Liam had promised he’d pick me up later that evening after work, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I already had the key, so I hailed a cab and told the driver his address. All the way there, I replayed the same image in my head…
Me, in our new kitchen, cooking his favorite pasta. Liam, walking in, surprised, wrapping his arms around me.
The neighborhood was quiet, with the kind of charm that made you want to bake cookies and wave at the mailman. My heart did a little flip as I climbed the steps to his front door.
I barely lifted my hand to fit the key into the lock when the door swung open. On the threshold stood a woman, about fifty, with perfectly styled silver hair and a sweet smile. “Um… hi.
Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m so glad you asked! I’m Clementine. The only woman in Liam’s life.”
She laughed lightly, as if I were a silly child.
“Oh, don’t look so shocked. Come in, come in. You must be exhausted from the move.”
She grabbed one of my suitcases and ushered me inside.
“So…” I continued. “The only woman part?”
“Yes,” she said, arranging my shoes neatly by the door. “I’m Liam’s mother.”
I exhaled, trying to laugh it off.
His… mother.
Of course. That made more sense. Kind of.
“Liam didn’t mention you’d be here.”
“Oh, well, I live here.” She gave me a sweet smile. “This is our home.”
I followed her through the hallway, and before I could even open my mouth, she was already giving me instructions. “You can put your toiletries in the bathroom cabinet, second shelf.
Not the first, that’s Liam’s. And please don’t move the sofa cushions, I’ve arranged them in a very specific order. Dinner is at six sharp, and we don’t use the dishwasher unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Right,” I muttered, blinking.
“I was thinking I’d unpack and maybe cook dinner for—”
It got worse. When I asked where my things should go, she led me to a small, windowless guest room down the hall. “I thought I’d be sharing a room with Liam,” I said cautiously.
“Oh, heavens no! Not before marriage. I do not tolerate sin under my roof.”
The rest of the day dragged like a bad dream.
Every time I tried to make myself useful, Clementine was already there, correcting me. She told me where to fold my sweaters, which shelf to use for my books, and even how many decorative pillows were “appropriate” on a guest bed. By the time Liam came home, I was desperate for a rescue.
“Hey!” I said, throwing my arms around him. “I thought I’d surprise you.”
“Oh, darling,” he said, kissing my cheek. “Mom said you came early.”
“Of course.
We talk about everything.”
Dinner was a nightmare. Clementine dominated the conversation, asking me intrusive questions and speaking about our future as if I weren’t sitting right there. And Liam… he just nodded.
Agreed. Smiled. When I tried to bring up the guest room situation, he said,
It hit me like a bucket of cold water.
The man who had once called me his home, at that moment, couldn’t form a single independent thought. As I lay awake in that suffocating little guest room, one thing became painfully clear. If I didn’t do something, Clementine would run our relationship.
So, when the house finally fell silent, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the door. I needed help. And there was only one person I trusted to give me the brutal honesty I needed.
I called a cab and watched the house disappear in the rearview mirror. My new “home” had just become a battleground, and I wasn’t planning to lose. Minutes later, I sat on the same old couch I’d once sworn I’d never come back to.
It was almost three in the morning, but sleep felt like a foreign concept. “Welcome back,” Jenna said, sliding a mug of cocoa into my hands. “Population: one brokenhearted optimist.”
“Don’t,” I muttered, staring into the steaming cup.
“I love him. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Yeah,” she said, settling across from me. “He’s the best… as long as mom’s not around.”
“What am I supposed to do?
I don’t want to lose him.”
“Then you need to listen carefully.”
Jenna leaned forward, her tone shifting from playful to serious. “When it comes to mama’s boys, there are only two outcomes: either you cut the umbilical cord once and for all… or you spend the rest of your life fighting for space next to her on the family throne.”
“And how often does the first one happen?”
I sank deeper into the couch. “Great.
So what now? I just give up?”
“Nope.” Jenna’s eyes lit up with mischief. “We get rid of her.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not literally, genius.
We make her want to leave. Voluntarily.”
“She thinks she’s the center of his universe. That Liam needs her approval for every single thing.
That you’re temporary.” Jenna pointed a finger at me. “Stop it, Jenna.”
“We push Liam into making decisions that she hates. We need to show her that you are the one he chooses.”
“Then he’s already chosen, and you’ll know it’s time to walk away.”
The thought made my stomach twist, but deep down, I knew she was right.
“This sounds like a war.”
“It is a war. But it’s not against her. It’s against the version of Liam that doesn’t know how to grow up.”
A slow smile crept across my face.
“I know what to do.”
I spent the next two days in a whirlwind — emails, calls, viewings, deposits. It was exhausting, terrifying, exhilarating. But by the end of it, I had done exactly what I’d promised myself: I’d taken control of my own story.
And finally, there we were. Liam, blindfolded with one of my scarves, was walking beside me, completely unaware of what was waiting just a few steps ahead. “Okay,” I whispered.
“You can open your eyes now.”
He blinked against the afternoon light, looking around in confusion. “Oh my God… love, where are we?”
His face shifted: first surprise, then something else I couldn’t read. “Oh… wow.
That’s… not exactly good news.”
“I’m sorry. I know this is sudden. And I don’t mean to disrespect your mom.
But living with her is too much for me.”
“Even if you walk away right now, I’ll know I did everything I could. And I’ll start a new life here on my own.”
Slowly, a small smile tugged at Liam’s lips. “You’re so fiery.
So stubborn. And that’s one of the reasons I love you.”
“Liam—”
“But,” he interrupted gently, reaching into his jacket pocket, “I’ve got some news too.”
He held out a small silver key and pressed it into my palm. “I bought a house for us.
I was going to tell you when you moved in, but I didn’t finish the paperwork in time.”
“No way!”
“And… I’m sorry about Mom. She is a good person, but completely unbearable. That’s why I always agree with her, and then quietly do what I want anyway.”
“Oh, thank God!
I was terrified you were one of those men who never grow up. Jenna said the odds were—”
Liam laughed, pulling me into his arms. “You and Jenna really went into battle mode, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Well,” he grinned, brushing a kiss against my forehead, “maybe we should invite her to move in here.
Sounds like she deserves a fresh start as much as we do.”
I laughed through the tears I didn’t even realize were falling. Finally, the future didn’t feel like a battlefield. It felt like a beginning.
And this time, it was our story. Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
