Still, he refused to introduce me to his family. The only relative of his I had ever met was his cousin Josh and that only happened because we ran into him on the street.
It was strange, because everyone in his family clearly knew about me. They even sent us joint holiday cards. And yet Michael kept putting off any actual introductions.
He always said his mother was a “complicated person.” He insisted he was just trying to protect my peace of mind. But how bad could she be?
From what I knew, she had given birth to Michael at sixteen, which, in my mind, meant she would be young, modern, maybe even close with him.
Michael swore it was the opposite. He claimed she was clingy, overbearing, and had always scared away his past girlfriends.
That he was terrified of losing me and that was why he kept me away from her.
But lately, something in me had shifted. Michael had grown distant. He would disappear for hours, offer vague explanations, and come up with clumsy excuses that made no sense.
He was constantly glued to his phone. And one evening, I saw him pull cash from his savings account.
At that moment, I knew it had to be one of two things, either he was planning to propose… or he was cheating on me.
One night, I decided to just ask him, hoping he’d be honest.
“Michael, are you planning to propose to me?” I asked.
“What? Is this the point in our relationship where you start pressuring me about marriage?” he responded with wide eyes.
“No, I’m not pressuring you. I just feel like you’re about to propose, and I want to know if I’m right,” I explained.
“Why would you need to know that? Wouldn’t it ruin the surprise if I was?” Michael replied.
“Because you’ve been acting really strange lately,” I explained. “And I keep going back and forth between thinking you’re about to propose… or you’re cheating on me.”
Michael looked genuinely taken aback. “I’m not cheating on you. That’s for sure. And if I ever planned to propose, believe me, you would not see it coming.”
“Then what’s going on with you?” I pressed.
He hesitated for a moment, then exhaled. “Alright. I think it’s time I introduced you to my family.”
“Wait… really?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “It’s time. They’re coming over this weekend.”
My heart practically skipped. “That’s amazing!”
Michael smirked. “You say that now. But once you meet them, you might change your mind.”
I laughed and kissed him. He was definitely about to propose, and the fact that he was finally letting me meet his family only confirmed it.
The next day, I texted Kate and begged her to come with me for some much-needed prep: nails, outfit, everything. If this dinner ended with a ring, I had to be ready.
First came the manicures. Then came the outfit hunt. And let me tell you, after about the fifth store, it started to feel like psychological warfare.
We were exiting yet another shop when Kate suddenly shoved me back inside.
“What the hell?” I blurted out.
“Nothing! Nothing,” she stammered.
I leaned toward her. “What is it?”
She flinched. “Don’t look. There’s nothing there.”
Naturally, I looked. And that was when my world cracked.
There was Michael. With another woman. A completely different woman. She was holding onto his arm. He was carrying her shopping bags. They looked… happy.
My chest tightened. I could barely breathe.
Kate stepped beside me. “I told you not to look.”
“He’s cheating on me,” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “He’s not going to propose. He’s just setting up the family dinner so his mom can kick me out — like all the others.”
“You don’t know that,” Kate said gently. “It might not be what it looks like.”
“What else could it possibly be?” I cried. “Look at her! She’s stunning. Way out of my league.”
“Are you kidding? She looks older than you. It’s probably just the makeup,” Kate muttered.
“You’re only saying that to make me feel better.”
“No, I’m not.”
I wiped my eyes and said, “We’re following them.”
We tailed them through the mall, staying low-profile. She giggled at every joke. He bought her a coffee and smiled at her like she was the only woman in the world.
I couldn’t look away. That’s why he took money out of the savings, to hide it from me, since we had a joint account.
Eventually, they walked out to the parking lot and got into Michael’s car. I jumped into mine, Kate next to me, and we followed.
He drove her to a gorgeous, expensive-looking house. Maybe she was married? I tried to spot a ring, but I was too far.
He even got out to open her door. Gentleman, of course. They hugged, and then she kissed him on the cheek, leaving behind a faint smear of lipstick. She waved at him sweetly as she stepped inside. Michael got in his car and drove off.
“I took a picture, if you want proof,” Kate said quietly.
“Not now,” I muttered. “I’ll expose him at the family dinner. Right in front of them all.”
I turned off the car and grabbed the smoothie cup from the console.
“What are you going to do?” Kate asked carefully.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m going to show that woman what happens when you go after someone else’s boyfriend.”
