I was completely gobsmacked and at a loss for words.
It turned out, Damon really did visit my mom in the hospital, as the previous caregiver had told me.
But the fact that my mom knew about it was what blew my mind.
"Lately, he's been spending a lot of time next door. Did you meet him?" Sure enough, my mom was aware.
At that point, I was stumped and could only nod in admission.
Seeing my nod, my mom's face darkened. Clearly, she was pissed.
She remained silent for a while, and I finally spilled the beans, "Mom, think of it as me using him, okay? At the moment, he's the only one who can help with dad's situation."
"You're using yourself as bait?" The wrath in my mom's voice was palpable.
"No, no, we didn't do anything. He just wants to win me back!" I quickly explained to prevent my mom from getting more riled up. Even though it was a lie, it was better than her being mad.