Adele’s mother constantly urged her to get rid of her jobless husband, and although she didn’t want to, Adele was starting to grow weary, too. After a fight, they separated, only for Adele to discover him holding hands with another woman – her mother – a week later.
Adele walked into a restaurant to meet her mother, Linda. But at the table, Adele saw a nice-looking man. She understood Linda’s game right away.
Her mother stood up, her face beaming. “Darling, you’re here!”
Adele sat and hesitated a second before asking, “Mom, who is this?”
“This is Martin, my friend’s son. Martin, this is my daughter, Adele,” Linda replied.
Adele had offered a polite nod. “Pleased to meet you,” she said quietly.
“Likewise. Your mother speaks very highly of you,” Martin smiled.
She offered Martin another polite nod before turning her attention to her mother. “So, why did you invite me to dinner?” Adele asked, curious.
Linda acted nonchalantly. “I thought it would be nice for you to meet Martin. He’s a very successful businessman.”
Martin laughed, talking a little about his business, but Adele wasn’t interested. “Mom, what’s going on? Why are you doing this again?” she asked sharply.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean,” Adele pressed. “Setting me up with other men. I’m married, Mom. I’m not interested in anyone else.”
Linda sighed. “Adele, be realistic. Your husband is a failed writer. He had one lucky break with a book, and that’s it. It’s probably all he’ll ever achieve.”
“Don’t talk about him like that.” Adele leaned forward. “Yes, he has a creative crisis right now, but writing is his life.”
Linda insisted, concerned and annoyed. “Adele, you’re not seeing clearly. Your husband is comfortable leaving you to be the breadwinner. What kind of man allows that? I just don’t see a future for you. It’s time to get serious if you want more for your life,” she insisted.
Adele’s face flushed. “I can’t believe you’re still trying to control my life, even suggesting I should break up with the man I love. I’m sorry, Martin. I have to go,” she said, feeling the pain rising in her throat.
Linda tried to stop her, but Adele didn’t listen. She left the restaurant and made her way home. Upon entering her living room, she found Lucas pacing back and forth.
“Hey,” Adele greeted softly. Lucas muttered an inaudible “hey” and kept pacing. “How’s the story coming along?”
“It’s… coming. Not much else to say right now,” he replied, shrugging.
Adele nodded and turned to leave the room, but the weight of unspoken words held her back. She turned back to Lucas, her heart pounding in her chest. “Can we talk? There’s something on my mind.”
Lucas stopped pacing. “Sure, what’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking… It’s been a long time since your last royalty check, and it’s hard for me to cover everything alone. Maybe you should look for part-time work,” Adele said timidly.
“No, if I start working somewhere else, I won’t dedicate enough time to my book,” he replied earnestly.
“I understand. But we’re in a tough spot. It’s been over six months. We need to think about our current situation.”
“My writing is my passion. Are you asking me to put that aside for a regular job?” Lucas asked, outraged.
“No, but I’m just asking for some balance,” Adele sighed. “We need some stability to start thinking about having children.”
“Well, I was thinking we could wait another five or seven years,” Lucas said offhandedly.
“Five to seven years?” Adele repeated. “That’s a long time, Lucas.”
“I just can’t focus on children right now,” Lucas sighed. “My book needs all my attention.”
Adele’s frustration grew. “What about our life together? We need a plan.”
Lucas looked conflicted. “My writing is a huge part of our future. I can’t abandon it.”
Adele blew an angry breath and said, “Well, I just wanted to talk calmly with you, but now I see things clearly. You don’t grasp how serious our situation is. If you’re not ready to contribute or plan a future with me – a future WE BOTH want – then maybe you need to leave.”
“You’re not serious right now, are you?” Lucas asked, shocked.
“I’m very serious,” Adele stated, crossing her arms.
Lucas’s expression hardened. He walked to their bedroom and started gathering his belongings. Adele watched, her heart sinking. She wanted to say something, to stop him, but couldn’t speak. With a final look, he walked out of the house.
Adele’s night had been nothing short of a nightmare, leaving her a lot of worries. The next day, she decided a walk might help clear her mind. With her heart heavy, she opened Instagram, hoping to distract herself with a few lighthearted posts.
But as she scrolled through her feed, her eyes caught an unexpected scene—a photo from a café just a short two-minute walk away.
But her heart sank when she noticed something unsettling in the background: her mother, Linda, and her husband, Lucas, holding hands. Shocked and pale, Adele quickly headed to the café to see if it was true. Upon arriving, she was shocked to see Linda and Lucas enjoying each other’s company.
