Everyone I loved was crammed into the apartment Sean and I shared for my birthday. My sister decorated, Mom made cake, and Sean was acting… off. I thought he was planning a surprise—maybe the dream dress I’d obsessed over for weeks.
Then his mom walked in—wearing that exact dress.
I was stunned. Sean had refused to buy it, saying we were budgeting. But he’d gifted it to her instead. Later, when I asked why, he said, “To humble you.” It was a test.
So I packed my things and left.
A week later, his mom called, shaken. She told me Sean had lied—said I picked the dress for her and wanted her to wear it. When she found out the truth, she was horrified.
“I’m ashamed to call him my son,” she said, giving me the dress and telling me it had always been mine.
I told her I’d never go back to him—but that didn’t mean she and I couldn’t stay in touch. She smiled, tears in her eyes.