All Chapters of My Son Chose Another Mom: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

A week later, the storm finally let up enough for flights to resume. I booked the first one out and headed straight to Henry's apartment.I knocked for what felt like forever, but no one answered. Finally, a neighbor walked by and stopped."Are you sure you've got the right place? The people here moved out last week."My stomach dropped. "Are you positive?"She must've noticed the disbelief on my face because she led me to her door and pointed. "Yep. Left in a hurry. They even gave me some furniture they couldn't take..."I glanced over—and there it was, unmistakably Henry's stuff, piled up by her door.What could've happened that made him leave so suddenly? Was he in debt? Or caught up in something he couldn't escape? But even if there was trouble, why would he keep it all from me?Anxious and desperate, I thought about going to the police but worried it might just make things worse for Henry. So, I hired a private investigator instead, hoping they could track him down.We arr

Everyone went dead silent. A second later, Tina sneered. "Are you insane? Do you even know where you are? This is the biggest five-star hotel in the city—a single night costs a fortune. Renting the entire place would be, what, at least a hundred grand? You really think you can afford that?""If you don't believe me, ask the staff," I said, keeping my voice steady as I motioned for the security guard to get a receptionist.The guard hesitated but eventually went to fetch someone. A receptionist named Lily walked over, and after getting a rundown, she gave me this patronizing look."Ma'am, these guests booked their wedding properly. Even if you're staying here, you don't have the authority to kick out other guests. If you keep causing trouble, I'll have to ask security to escort you out." Her words were polite, but her tone dripped with condescension, like she was dealing with some delusional woman.I didn't flinch. "My name is Zoe Thorne. I booked this hotel last night and paid in f

Lily's face twisted, her voice rising sharply. "Excuse me? I told you from the start this hotel was booked for a private event! I even suggested you book for next week. But you were too cheap to pay full price, so you slipped me a third of the fee to rent it on the sly. Now you want to dump all the blame on me? Yeah, no way!""You—you... liar!" Mona stammered, her anger giving way to irritation and a touch of panic.I couldn't help it—I raised my hands in a slow clap. "Oh, so this is what Tina meant by you are rich, huh?"Mona's face turned green.Tina and Henry looked just as humiliated, their heads down, all the bravado from earlier gone.I was done wasting my time. Turning to Mr. Jordan, I asked, "Now that we're clear on who actually belongs here, shouldn't the uninvited guests be shown the door?""Yes, yes! Absolutely," Mr. Jordan said, snapping out of his shock as he signaled the security guards to start escorting them out.Before they could get close, Henry called out, "Wa

Once Henry was gone, I waited until the house was silent, then opened my eyes. Sure enough, when I checked my bank account, my balance had predictably tanked to zero.Good thing I'd stashed my lottery winnings in a separate account ages ago.With a sigh, I didn't hesitate this time—I called the cops.The station was just around the corner, so they showed up in under five minutes.I figured it'd take longer to track Henry down, but to my surprise, the officers had him with them already."Ms. Thorne, can you confirm this is the person you reported?" one of them asked, pushing Henry forward.I'd already explained everything over the phone, so I just nodded, still a bit stunned by how fast it all went down.The officer added, "We spotted him skulking by the entrance to the complex. Tried to bolt the second he saw us."Caught red-handed.I let out a bitter chuckle. Pathetic.Henry's face turned every shade of red and purple as he gaped at me. "How were you awake?"I lowered my vo