My mother is convinced my girlfriend is only with me for the flat.
I live with Mum in a spacious three-bedroom apartment right in the lively heart of London. The place came to us after my parents divorceDad left, handing everything over to us. At first, he kept up a vague pretence of staying in touch, ringing now and then to check in, but as the years rolled by, those calls dried up. These days, he only surfaces with the occasional stiff, automated holiday text.
Mum, on the other hand, never quite managed to rebuild her love life. A few men drifted through, but none made it past two or three dates. Maybe she didnt really want them to. Or maybe she just never found anyone who could measure up to Dad.
As for me, relationships have always been something of a minefield. There have been dates, outings, fleeting thingsbut nothing serious ever stuck. Ive never been one to cling to a relationship just for the sake of not being alone. If that spark wasnt there, Id say so. Wasting my timeor someone elsesnever made sense to me.
Until one day, everything turned upside down.
### I met the love of my life.
The moment I locked eyes with Emily, I knew this was different. Right from the start, I felt this rare, electric connection between us. I was utterly lost in her, itching to spend every spare second by her side.
Emily had moved to London from a tiny village in the Lake District. Shed enrolled at university and was fighting to carve out a new life in the big city. Shes ambitious, sharp, kind, and breathtakingly gorgeous. We grew close at lightning speed, started dating, and for the first time, I tasted something like pure, blazing happiness.
But to my mother, this joy was an open woundan insult she couldnt stomach.
### She rejected my choice with fury.
Ive always been honest with Mum. She knew about every girl Id ever datedI never hid a thing. So when I told her about Emily, I expected the usual mild suspicion mixed with natural curiosity.
Instead, World War Three broke out.
She wouldnt even let me finish. The second I mentioned Emily wasnt from London, she cut me off, shrieking that this girl was only after my status, my comfort, andabove allour flat.
I was stunned, like Id been slapped.
Where on earth had she got that idea? How could she judge someone shed never met, never spoken to, never even heard laugh?
Mum dug in, relentless in her hostility. She started making scenes, yelling until her voice cracked, crumpling into tears, hammering home that I was about to make the worst mistake of my life. In her eyes, I was just Emilys golden ticketa way to settle in the cityand shed shatter my heart before tossing me aside like last weeks takeaway.
I tried defending myself, explaining that Emily had never hinted at wanting to move in. She had her own rented flat, never asked me for money or favours. Shes independent, used to standing on her own two feet.
But Mum wouldnt budge. Unmovable as a brick wall.
### The pressure that crushed me.
At first, I tried tuning her out. I trusted EmilyI *knew* she wasnt with me for the flat. But when you hear the same accusations day after day, doubt starts creeping in like poison.
I caught myself listening to Mums venomous whispers.
I overanalysed Emilys every move, hunting for hidden motives where there were none.
Why was she so attentive? Was it an act? Why was she buying me gifts? Was she plotting something?
I was driving myself mad.
Emily, of course, noticed something was off. Shed ask if I was alright, if something bad had happened. I wanted to tell her everything, but shame clamped my throat shut.
How do you tell the woman you love that your own mother thinks shes a ruthless flat-hunter?
### Love or family?
The fight with Mum reached breaking point.
She hit me with an ultimatum, cold and sharp as a knife: break up with Emily, or forget having a normal relationship with her.
I was torn to pieces, teetering on the edge.
On one side, theres Mum. She raised me, looked after meI owe her everything.
But on the otherdont I deserve my own happiness? Dont I have the right to love who my heart chooses?
Mum refused to hear me out. Her certainty was a steel wall, unbreakable.
I knew I had to choose.
But which?
Im terrified of getting it wrong. The thought of losing Emily guts me, but I cant bring myself to cut ties with Mum.
Maybe shes just afraid of ending up alone, left in silence. Or maybe she sees something my love has blinded me to.
Im torn between duty and passion, stretched to breaking point. And right now, Ive got no idea how to fix it.
