You stood there, utterly stunned, your mind spinning in disbelief. How could your mom, Leah, side with him—her stupid boyfriend Samuel—over her own son? Samuel. Just saying his name made your jaw clench. What kind of name was that, anyway? Her stupid boyfriend Samuel.

It didn’t make sense. She was always on your side, always standing up for you no matter what. But now? Now it seemed like everything was upside down. All because you missed one class. One class! It wasn’t even on purpose—it was a total accident. And yet, Samuel had taken it upon himself to turn it into a federal offense, forbidding you from going to dinner with your friend Coach. And worse—your mom had agreed with him.

She finally spoke, her voice calm but firm. “You’ll need to email your teacher and apologize for missing class. Then, I might let you go.” She said it so casually, as though this wasn’t the ultimate betrayal.

The worst part? She said it while holding his hand. She never used to let anyone into your space, let alone your lives. And now, here she was, clinging to him. You couldn’t believe it. It was as if she’d chosen him over you, the son she’d always sworn came first.

You glared at them, trying to make sense of it all. When had this even started? Samuel wasn’t supposed to exist in your world. For years after your dad left, it was just the two of you. And she’d always insisted she wasn’t interested in dating again.

Until Samuel.

They’d met at some corporate networking event last year. She’d gone reluctantly—dragged there by a friend, or so she claimed. According to her, he’d approached her at the bar, flashing that fake-looking smile of his and cracking some bland joke about the drink menu. She said he made her laugh. He was “charming,” “kind,” and “down-to-earth.” That’s what she told you, anyway.

You didn’t buy it. He’d probably just seen her as another trophy to add to his collection. The man reeked of pretentiousness.