When my 45-year-old mom told me she was dating a 25-year-old pastry chef, I thought it was a joke. “I just really want you to like Aaron as much as I do,” she said. But the moment I met him, I knew something was off.
Determined to protect her, I pretended to support the relationship while secretly digging for dirt. Days before the wedding, I found debt notices and property papers signed by Aaron. Panicking, I stormed into the ceremony yelling, “Stop the wedding!” and exposed everything.
That’s when the truth hit me like a truck.
Aaron and Mom had gone into debt buying me a restaurant — fulfilling my biggest dream. “It was Aaron’s idea,” my mom said through tears. “He even offered to work for free.”
In trying to “save” her, I destroyed her happiest day.
“You ruined everything,” she whispered before asking me to leave.
I wanted to protect my mom. Instead, I almost lost her.
