Mom’s hands began to shake as she examined the pages. Her eyes moved from one document to another before she suddenly covered her face.
“Casey…” she whispered.
I stepped closer.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
She lowered her hands and looked at me with an expression I couldn’t understand.
“These debts…” she said quietly. “They’re because of you.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Aaron and I were planning a surprise for you,” she explained.
I stared at her, completely confused.
“A surprise?”
Aaron stepped forward.
“Your mom told me you’ve always dreamed of owning your own restaurant. We wanted to make that dream come true.”
I looked from him to my mother.
“What are you talking about?”
Aaron gestured toward the documents.
“We were arranging to buy a restaurant for you using the wedding money. But we had to finalize the purchase earlier than expected. I didn’t have enough funds available at the time, so I covered the difference myself. That’s where the debt came from.”
I swallowed hard.
“You… were buying me a restaurant?”
Mom nodded, her eyes filling with frustration.
“Yes! It was Aaron’s idea. He even offered to work there as your pastry chef without taking a salary until the business got on its feet!”
I felt as though the air had been knocked out of me.
All this time, I’d been convinced he was trying to steal from my mother. Yet he had been working to give me the one thing I’d always dreamed of.
“I… I didn’t know,” I stammered.
Mom’s expression hardened.
“You were so determined to ruin everything that you never even gave Aaron a chance!”
My chest tightened.
“I was only trying to protect you,” I whispered.
“But you nearly destroyed everything!” she snapped.
The weight of my mistake finally hit me. I had spent weeks searching for evidence against a man who had done nothing but try to make my mother happy—and help me achieve my dream.
Guilt overwhelmed me.
“Please forgive me, Mom,” I said, my voice breaking. “And you too, Aaron. I’m so sorry. I was wrong to treat you both that way.”
Mom stared at me for a long moment before looking away.
“Leave,” she said coldly. “I don’t want you at my wedding.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“Mom…”
Before she could respond, Aaron stepped between us.
“Sandra,” he said gently, “she’s your daughter. You’ll regret pushing her away like this.”
Then he turned to me.
“Casey, go take your seat. Let’s finish the ceremony.”
I hesitated, unable to find the right words. Eventually, I nodded and slowly made my way toward the back of the room.
My legs felt weak, and every step seemed heavier than the last.
I’d arrived determined to stop my mother’s wedding and save her from what I believed was a terrible mistake.
Instead, I’d nearly destroyed the happiness she’d finally found.
And the worst part was knowing that this time, I had no one to blame but myself.
You’ve just read My Mom Found a New Man . Why not read Finding a Coin on the Ground
