Seeing My Parents Ignored, I Knew This Don Wasn’t the One Chapter 07

Seeing My Parents Ignored, I Knew This Don Wasn’t the One Chapter 07

Dominic found the hospital the next evening.

My dad had just finished an exam, and the doctor recommended a few days of inpatient observation.

My mom was peeling an apple for him in the room. The peel curled in one long, unbroken ribbon. Whenever it nearly snapped, she’d catch it with careful fingers.

The door swung open.

Dominic stood in the doorway, his eyes shot through with red. He probably hadn’t slept. His suit was wrinkled. His hair was a mess.

He saw me, and his voice came out raw.

“Charlotte.”

My mom startled and instinctively stood up.

“Dominic—”

She caught herself, then looked at me, suddenly uncertain.

Dominic walked in. For the first time ever, he bowed his head to my parents.

“Mr. Page, Mrs. Page.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What happened at the airport—I was wrong.”

My dad sat there in the hospital bed, completely at a loss. He’d never seen Dominic humbled like this.

In the past, whenever Dominic visited, he was always politely distant.
Like his mere presence was already a huge favor.

My mom flustered, waving her hands.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

“All in the past now.”

I covered her hand with mine.

“Mom.”

“It’s not in the past.”

The room went quiet.

Dominic looked at me, and I finally saw panic in his eyes.

“Charlotte, I know you’re furious.”

“We can redo the wedding. I’ll personally pick up your parents this time.”

“Business-class tickets. Best hotel. Whatever island you want, we’ll go.”

He was speaking fast, desperate. Like if he could just patch up the logistics, everything would reset to how it was.

But all I felt was exhaustion.

“Dominic.”

“My parents aren’t props for your wedding.”

“And they’re not some problem you can just throw money at afterward and pretend they were never humiliated.”

Color drained from his face.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

I looked at him straight on.

“When you put them on a Greyhound bus, did you think about my dad’s back?”

“When you told my mom her jam wasn’t good enough, did you think about how long she spent making it?”

“When you walked Eleanor’s family through the business-class lane, did you think about my parents standing right behind you?”

Dominic had no answer.

After a long silence, he said quietly, “I just thought your parents would understand.”

“They’ve always been easygoing.”

I laughed.

“So? Because they’re easygoing, it’s fine to treat them like an afterthought?”

“Because they don’t have money, because they’re not polished, because they’re scared of causing me trouble—that means you can keep putting them last?”

Dominic’s eyes reddened.

“Charlotte, I know I screwed up.”

“I just…”

He trailed off.

“I just thought at the time, Eleanor had a bigger group. Her parents needed help too.”

“I didn’t realize it would hurt you this much.”

I looked at him.

That hurt more than every excuse he’d given before.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know I’d be upset. It was that my being upset didn’t matter enough to stop him.

I pulled the engagement ring out of my bag.

It was beautiful. When Dominic first slipped it onto my finger, I’d cried for a long time. I thought seven years had finally led to something real.

Now I knew. Some endings were better off not happening at all.

I set the ring on the table.

“Dominic.”

“I don’t want it anymore.”

His gaze snapped to me.

“Charlotte—”

My dad spoke up.

“Dominic.”

His voice was quiet but steady.

“Our family doesn’t have much money. Her mom and I, we’re just simple people.”

“But Lottie, we raised her like she was the most precious thing in the world.”

“She’s not someone nobody cares about.”

Dominic froze.

My dad’s eyes were red, but he kept going.

“Before, she said she wanted to marry you. We trusted her judgment.”

“Now she says she doesn’t. We trust her on that, too.”

“Go home.”

Dominic stood there like he’d been struck. His lips moved, but nothing came out.

Before he left, he reached for my hand. I stepped back.

“Don’t touch me.”

His hand hung there in the empty air.