I strode up to the door, smoothie behind my back, and rang the bell. She answered with a warm smile.
“How can I help you?” she asked sweetly.
“How about you stop sleeping with my boyfriend?” I screamed and splashed the smoothie right into her face.
“Are you crazy?!” she shrieked.
“That’s karma!” I shouted.
“I’m calling the cops, you lunatic!” she yelled after me.
But I didn’t wait. I turned, marched to the car, climbed in beside a stunned Kate, and drove off in silence.
By the time I got home, Michael was already there. And yes, there was still a faint lipstick smudge on his cheek. Not quite wiped clean.
“Hey!” he greeted me with a grin. “How was your day?”
“Kate and I went shopping. Didn’t find much,” I replied, eyes fixed on his face. “What’s that on your cheek?”
He frowned, pulled out his phone, and glanced at his reflection. “Looks like lunch leftovers,” he mumbled and wiped it off. “How embarrassing.”
Liar.
“Want to watch something?” he offered.
“No. I’m tired. I think I’ll just go to bed.”
Michael gave me a long, uncertain look. “Alright. Goodnight.”
“Oh, I want to give you money for your nails. You should get them done before dinner with my family.”
“I already did today,” I replied and walked off to the bedroom.
Once I lay down, I realized there was no way I could sleep. Michael never offered to pay for my nails. That confirmed it, he was planning a proposal. Bastard.
He was cheating on me and still wanted to marry me. I loved him. God, I loved him so much.
And it hurt more than I thought it could. I wanted to scream. I wanted to confront him and tell him I hated him.
But that wasn’t the truth. I still loved him. And I hated myself for that. But I wasn’t going to let this go. I was going to show his whole family exactly who he was.
Finally, the day came. Michael and I cooked a beautiful dinner together. He cracked jokes to make me laugh, but I stayed distant.
Just as we finished setting the table, the doorbell rang. Michael went to get the door, and a few moments later walked into the dining room with an older man and… her. That woman.
“What the hell is she doing here?!” I screamed.
“You mean my mom?” Michael asked, confused.
“Your… your mo—oh my god,” I stammered. “You’re sure?”
“That she’s my mom? Yes, Olivia. I’m sure,” he replied flatly.
I was speechless. What was I supposed to say to the woman I’d accused of sleeping with my boyfriend? The one I’d soaked in smoothie?
“Nice to finally meet you, Olivia,” she said smoothly. “I’m Cynthia. Shame you won’t be part of my son’s life much longer.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” Michael demanded.
“Because you two are breaking up,” Cynthia stated.
The older man, probably her husband, stood silently in the corner, visibly uncomfortable.
“And why’s that?” Michael challenged.
“Remember the crazy girl I told you about? The one who threw a smoothie in my face? That was her,” Cynthia said smugly.
Michael turned to me. “Olivia?”
“I thought you were cheating,” I whispered. “I didn’t know she was your mom. Kate and I followed you. I saw you drop her off. And I… I lost it.”
“Why didn’t you come talk to us? Ask anything?” he asked.
“I… I don’t know. I just yelled at her to stop sleeping with my boyfriend and threw the smoothie.”
“Oh god,” Michael groaned and rubbed his temples. “Why didn’t you say you were my mom?” he snapped at Cynthia.
“I wanted to see her face when she figured it out,” she smirked. “Now dump her and let’s go have dinner at a real restaurant.”
“I’m not dumping her,” Michael stated.
“WHAT?!” Cynthia and I shouted in unison.
“Michael, what I did was insane. I acted like a complete maniac,” I said quietly.
“Yeah, but you didn’t know who she was. And you’re my maniac,” he replied, then got down on one knee. “Olivia, I love you so much. I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Of course yes,” I whispered. Michael slid the ring on my finger and pulled me into a kiss.
“This is insane! I forbid you from marrying her!” Cynthia screeched.
“You don’t get to forbid anything,” Michael snapped. “And I know you saw Olivia watching us. You’ve never kissed me on the cheek before, or asked me to open a door for you. You wanted her to see. You’re just as much to blame as she is.”
“She doesn’t deserve you!” Cynthia shouted.
“I’ll decide that. And if anyone here doesn’t like it, you can leave.”
Cynthia spun on her heel and stormed out. Her husband mumbled a quiet apology and followed.
“I’m so sorry,” I told Michael.
“It’s okay. I’d have done the same if I saw you with another guy,” he said before kissing me.