At 27 years old, my life hangs in the balance. My mother, who has never worked, expects me to support her while I try to carve out my own existence with the woman I adore. Emily, my fiancée, means everything to me, yet my mother refuses to comprehend this.

My mother resides in a flat she inherited after her divorce from my father. She rents it out, and those earnings are her only means of income. In contrast, I toil earnestly to secure a future for myself. Now that I wish to marry and start a family, my mother continues to erect barriers in my way.

Emily and I met at university, and from that very first moment, I knew she was the one. We yearn to create a family, but my mother disapproves, insisting we are too young and should wait. Yet, Emily and I are certain that our love is robust enough to surmount any obstacle.

My mother claims she has no money and cannot find a job. Still, I’m aware she could try harder. She knows that the rental income from her flat is her sole financial lifeline, yet she fails to grasp that I too must consider my own future. I want Emily and me to have a space where we can build our lives together.

After my father, an alcoholic, left, my mother raised me on her own. She did everything in her power to provide me with a better life, but now, as I seek to make my own choices, she throws up obstacles. She insists she’s thinking of me, yet it’s she who doesn’t understand I need to follow my own path.

Emily and I have submitted our application for marriage, eager to turn our life together into reality, yet my mother resists acceptance. She tells me she can’t support herself alone, but I know she possesses more strength than she believes. I long for her to realize that I must follow my heart and that Emily is my everything.

I find myself torn between my love for my mother and my love for Emily. I want both women in my life to find happiness, yet my mother refuses to see it. I face the choice of loyalty to my mother or devotion to Emily, a decision that will forever alter the course of my life.

Emily, who moved to the city for her studies, doesn’t have familial support. Her parents have younger children to care for, leaving her to navigate on her own. Despite this, she is confident and has grand ambitions for the future. Together, we wish to create a home where we can uplift each other and build our future.

My mother often reflects on how challenging life was after her divorce, how she had to work on herself to provide me with a better life. But now, as I strive to forge my own happiness, I feel she fails to acknowledge my aspirations and desires. I want her to understand that I seek happiness, that I wish to have a family, and that Emily is the key to my joy.

Each day, I strive to find a resolution that would allow my mother and me to reach an understanding. I want her to know that I don’t intend to abandon her but that I must heed my heart’s calling. Emily and I envision a future where we support one another and construct a strong family.

At this juncture in my life, I stand at a crossroads, forced to make a difficult choice. I want my mother to comprehend that her happiness means a great deal to me, yet I must also weigh my own happiness and future. Emily is my everything, and I wish for my mother to accept this fact so that I can build the life I have always dreamed of.