At 37, I believed I had finally found stability. My life was calm, fulfilling, and full of love. I had a job l adored, a close-knit circle of friends, and a new relationship with Theo that felt genuinely right. Theo was thoughtful and made me feel seen in a way I hadn’t before. But introducing him to my overbearing mother proved more complicated than I anticipated.
Things spiraled quickly when my mom showed up uninvited to a dinner date. We hadn’t even made it past appetizers before I spotted her outside the restaurant window— watching us through binoculars. While Theo laughed it off, I knew this was no coincidence. My mom had a history of invasive behavior, from tracking my phone to hiding in my closet during dates. This time, she escalated it…