Part I: The Honeymoon Dream Turned Nightmare

The excitement had been building for months. After all the years of working and raising Lucas on my own, I was finally able to take a break with my husband, Evan. We had been married for two years now, and after months of planning, Evan had surprised me with the most thoughtful honeymoon to the Bahamas.

I had never really had a moment to myself. I was eighteen when I had Lucas, and life as a single mom had never been easy. But now, at thirty-seven, I was married to someone who was supportive and kind. He loved me, and he loved Lucas.

But as I packed our bags, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Lucas had always been my everything—my reason for getting up every morning, my reason for working so hard. And now, for the first time in years, I was leaving him behind.

Evan, however, reassured me. “You deserve this. It’ll be good for both of us. And Lucas will be fine with my mom. You know she loves him.”

I trusted her, his mom, Angelia. She was always warm, kind, and seemed to have a special bond with Lucas. So, I reluctantly agreed, letting go of my hesitation. Lucas had been excited about the trip, even if it meant he’d miss out on our regular routine.

Four days into the trip, my phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number, and the voice on the other end immediately made my heart drop.

“Mom, don’t do this to me!” Lucas whispered. His voice was shaking, almost frantic.

I was on the beach when the call came through, the sound of the ocean waves crashing in the background, but everything around me felt so far away. My hands trembled as I held the phone up to my ear. “Lucas? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” I sat up abruptly, the warm sun no longer giving me comfort.

I heard him sniffle, trying to hold back tears. “Mrs. Kim… she said she’s going to send me away, make me stay somewhere else if I don’t behave. She… she said I have to stop crying and watch cartoons...”

My heart sank. "No, Lucas, baby, what are you talking about? No one is going to send you away. Where are you?"

He didn’t answer, only sobbing softly into the phone. “She told me I was a burden, Mom. She told me you didn’t want me.”

I felt an icy coldness spread through my chest. This wasn’t right. "Put Grandma on the phone," I said, trying to stay calm, but my voice betrayed me.

When Angelia picked up the phone, I could hear the tension in her voice. “Oh, you’re back early?”

“Where is Lucas?” I demanded, my voice sharp and full of concern.

“He’s upstairs, taking a nap,” she answered quietly, her tone almost too casual. “He was having a hard time adjusting at first, but don’t worry. I’ve been teaching him how to behave.”

Something in her words sent a shiver down my spine. I hung up the phone quickly, feeling my heart pound in my chest. I couldn’t wait any longer—I had to go home.

Part II: The Confrontation

By the time I arrived back at the house, it was late. The air felt suffocating, and the house that had once felt warm and welcoming now seemed cold and distant. I rushed inside, calling for Lucas, but he didn’t respond. I found him in his room, curled up in his bed, tears still fresh on his cheeks.

“Lucas,” I whispered, kneeling beside him. “Sweetheart, what happened?”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, his voice small, as if he were trying to shrink into the bed. “I didn’t mean to be bad. I just... I just didn’t want you to leave.”

I pulled him into my arms, tears streaming down my face. “Oh, baby, you’ve never been bad. You’re never bad. Don’t listen to what Grandma said. She’s wrong.”

But something in his eyes made my bl00d run cold. There was a fear there, a look I hadn’t seen before. He didn’t just fear punishment. He feared abandonment.

I stood up, my hands shaking. I walked out of the room, my mind spinning. What had Angelia said to him? What had happened while I was gone?

I stormed downstairs, my anger boiling over. “Angelia!” I shouted.

She appeared in the living room, her arms crossed defensively. She looked at me, her face a mask of indifference. “What’s going on?” I demanded, my voice trembling with fury. “Why did you say those things to Lucas?”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please. I didn’t hurt him. I just told him what he needed to hear. Kids these days need discipline. If you don’t teach them boundaries, they’ll end up spoiled.”

My chest tightened. “You scared him, Angelia. He was crying, begging me not to leave him. How could you say such things to him?”

“Sometimes, a little fear does wonders,” she said flippantly. “It teaches them respect.”

I was shaking with rage now. “You can’t just control him with fear, Angelia. He’s a child. And you... you made him believe I didn’t want him.”

“Well,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe he just needs to understand how life works.”

My mind was racing as I processed everything. This wasn’t just about discipline. This was about something deeper. Something was off. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing? Why did you make my son feel like he was unwanted?”

Angelia's face twisted with impatience. “I did it for his own good. You can’t coddle him forever.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “No! You don’t get to do this to him. You don’t get to make him think he’s a burden to me. I trusted you with him, and you’ve betrayed that trust.”

I turned away from her, feeling the weight of my own emotions crashing down on me. “Get out. Get out of my house. I don’t want you here anymore.”

Part III: The Unraveling Truth

The tension was unbearable. I had no idea how to fix this, or if I could. I turned to Evan, desperate for answers, but his face was pale. He had been quiet, watching this unfold without saying a word.

“Evan,” I said, my voice cracking. “What did she do to him? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Evan finally looked at me, his face a mixture of guilt and frustration. “I didn’t know. I thought she was helping. But I should have known better.”

“Helping?” I repeated, incredulous. “She was hurting him, Evan! She made him think I didn’t want him! And you just let her do it?”

Evan’s hands shook as he ran them through his hair. “I didn’t know how to stop her. I didn’t want to cause a scene. She’s been like this for years, but I never thought she’d go this far.”

I looked at him, my heart breaking. “So what now?”

“We need to fix this,” he said, his voice resolute. “We need to protect Lucas from her. I’ll handle this, I promise.”

Part IV: A Step Toward Healing

The next few days were difficult, but Evan stepped up. He had a conversation with Angelia, one that left me feeling a sense of relief. She had been forced to face the reality of her actions. It was clear that she had been acting out of a sense of control, but she had crossed a line that could not be uncrossed. She apologized, albeit reluctantly, and agreed to stay away from our family for a while.

For Lucas, it took time to heal. He was clingier than usual, often running to me with tears in his eyes when I left the room. But I didn’t mind. I knew that this was his way of reclaiming his sense of security. Slowly, with Evan’s support, we worked through the trauma, and I made sure Lucas knew that he was safe and loved.

Part V: The Future We Build

Months later, the air felt lighter. The tension from the past had started to fade. Lucas was doing well, and I could see him slowly returning to his usual happy self. The shadow of that fear had lifted, replaced by the warmth of reassurance.

Evan and I continued to work on our relationship, communicating more openly, and learning to stand together in the face of adversity. It wasn’t easy, but we were moving forward—together.

As for Angelia, she had sent a few messages, expressing regret and asking to see Lucas again. But for now, I had made it clear: her involvement in his life needed to be on our terms, with respect and understanding. I had to protect my son above all else.

And through it all, I knew one thing for sure: I would never let anyone—family or not—make my son feel that he was anything less than wanted and loved. The love and protection I promised him were all that mattered.