Watching her.
Judging her.
“Eat it faster, you old woman!” Victoria snapped, her voice sharp and cruel, while her friends stood nearby laughing.
“I told you—you’re not allowed inside when I have guests! You smell! You smell like poverty! I don’t want my friends knowing I married into a pathetic family!”
My mother trembled.
“I-I’m sorry… Victoria… I was just hungry… I went into the kitchen…”
Her voice was small.
Broken.
Like this wasn’t the first time.
“You’re sleeping in the dog house tonight!” Victoria shouted.
And then—
she threw the wine in her hand straight onto my mother’s head.
The Moment I Stopped Being Her Husband
Something exploded inside me.
The box of bread slipped from my hands and hit the ground.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY MOTHER?!”
My voice shook the entire yard.
Victoria froze.
The glass shattered from her hand.
When she saw me standing there—
everything drained from her face.
“E-Ethan?! Baby?! I thought you were in New York!” she stuttered, rushing toward me. “Y-you don’t understand! She wasn’t listening—”
I didn’t let her finish.
The slap came fast.
Hard.
She fell to the ground.
Her friends screamed and ran out of the house like they had just seen a ghost.
I didn’t care.
I ran to my mother.
Took off my expensive coat.
Wrapped it around her shaking body.
“Mom… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry I left you with this monster…” I whispered, holding her as my voice broke.
She tried to calm me down.
“Son… don’t fight with your wife… I’m okay…”
Even then—
she was protecting peace.
Even then—
she was thinking about me.
Judgment Day
I stood up slowly.
Turned toward Victoria.
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