My Son Called Another Woman Mom, So I Walked Away for Good Chapter 03

My Son Called Another Woman Mom, So I Walked Away for Good Chapter 03

Cormac grew quieter over the next few days. 

He stopped disappearing every evening. He came home for dinner. 

He even started checking Kellan’s homework. 

It was as if he had suddenly remembered he was supposed to be a 

husband and a father. 

On Friday night, he said, “Let’s go to Seabriar Bay this weekend. Just 

for one night. The three of us haven’t gone anywhere together in forever.” 

Kellan’s eyes lit up. 

He looked at me. 

I nodded. 

“Fine.” 

Cormac visibly relaxed. 

That night, after his shower, he sat on the edge of the bed. 

“Briar.” 

I closed my laptop. 

“What?” 

He reached for my shoulder. 

I shifted away. 

“Can we stop being like this?” 

I looked at him and suddenly felt exhausted. 

“It’s late. I want to sleep.” 

His face tightened. 

“I’m your husband.” 

I met his eyes. 

“You remember that now?” 

He stood, grabbed his jacket, and left. 

After the door shut, Kellan peeked out of his bedroom. 

“Did Dad go to work again?” 

“You can ask him yourself.” 

He pressed his lips together and went back to his room. 

Saturday morning. I packed an overnight bag. 

Then Cormac called. 

“There’s an issue with a project. We can’t go today.” 

“Where are you?” 

“At the office.” 

“What about Kellan?” 

A pause. 

“He should be home.” 

I walked to Kellan’s bedroom. 

It was empty. 

His backpack and jacket were gone. 

“He’s not.” 

Cormac went silent for a beat. 

“Maybe he went out to buy something.” 

I hung up. 

Twenty minutes later, Kellan texted. 

[Mom, a classmate asked me to go to the library.] 

[Which classmate?] 

It took him a long time to reply. 

[You don’t know him.] 

I stood by the window and looked down. 

Cormac’s car was parked at the intersection. 

I called a rideshare and had the driver follow his car. 

His car stopped outside a hotel. 

Cormac got out first, then walked around and opened the passenger door for Cambria. 

Kellan climbed out behir d them carrying a gift bag. 

As they entered the hotel, he looked up at her with a huge smile. 

“Happy birthday, Mom.” 

My chest seized, and for a moment, even breathing hurt. 

I paid the driver and got put. 

The door to one of the private dining rooms was slightly ajar. 

Inside were flowers, a birthday cake, and several of Cormac’s friends. 

Everything about the room felt warm and intimate, like a family celebration. 

Just as I reached the doo way, someone laughed. 

“Kellan’s already calling her Mom. Cormac, what are you waiting for?” 

Kellan sat beside Cambria, carefully placing candles on her cake. 

Cormac watched them so tenderly that it hurt to look at him. 

I pushed open the door. 

The laughter stopped. 

Several people recognized me, and the room immediately turned awkward. 

Cambria looked up with a smile, pretending she had never seen me before. 

“Cormac, who’s this?” 

I didn’t look at her. 

I looked at him. 

“You tell her,” 

Cormac froze. 

“Briar? What are you doing here?” 

I smiled. 

“Wasn’t I supposed to be waiting for you at Seabriar Bay?” 

Kellan shot to his feet. 

“Mom, did you follow us? 

I looked at him. 

“Weren’t you at the libra y?” 

His face flushed. 

Cambria stood and stepped closer to Cormac, her voice still soft. 

“Ms. Ellison, maybe we should talk about this privately. It’s my birthday.” 

I looked at her. 

“Who are you?* 

Her smile faded. 

She turned toward Corm ac. 

He said nothing. 

Then Kelian suddenly stepped in front of Cambria, shielding her from me. 

“Don’t bully her.” 

My throat tightened. 

‘I’m bullying her?” 

His eyes were wet, but his voice was sharp. 

“She was just helping me study. Why do you always have to turn 

everything into a big deal?” 

“She treats me better than you do.” 

I stared at him. 

“How?” 

He bit his lip hard, but the words came out anyway. 

“She plays with me. She listens to me. All you ever do is nag me 

about school.” 

He swallowed. 

*All you do at home is cook and clean.” 

Then he said the one thing that cut deepest. 

“How are you any different from a maid?” 

The entire room went silent. 

Cormac finally spoke. 

“Kellan. Enough.” 

Too late. 

I looked at the son I had raised for ten years and felt something inside me break. 

Somewhere along the way, he had learned to stand on someone 

else’s side and use his words against me. 

Cambria gently touched his arm, then looked at me with sympathy 

so polished it felt insulting. 

“Ms. Ellison, I saw you at the mall the other day. You couldn’t even afford a few clothes.” 

She turned to Cormac. 

“You should give her more money. Taking care of you and Kellan can’t be easy.” 

I stared at her. 

“Are you saying I’m their maid?” 

Her eyes instantly filled with tears. 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

I stepped forward. 

“Then let me tell you exactly who I am.”