I didn't waste a second. I booked the earliest flight out and rushed toward the airport, dialing Elmer Farley's number on the way.
"Elmer, your mom is at the new villa—Lorraine beat her. You need to get over there right now—"
"Enough. I know what you're going to say."
Elmer cut me off, his voice flat and cold. "Frankly, I think Lorraine taught her a lesson she needed."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What did you just say?"
He let out a sigh, as if I were the unreasonable one.
"Margaret, we may be married, but your mother needs to learn some basic boundaries. She can't just use the fact that you're my wife to squeeze every benefit she can out of me."
My pulse hammered. "You've got it wrong. She's your—"
"I said enough!"
His patience snapped.
"So what if she's my mother-in-law? I'm under no obligation to tolerate her greed."
"Today she waltzes into my villa to sleep for free. Tomorrow she'll show up at my office demanding cash."
"Lorraine did her a favor—maybe now she'll think twice. Consider it a wake-up call."
Every word landed like a blade of ice against my chest.