“From making my mistakes!”
Ethan took my hand.
“She told me I’d end up like your father. That I’d never be able to provide you with a proper home. She said that one day you’d lose everything because of me.”
I stared at my mother through the phone.
“Did you really say that?”
She began crying.
“Olivia, you don’t understand what I was trying to prevent.”
“Answer me!”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I said it.”
Ethan continued, his voice steady but strained.
“She invited me to lunch a few weeks before our wedding. She told me she wanted to talk about your future. I thought she was finally willing to accept me.”
He gave a short, humorless laugh.
“She ordered lunch, asked about my work, and then started asking questions about money. How much I earned. How much I had saved. Whether I had a retirement account. Whether I owned property.”
