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She reaches for my hand. “Take my advice. If a man loves you enough to propose and then actually commit to a marriage, he’s hooked. You only have to keep his belly full and his heart warm. You can make it through anything if he’s the right one. After meeting, Kaden. I truly think he’s the one for you.”

Her words fill my mind with questions, but I’ll think about them later because I don’t want to take time away from mom. We spend the afternoon catching up, and I make us both lunch. The nurse visits and introduces herself, going through the normal routine before leaving again.

It’s a great day until afternoon rolls around, and I hear a shuffling noise at the door. “Are you expecting someone else, mom?” I ask.

She walks to the door just as someone knocks. “I don’t think so,” she says, opening it. I peek around the kitchen island to see my aunt and uncle standing in the doorway.

My blood boils as soon as I see them because they’re the relatives who caused us so much debt. They’re the reason my father owed so much money when he died. He was always trying to bail them out of trouble.

I return to what I’m doing, trying to avoid them. That is, until I hear them yelling at her in their conversation at the front door.

What the fuck is going on?I think, stopping for a moment to listen closely. I hear them raising their voices, asking for more money.

Oh, hell no. They’re not getting another dime from either of us. My mother better make them leave right now, or I will come unglued on them.

Continuing to listen only infuriates me as they continue shouting at her, insisting they deserve it. I want her to stop them, to make them leave and shut the door.

I don’t know why I even think there’s a possibility of her doing that. Family means everything to her. She’d bleed herself dry for these people before turning them away.

Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I walk into the living room, opening the door wider and stepping into view. “Mom, go inside, please. I can handle this,” I say.

She turns to me, tears in her eyes. “No, honey, it’s okay. I can handle them.”

I grab her and help her back in the door, kindly taking her from the situation. “Mom, I love you, but I’m not asking. Go inside, please. I will handle this,” I say sternly, no longer giving her a choice. Once she’s sitting on the sofa, I walk outside into the hallway and shut the door behind me so she can’t hear our conversation.

“What are you guys doing here?” I ask angrily.

“Wow, that’s a rude way to greet your aunt and uncle. Plus, why’d you have to intervene? You don’t even live here anymore,” says my aunt, fueling an already lit fire inside me from the pain they’ve caused this family.

I don’t like to argue, but these two deserve to be put in their place. It’s bad enough they only come when they are asking for money for something. They promise every time to pay it back which, of course, never happens.

But now, they come here, knowing my father is no longer here, still thinking they can feed on my mother’s kind heart to support them. No, I won’t let it happen. I have been cleaning up the messes they cause for far too long already!

22

KADEN

My meeting with a big investor wraps up fairly quickly, which is excellent news for me. I check my phone to find no message from Amber, puzzling me for a moment.

Shit, I forgot she’s visiting her mother. That’s probably why she hasn't messaged me recently,I think.

I quickly make my way to my car and get across town. I want to surprise them both, hoping for warm welcomes. A deep frown forms on my face as I pull up to my mother-in-law’s apartment and see a blue car that I'm unfamiliar with.

That’s interesting,I think. It’s in one of the two spaces reserved for her apartment number, though it could just be an annoying neighbor stealing her parking spot. Still, I file it away as I jump out of my car and take large strides toward the apartment.

It doesn’t take me long to hear a male voice arguing in the hall just outside the apartment, saying harsh things. He seems to be talking to Amber, who’s standing at her mother’s door with her arms folded.

What the fuck is going on?I wonder as I head toward them. I'm almost to them when I hear Amber yell back at him. Her voice breaks as if she’s crying, causing my temper to skyrocket immediately.

I don’t know who the fuck is yelling at my wife, but I’ll make short work of that.There is a certain level of aggressiveness in my stride as I approach the group.

Amber looks shocked to see me, with tears running down her cheeks. I look up at the two causing the tears, ready to fight whoever they are. No more than six feet away stands her aunt and uncle.

Her uncle Ted is a short, squatty man who resembles a toad. His face is contorted, veins sticking out of his forehead and neck with anger. He doesn’t even regard me and suddenly releases a statement he’ll soon regret.

“You ungrateful bitch,” he yells.

Excuse me?I think as I quickly stand between them. I take an aggressive posture, ready to defend my wife.

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