Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 501

Rebecca’s eyes flickered. She’d meant to come clean to her mom about her relationship with Stephen, but everything had gone sideways when Joan showed up out of nowhere. After that, things just snowballed. She honestly never expected her mom to already know the truth. Was this what people meant about mothers always knowing best?

Samantha just shrugged. “Not really. One night I got up to use the bathroom and heard you two on the phone. The way you were talking... well, nobody with half a brain could’ve missed what was going on.”

Rebecca couldn’t decide if she wanted to laugh or sigh. “So you knew, and you still set me up on a blind date?”

Samantha had her defense ready. “You two broke up, didn’t you? The news said that gitl showed up with his kid, and he didn’t even bother to clear things up. That’s as good as admitting it, if you ask me. Plus, I’ve been paying attention. You two haven’t had any late-night calls lately. You’re definitely over.”

Rebecca shook her head, a little impressed. “Mom, you should have been a spy. Sixty is the perfect age for a new adventure. Want me to hook you up with a job?”

Samantha gave her a stern look. “Stop joking around. Breaking up is for the best. There’s just too big a gap in your families. Better to end it now than regret it later.”

She nodded toward a guy sitting nearby. “That’s Aaron, Jennifer’s nephew. Have a nice chat with him, okay? He seems to like you.”

Rebecca saw there was no getting out of this. She took a deep breath and sat down. “Hi, I’m Rebecca,” she said, trying to sound friendly.

Samantha grinned, patted her shoulder, and turned to Aaron. “You two talk. I’m going to go grab some groceries.”

Aaron barely looked up before dropping his gaze again, obviously shy. “Hi. I’m Aaron.” He smiled awkwardly. “I’ve seen you before, on TV.”

“I’m really sorry. My mom set this up without telling me. I honestly didn’t know until I walked in.”

Aaron’s face fell, and the light in his eyes faded. “So your mom tricked you into coming? You didn’t want to do this at all?”

Rebecca nodded. “That’s right. I’m really sorry. Let me treat you to lunch to make up for it.”

Aaron gave a weak smile. “I’m the guy here. I can’t let you pay.” It was the first time he’d ever felt this drawn to someone, and he was getting rejected before things even started. Of course he felt a little crushed.

He hesitated, then asked, “Can I ask why you didn’t want to do this? Is there someone else, or do you just not like dating this way?” He wasn’t quite ready to give up.