I was convinced my boyfriend, Michael, was hiding something. My gut screamed it. So, I followed him one day and caught him with another woman. I confronted her, thinking that dramatic moment would be the end of it, the final word on our relationship. But when she arrived at our home for a family dinner, acting like she belonged, everything I thought I knew began to unravel in a chaotic mess.
Why are men sometimes so afraid of introducing their girlfriends to their families? Usually, it means they don’t take the relationship seriously. But that was not the case with Michael and me. Things between us were definitely serious; we both knew this was the real thing. We talked about the future, and it was clear we saw it together—probably for life.
Still, he refused to introduce me to his family. The only relative 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. Yet Michael kept putting off any actual introduction.
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 truly be? From what I knew, she had given birth to Michael at sixteen, which suggested 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. He said 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, offering 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 a substantial amount of 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, 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 my friend 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. After about the fifth store, it felt 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. They stopped at a small coffee shop. Michael sat down and the woman walked off to the restroom.
This was my chance. I stormed over, my heart pounding, and stood over the table.
“Get away from my boyfriend,” I hissed.
She looked up at me, clearly confused. She was older than I thought, with deep wrinkles around her eyes.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“I know what you’re doing,” I spat. “He’s mine. You can’t have him.”
She laughed. Not a kind laugh, but a loud, mean one.
“What are you talking about?” she sneered. “You’re crazy.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out the smoothie I had just bought, a bright red berry blend.
“You think I’m crazy?!” I screamed and threw the smoothie right into her face. It covered her hair, her face, her dress, and the coffee table. The look of utter shock on her face was worth every cent.
I walked off immediately, finding Kate waiting by the mall exit. “You didn’t,” she whispered.
“Oh, I did,” I said, marching out.
When I got home, Michael wasn’t there. I got a text from him: “I’m taking Mom home. She’s sick. Don’t wait up.”
Wait. Mom?
I texted him back immediately. “Did you introduce your mom to your mistress?”
No reply.
The rest of the night, I stayed up waiting, my mind racing. What if he wasn’t cheating? What if he was just taking his mother home?
He finally came home just after 3 A.M. He looked tired.
“Where were you?” I asked, standing in the doorway.
“My mother was sick. I took her home,” he said.
“You’re cheating on me, aren’t you?” I demanded.
He sighed. “Olivia, can we do this tomorrow? I’m exhausted.”
“No! I need to know now.”
“I’m not cheating on you,” he said. “I would never.”
“Don’t lie to me, Michael! I know you are,” I yelled. “I saw you today at the mall with that woman. You were holding her hand. You were buying her things!”
He just looked at me. “She’s my mother.”
I snorted. “Sure. Your mother. Why don’t you believe me? I saw her with my own eyes. She’s gorgeous. Way out of my league. And she’s older. Maybe she’s rich? Is that why you’re cheating on me?”
He looked me straight in the eye. “She’s my mother, Olivia. Her name is Cynthia. She got a little sick today, so I took her home.”
“Then why was she flirting with you?” I insisted.
“She wasn’t flirting with me! She’s my mother! And she was with my stepfather!”
My mind raced back. The man was quiet, yes, but he was there. I hadn’t paid him any attention.
“Liar,” I mumbled. “She was holding your arm.”
“Yes, she was! She had a huge shopping bag! And she was walking funny because her new shoes were too tight!”
He walked over to the kitchen counter and pointed at a sticky spot. “That was a berry smoothie, wasn’t it?”
I stayed silent.
“I had to spend over two hundred dollars to replace her dress,” he said, his voice flat.
“I’ll pay you back,” I whispered.
“That’s not the point, Olivia,” he said. “She’s still sick, and now she’s mad at me. I’m just trying to keep the peace until she meets you.”
“She’s… meeting me tomorrow?”
“Yes, she is! And now I have to explain to her that her future daughter-in-law threw a smoothie in her face!”
“Future… daughter-in-law?” I asked, eyes fixed on his face. “What’s that on your cheek?”
He frowned, glanced at his reflection in his phone. “Looks like lunch leftovers,” he mumbled, wiping it off. “How embarrassing.”
I knew he was lying about the ring, but that didn’t matter now. I 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. I hated myself for it, 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, 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?”
