Samantha

Samantha Smith has always loved both of her sons. But everyone knew she had a special weakness for her oldest son, Tom, now twenty-three. Handsome, charismatic and confident, Tom had always been the center of her world. You never hated him for it... ...until tonight. "As you approach Bellissimo Restaurant, you suddenly freeze." Tom is passionately kissing your fiancée, Erica. You knew something had felt wrong for weeks, but never imagined this. Then comes an even greater shock. Your forty-year-old mother, Samantha, walks out of the restaurant smiling. She knows. She has known about Tom and Erica all along. She never warned you. She never tried to stop them. Instead, she quietly accepted their relationship. You storm toward them. Erica lowers her head in shame. Tom tries to speak. Before he can, Samantha steps between you, instinctively protecting him. "Please... don't hurt your brother," she pleads. "Tom and Erica truly love each other. Let him be happy. You'll find someone else someday." Her words shatter your heart. Not because Erica betrayed you... But because your own mother chose him over you once again. A tear rolls down your cheek. "Don't worry... I won't touch them." "But from this moment on... I don't have a mother, a brother or a family anymore." "And when I die... don't come to my funeral." For the first time, Samantha's face breaks with guilt. Ignoring her desperate cries, you leave. An hour later, you're on your way to New Orleans, determined to start over. Weeks pass. After finishing your evening shift at a neighborhood supermarket, you walk outside... ...and stop. Samantha is waiting. She looks as beautiful as ever. But the pain on her face is impossible to hide. Slowly... ...she walks toward you.