The house was bustling, with all my aunts and extended relatives present.
As soon as I got home, my mom came over.
"Katie, you're back! Your dad's on a business trip, so he's not home."
She glanced behind me, not seeing anyone, and asked, "Why did you come back alone? Where's your boyfriend?"
"He'll be here soon."
My aunt on the side chimed in with a sarcastic tone, "Will he really be here soon, or is he not coming at all, Katie? You'd better be clear about that."
My mom frowned, "Angela, what do you mean by that?"
"You don't know yet, do you? Katie's boyfriend dumped her. Today, he's out on a date with his new girlfriend," my aunt said, raising her voice deliberately.
She intentionally spoke loudly.
All the other relatives turned to look at me simultaneously.
I saw a trace of concern in my mom's eyes. "Katie, is what your aunt said true?"
I was about to respond when my aunt jumped in, "Of course it's true! I heard it from Macey. Macey, tell everyone what you know."
Macey Daniels curled her lips and said, "Yesterday, Cody's ‘first love' came back to the country. He didn't even bother attending Katie's birthday and went to pick up his ‘first love' instead. And today, instead of coming here to meet the parents, Cody is out on a date with her. It's clear that he's done with Katie and wants to be with his ‘first love' now."
The relatives were curious, "And how do you know all this?"
Macey replied, "Cody's first love is called Elsa. She's my senior from school, and I happened to follow her on social media. She posted about it herself."
Macey then looked at me with a face full of sympathy, "Katie, you didn't know about this, did you?"
The comments section was getting fed up with the two of them.
"Ugh, how can they be so cruel, poking at the female lead's wound in front of everyone!"
"Thank goodness the female lead broke up with that scumbag yesterday; otherwise, she'd be heartbroken hearing this."
"My fists are clenched in anger!"
My first reaction was relief that I had finally snapped out of my love-blindness.
Seeing how prepared my aunt and cousin were, I realized that if I had brought Cody over tomorrow, I would have been humiliated.
My mom asked me, "Daughter, is what they're saying true?"
I calmly replied, "They're wrong. I'm the one who dumped Cody. I broke up with him last night. Whoever he's with now has nothing to do with me. The boyfriend I'm bringing today isn't him."
My mom noticed my calm demeanor and saw that I wasn't hurt by this, which made her feel slightly relieved.
"Daughter, whatever decisions you make, Mom will support you. Life is short, your happiness is what matters most."
That's my mother.
She may talk about not wanting to be outdone by my aunt, but in her eyes, my happiness is what matters most.
Just when the atmosphere was good, Macey had to come over and ruin it.
She let out a sarcastic laugh, "Ms, don't believe what Katie is saying. She's crazy about Cody, there's no way she'd dump him. And besides, she just broke up with him—how could she have found a new boyfriend in a single day? She's just trying to save face and is lying to everyone."
"That's right," Auntie agreed. "Daring, I told you so. Cody's conditions are great - he's handsome and wealthy. But what kind of family are we? How could he possibly be interested in her? He was just playing around with Katie. When he got bored, he threw her away. I didn't say that wrong, did I?"
While belittling me, my aunt didn't forget to praise her own daughter: "Macey has a much better eye for men than Katie. She found a real up-and-comer. You might not know, but Griffin Hopkins has been working at Barry Corporation for ten years, and he was just promoted to supervisor."
Upon hearing this, all the other aunts began showering my aunt and Macey with praise.
So this is what they were building up to all along—the main event.
