practically curdling with disgust. Right on cue, Mona swooped in, all graceful, like she was rehearsing for a soap opera. She laid this delicate, supportive hand on his shoulder, pretending to look sympathetic. "She is your biological mother, after all," she sighed. "Maybe I should be the one to leave. I'm just the outsider here.""Don't say that!" Henry interrupted, way too fast. "You're the one who's been a real mother to me. This woman? She's the one who forced her way between you and my father. She's the real home-wrecker." Then he turned to me, his voice like ice. "If you know what's good for you, you'll walk out on your own. Otherwise, I'll get security to handle it." I took a deep breath, feeling like I'd just been hit with a bucket of ice water. A strange, cold calm settled over me, dulling the sting. "Henry," I said quietly, "I warned you a long time ago not to get mixed up with her. I told you it would only end badly." A year ago, he'd told me about meeting Mona, this supposed "refined" socialite with her rich husband and her high-society friends. She'd pulled off the whole act perfectly—like some wise, supportive mentor. But I knew better. Mona didn't have an ounce of genuine kindness in her. I'd warned him again and again to stay away from her. And he'd promised he would. Clearly, that promise meant nothing. "Nothing good will come of it?" Henry scoffed, though I caught a quick flash of guilt before he buried it under his usual resentment. "The only bad luck in my life is you! Mona gives me connections, money, opportunities you could only dream of! And you? You couldn't even run a restaurant without selling it off. Now you want me to support you? I'm young—I don't need you weighing me down. What's so wrong with that?" With those few words, he erased everything I'd done for him, like it was all worthless. "Why are you even wasting time on this?" Suddenly, Tina was beside him, giving me a look dripping with disdain. "Just get security to throw her out. We've got actual guests coming soon." Henry's face darkened, and he threw a quick signal to the guards by the entrance. I didn't stop him. I just looked at him, expression blank, my heart iced over. "Let me ask you one last time," I said, my voice low but steady. "Are you sure you want to choose her as your mother?" I pointed right at Mona. "Because if you do, we're done. Don't expect me to forgive you, even if you come crawling back someday, begging," I added. Henry barked out a bitter laugh, like I'd just cracked the best joke he'd ever heard. "Beg? The only thing I'm begging for is that you stay out of my life for good." Right then, the security guards showed up, and Henry quickly told them to escort me out. Then, like I was already some stranger, he took Mona's arm and headed back to the banquet. I stepped out of the guards' reach and raised my voice to make sure he—and everyone else—heard me loud and clear. "I booked this entire hotel for the day. So if anyone's leaving, it's you all."