chapter 13

Martha and Rachel stood at the gate, their faces twisted in a mixture of anger and frustration. They had come to Mark's house, expecting to confront him and Liam about their reunion. But instead, they were met with two bulky men who looked like they hadn't smiled in years.

"I'm afraid you can't come in," one of the men growled, his arms crossed over his chest. "Mr. Mark doesn't want to see you."

Martha's eyes flashed with indignation. "How dare you!" she spat. "I'm Mark's mother, and I demand to see him!"

The two men didn't flinch, their expressions unyielding. "Sorry, ma'am," the other man said. "But Mr. Mark's instructions are clear. You're not allowed to visit without his permission."

Rachel's face turned red with rage. "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "We'll just wait for Mark to come back, then!"

But what Martha and Rachel didn't know was that Mark was already inside the house, enjoying a quiet afternoon with Liam. He was sitting on the couch, feeding Liam strawberries and melons, and laughing at his husband's silly jokes.

Liam, who was sitting on Mark's lap, looked up at him with a mischievous grin. "You know, I think I'm going to get really fat with these babies," he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Mark chuckled and kissed Liam's forehead. "You'll always be beautiful to me, no matter what," he said, his voice filled with love and adoration.

They sat together, enjoying each other's company, Martha and Rachel stood at the gate, waiting for Mark to come back. But they had no idea that they were in for a long wait.

Martha's face was red with rage as she dialed her son's phone number for the hundredth time. She was furious that Mark was refusing to answer her calls, and even more furious that he had refused to let her into his house.

"How dare he!" she spat, her voice venomous. "He's my son, and he's going to pay for disobeying me like this!"

Rachel, who was standing next to Martha, nodded in agreement. "He's always been too soft on that Liam," she said. "It's time someone taught him a lesson."

Martha's hatred for Liam seemed to grow with every passing minute. She couldn't believe that her son was still with that...that...person, despite everything she had done to try and separate them.

As the hours ticked by, Martha and Rachel grew more and more frustrated. They had been waiting outside Mark's house for four hours, and they still hadn't been able to get in touch with him.

Finally, as the sun began to set, Martha and Rachel decided to give up and go home. They would try again another day, and next time, they would be prepared.

As they walked away from Mark's house, Martha's mind was already turning with plans and schemes. She would not rest until she had destroyed Liam and gotten her son back under her control.

The thought sent a cold, calculating smile spreading across her face. She would show Liam, and she would show Mark, that she was not a woman to be underestimated.

Martha's hatred for Gers, stemmed from a deep-seated resentment that had been building for years. It all started with Mark's father, who had refused to marry her because he was in love with a Ger.

Martha had never forgiven him for that rejection, and over time, her anger and hurt had morphed into a bitter hatred for all Gers. She saw them as a threat to her own happiness and the happiness of those around her.

Now, as she watched her own son, Mark, follow in his father's footsteps and fall in love with a man, Martha's hatred and resentment boiled over. Why couldn't Mark just marry a woman, like he was supposed to? Why did he have to go and fall in love with a Ger, just like his father had done?

Martha's mind was consumed by these thoughts, and she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of betrayal and anger towards her son. She had always tried to mold him into the perfect son, the perfect sensible son, and now he was rejecting everything she had taught him.

As she walked away from Mark's house, Martha's heart was filled with a cold, hard determination. She would stop at nothing to make sure that Mark and Liam's relationship was destroyed, no matter the cost.