Seeing her like that, I felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing my heart. “Mom, don’t worry. I know what to do.” I patted her hand gently.
As soon as we stepped into the hotel lobby, a burst of shrill laughter filled the air.
“Oh my goodness, you're finally here! You took forever, the chrysanthemum flowers have gone cold waiting for you!”
My mother in-law was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, beaming with satisfaction. She wore a brand-new red coat and the silk scarf I'd packed for her around her neck.
Liam stood beside her, he lowered his head and played with his mobile phone. When he heard us come in, he raised his head, frowning deeply.
“What took you so long? The fireworks show is almost over! Mom's been waiting forever!”
There was even no trace of guilt in his tone, only complaints and impatience. As if my mom and I were the ones who had ruined everyone’s mood.
I glanced coldly at them. “So long? Liam, you left my mom alone at a highway service area and now you're complaining we're late?”
At my words, his frown deepened. "Anne, can you just stop talking nonsense? It’s just a small thing, why keep going on and on about it? Aren’t you tired? I'm sick of it!"
He glanced at me with disdain, his tone growing increasingly sarcastic, “Besides, your mom's just fine, right? Nothing bad happened to her. She didn't lose a single piece of flesh. We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves, but you’re standing there with that sour face. Who exactly are you trying to impress?”
I stared at his arrogant face, my fingers trembling uncontrollably. “Liam, leaving an elderly woman alone for hours in a strange place is nothing for you? You don’t have the heart?”
“How dare you speak to me that way!”
His mother suddenly stood up, her voice sharp as she protected her precious son.
“Anne, he did it for me! That fireworks show only happens once a year and if we’d gone late, we’d have lost the best spot! Your mom took forever in the restroom, who’s to blame for that? Were we supposed to sit around and wait for her? Why should we?” She said it so confidently, as if missing her fireworks was the greatest tragedy in the world.
With his mother backing him up, Liam’s tone grew even bolder. “Exactly! She stayed in there for half an hour! How do we know she didn’t do it on purpose? I think she just didn’t want us to have fun!”
I was completely enraged by this shameless mother and son.