I Crashed My Wife's Wedding Chapter 2

After leaving Olivia’s hometown, I drove straight to my mom’s place.

Olivia never liked the idea of living with my mother, so right after we got married, my mom volunteered to move back to the quiet town where she grew up. I’d bought her a nice little townhouse in the best development in the area, thinking that after all her years of hard work, it was time for her to relax and enjoy her life.

Olivia had thrown a fit about the expense, giving me the silent treatment for three solid months. The only thing that ended the cold war was my mom offering to put the townhouse in both of our names, mine and Olivia’s.

Now, as I opened her front door, the sight that greeted me made my heart clench. My mother was sitting at her small kitchen table, eating canned soup and saltine crackers.

“Mom,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. “I’ve been sending you money every month. Why are you eating this stuff? It has no nutritional value.”

She hadn’t expected me, and her face lit up with pure joy. “Ethan! What a surprise! Why are you here? Where’s Olivia?”

I looked at the gray streaks in her hair, the lines around her eyes, and a wave of guilt washed over me. For years, I’d been so focused on making money, on pleasing Olivia, that I had completely neglected the woman who raised me. I made a decision right then and there: as soon as the divorce was final, I was moving my mom in with me so I could take care of her.

“I haven’t eaten yet either, Mom,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let me take you out for a nice lunch.”

She immediately waved her hands in protest. “Oh, no, that’s such a waste of money. You just wait here, I’ll cook something for you.”

She bustled toward the kitchen. But when she opened the refrigerator, there was nothing inside but a few condiments and some wilted vegetables.

“Mom, we’re going out,” I said, my voice firm.

This time, I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I just took her by the arm and led her out the door.

After a nice meal, I took her to the supermarket and we stocked her kitchen with fresh groceries. But as we walked up to her front door, we saw it was standing wide open.

My mom, thinking they’d been robbed, hurried inside to see what was going on.

A moment later, Olivia’s voice, sharp and imperious, echoed from inside the house.

“Where have you been, wandering around outside? I have family coming over. You’ll need to pack a bag and find somewhere else to stay for a few days.”

A surge of hot anger rose in my throat, and I stormed in after my mother.

“Olivia,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Who are you telling to move out?”

She jumped when she saw me, clearly startled. “Ethan! What are you doing here?”

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “This is my mother’s house. Where else would I be?”

She pursed her lips, completely unfazed. “Liam needs to borrow the house for a few days, and I already told him it was fine. Since you’re here, you can just take your mom and get a hotel for the weekend.”

She said it with such casual entitlement, as if it were the most reasonable request in the world. In her mind, this was her house, and she was the one in charge.

Liam, who had been standing off to the side, quickly chimed in. “Hey, Ethan. We just wanted to borrow the place for a bit, that’s all.”

“If you’re really not okay with it,” he added with a smug little smile, “I can even pay you rent.”

I shot him a look of pure disgust.

Before I could even respond, Olivia scoffed.

“Why would we give him money? You work hard for your money, Liam. Besides, this house is way too big for one old woman. It’s a waste. It’s better if your relatives get to enjoy it.”

“And I’m a legal owner of this property,” she declared, puffing out her chest slightly. “He has no right to kick you out.”

Her words sent a fresh wave of fury through me.

But before I could unleash the tirade building inside me, the front door burst open again, and the house was filled with the loud, chaotic sounds of a crowd of people arriving.