Chapter 55

### Chapter 55

“I’ve known you for a while, Judy. You can’t fool me,” Ethan said firmly.

“What do you expect me to say, Ethan? That I’m not okay? That my mother is depressed?” Judy replied, her voice filled with frustration.

“Why are you barely eating? Isn’t this what you wanted? For me to suffer? So why are you acting like you care right now when we both know you don’t?”

“Judy!” My mother shouted from the doorway, her eyes wide with concern.

“How dare you speak to him like that!” my mother exclaimed.

“Mom…” I started to respond.

“He’s going to be our Alpha, and he deserves our respect,” she continued to scold.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Montague,” I said, trying to calm the situation.

“How about you go and sit on the couch? I’ll cook you some dinner,” Ethan suggested.

My mother smiled at him, the first genuine smile I had seen from her in a long time. Ethan had a special way of making people feel better, and I could see it was working on her.

“Thank you, Ethan. That was very thoughtful of you,” she said sweetly.

After giving me one last look, she turned and left the kitchen. I quickly spun around on my heel to glare at him.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked him, my voice flat.

“Even though you might not believe it, I actually care about your mother,” he replied. “It’s tough to see her like this. It’s hard to see you like this too, Judy. Please, go inside.”

“I’ll cook dinner for you both,” he said. “Afterward, we can talk.”

I frowned at him, trying to understand what he was up to. But I was too tired to think too much about it.

I sighed and walked out of the kitchen. I didn’t tell him that I had already eaten dinner because he would just ask me a lot of unnecessary questions.

My mother was curled up on the couch, staring at a show on TV.

I saw a picture of my father with tears in her eyes. I was sitting beside her, and she looked surprised to see me.

“Why can’t you just do what he wants so we can get your father back?” she asked, catching me off guard.

I stared at her in disbelief. If only she understood what he was asking me to do.

“Mom, we don’t need his help,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time. “I have us covered.”

“How? That tutoring job is hardly enough to pay off your father’s debt,” my mother said. Her voice sounded desperate. “We need him to come home, Judy.”

I took my mother’s hands in mine, wanting to comfort her.

“Let’s find her some comfort,” I said.

“And he will,” I assured her. “I promise.”

Before long, the room was filled with the wonderful smell of garlic from the pasta sauce. Had Ethan made pasta?

**Chapter 55: Sauce from Scratch? +25 BONUS**

He didn’t need to go through all that trouble. I just wanted my mother to have a little something in her system. I, on the other hand, wasn’t hungry.

I had already eaten a big meal at Gavin’s house.

Soon, Ethan walked into the living room carrying a couple of plates. He gave me one, and I placed it on the table. Then, he handed another plate to my mother.

My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the fancy meat sauce on the pasta.

“You didn’t need to do all of that,” I told him. “The jar of sauce would have been fine.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I wouldn’t even feed that to a dog,” he muttered.

“I’m not sure I can eat,” my mother admitted, looking sadly at the food.

“Please try,” Ethan urged her, sitting on the seat beside her.

“Please, it would mean the world to me if you ate something,” she said from across the couch.

She paused for a moment, looking at him, then nodded. He glanced at me and narrowed his eyes.

“You should eat too,” he added, his tone serious.

He pointed to the plate on the table. “Go on, eat,” he said.

“I’m not hungry,” I replied firmly.

He frowned at me.

“Can you stop being so stubborn for once and just do what you’re told?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ethan looked at me, his eyes filled with questions. I stayed quiet, not feeling the need to explain myself. After a moment of waiting for my response, Ethan sighed and shifted his focus to my mother.

I watched as she picked at her food, chatting casually with Ethan. Their conversation felt light and carefree, while I remained lost in my thoughts.

I thought Ethan would leave after dinner or start an argument with me about the usual things. Instead, he surprised me. He stayed and washed the dishes. After that, he cleaned up the rest of the kitchen too. Once he was finished in the kitchen, he seemed more relaxed than I had expected.

In the kitchen, he tidied up the living room while I kept my mother company. After that, he went into my mother’s room to clean up her space too. He chose some comfortable pajamas for her and even drew her a bath. I helped her get ready.

I got into the bath while Ethan stayed in the living room. I hoped he would have left while my mother was in the bath. But when I came back to the living room after helping my mother, he was still there.

I walked into the room, and there he was, waiting for me. I had to admit, I was thankful that he could help my mother tonight. I wasn’t sure she would have eaten anything or taken care of herself if he hadn’t been there.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling relieved to see him.

“Thank you for your help, Ethan,” I told him. “It really means a lot.”

“It doesn’t come without a cost,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “Now, I’m hoping that you can return the favor.”

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