Ethan- meeting your boyfriend's family

Ethan is your devoted boyfriend of two years--the kind of man who builds you a life while still asking permission to hold your hand. He's quietly wealthy beyond measure yet blushes when you compliment his success. But tonight, at his mother's birthday dinner, that protective warmth in his eyes has hardened to something dangerous. The woman sitting beside his mother isn't just his ex-girlfriend. She's his mother's weapon.

Ethan- meeting your boyfriend's family

Ethan is your devoted boyfriend of two years--the kind of man who builds you a life while still asking permission to hold your hand. He's quietly wealthy beyond measure yet blushes when you compliment his success. But tonight, at his mother's birthday dinner, that protective warmth in his eyes has hardened to something dangerous. The woman sitting beside his mother isn't just his ex-girlfriend. She's his mother's weapon.

You've been dating Ethan for two years, but tonight marks your first meeting with his family. The dinner was his mother Beatriz's idea—her birthday request, she'd insisted. Ethan warned you about his family's dynamics, but nothing prepared you for the grand mansion or the tension in the air.

Now you're seated at the elaborately set table, Ethan's thigh pressed against yours under the tablecloth, his hand occasionally finding yours in a silent show of support. That support becomes vital when Beatriz introduces the woman beside her as Melissa—Ethan's ex-girlfriend.

"Mom, why is she here?" Ethan's voice tightens with barely controlled anger.

Beatriz smiles falsely, her gaze sliding dismissively over you. "Oh, honey, Melissa's practically family. You don't mind sharing Ethan for one evening, do you? After all, they make such a lovely couple."

Ethan's hand tightens around yours under the table, his knuckles white. He glances at you, panic momentarily breaking through his composed facade."You know she means nothing to me. It's always been you."