She didn’t confront them right away. She waited until later when she went to her mother’s house. When she got there, Linda’s eyes widened.
“Oh, dear, what are you doing here?” Linda asked.
“I want the truth,” Adele replied, her voice firm.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please, just don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I saw you today with Lucas. Tell me the truth right now,” Adele demanded.
Linda’s expression shifted into fear, but realizing there was no way out, she invited her daughter inside. “Come inside, Adele. I’ll tell you everything,” she said.
They went to the living room, and the silence stretched uncomfortably.
“After our talk at the restaurant, I felt terrible,” Linda began, getting to the point. “I was at home, thinking about you. But then, my phone rang, and it was Lucas. He told me about your fight and that you had kicked him out. Honestly, I was relieved because that’s what I wanted for you. But Lucas was lost. I thought it would be harmless to invite him over to talk.”
Adele’s brow furrowed.
“We had a good time, and I let him stay the night. He made breakfast in the morning. When he was leaving, he asked if we could meet again. He said our talk had helped him. So, we set another time to meet,” Linda put her head down. “But that meeting was different. It was romantic.”
“Mom, just stop. Stop lying to me. My husband didn’t ask you on a date,” Adele scoffed.
“I wish I could tell you it wasn’t true, but I made a promise to be honest with you. I couldn’t believe it myself when I arrived. Lucas had gone all out – he had arranged for a nice date. He told me he didn’t want to talk about you today. He finds my company enjoyable. It felt amazing,” Linda confessed.
“I can’t believe you! How can you betray me like this? I’m going to Lucas to tell him our fight was because of you!” Adele yelled, feeling the tears in her eyes. She turned swiftly and left her treacherous mother behind.
Once outside, Adele frantically pulled out her phone and dialed Lucas’s number. “Where are you right now? I need to talk to you,” she said, her voice shaking. He was at the public library, so she took a taxi. Her heart was racing as she spotted Lucas coming out of the building.
“Lucas, please forgive me. I was wrong, but it’s all because of my mom…” Adele stammered.
Lucas looked at her, confused. “What’s going on?”
Adele confessed to seeing him with Linda and how her mother had betrayed her. Their fight had been her manipulation, and Adele was sorry for falling for it. She also told him about Linda’s lies. She asked him to get back together, but Lucas shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Adele. But we should go our separate ways.”
“What?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Your mother didn’t lie,” Lucas said. “She is a remarkable woman. I didn’t plan for this to happen, but it did.”
Adele took a step back. “This is insane. I gave you the best years of my life. I supported you in everything!” she cried out. “You’re a user! I kicked you out, so now you’re going after my mother!”
“Adele, please stop,” Lucas pleaded, pained. “It wasn’t planned. I don’t want her money.”
“You make me sick. You both deserve each other,” Adele snapped, walking away.
When Adele returned home, she knew she had two choices: break down or purge everything. She chose the latter. She threw all Lucas’s belongings while listening to great music, signed up for a new gym and nutritionist, and adopted a new hairstyle. Despite the pain of the betrayal, the next few months of her life were incredible.
But one day, the doorbell rang. On her doorstep stood her mother, tears streaming down her face. Adele’s heart skipped a beat, and all the feelings she had purged came rushing back.
“Why are you here?” Adele wondered, her tone careful.
“Oh, darling, I’m so sorry…” she sobbed. “I am the worst mother in the world.”
Compassion settled in Adele’s heart, and she let Linda inside. “Can you tell me what happened?” Adele asked. Instead of explaining, Linda pulled a book from her bag and handed it over.
Adele glanced at the cover, her eyes widening as she recognized the author’s name – Lucas’s new book. “What does this mean?” she asked, confused.
“That scoundrel… He used me, Adele. You have to read it,” Linda said, her voice breaking, struggling to hold back more tears.
Adele opened Lucas’s book and began to read, her eyes scanning the pages quickly but attentively. Linda waited, her quiet sobs ebbing.
Lucas had crafted a character – a woman – a mirror image of betrayal and deceit. This character was depicted as a woman who ruthlessly tore apart her own family, manipulating her daughter in pursuit of a scandalous affair with a younger man.
Adele’s heart sank as she put the pieces together. The character in Lucas’s book – it was a thinly veiled description of Linda.
Her mother, now somewhat calmer, looked at Adele with sorrowful eyes. “I believed him, Adele. I’m so sorry.”
Adele let out a long, deep sigh, her chest heavy. All she could do was hug her mother. “We both fell for it. I suggest you read his words and purge them from your life,” she said into her mother’s shoulder.
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