The Day I Chose My Parents Over My Fiance Chapter 01
My parents flew halfway across the country for our engagement dinner. Tristan Hayes’s family never showed.
Three calls. All three went unanswered. My mom reached over, squeezed my hand, and smiled like nothing was wrong.
“Probably just traffic, honey. We don’t mind waiting.”
They waited three hours.
I watched the hope drain from their faces, minute by minute.
My dad kept tugging at the collar of his suit — the one he’d bought just for today. When he finally looked at me, his eyes were red.
“Sweetheart… does it have to be him?”
“I’m not trying to stand in your way. But you’re so far from home out here.”
“And if he ever hurts you… your mom and I won’t be around to protect you.”
I dug my nails into my palms, forced a smile, and pulled them both to their feet.
“Let’s go home. I’m done with this.”
***
I got my parents back to my apartment and settled them into bed before Tristan finally called.
He came out swinging.
“We’re at the restaurant. The private room’s empty.”
“Do your parents have any idea how important this is? They’re the ones who didn’t show?”
I let the silence sit for a beat.
“Tristan. My parents and I sat in that restaurant for three hours. You never came.”
“We took it seriously. You just never gave a damn about my family.”
The line went quiet. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped — the way it always did when he had an excuse ready.
“Lily got into grad school. Her parents came in from their small town to celebrate.”
“They’ve never been to the city before, and Lily couldn’t handle it by herself, so I drove to the station to get them.”
“You know my family’s supported Lily since she was a kid. Thirteen years. She’s practically my sister. I can’t just leave her parents stranded.”
Tristan almost never explained himself. The fact that he was doing it now only made it worse.
My parents had gotten in yesterday. I’d been stuck in a company-wide meeting with no way out.
So I’d called Tristan. Asked him to pick them up.
I still remembered exactly what he said.
“They’re grown adults. They can grab a cab. It’s not like they’re gonna get lost.”
I’d tried to be patient.
“My parents aren’t used to traveling. They don’t know how to use Uber. I booked their train tickets myself.”
“The station’s fifteen minutes from us. All you’d have to do is drive over—”
He cut me off.
“I’m dead on my feet, and you’re still bossing me around. Give it a rest.”
“Your parents, your problem. I’m not getting dragged into it.”
A sharp click, and he’d hung up on me.
I ended up calling a friend. She didn’t ask a single question — just grabbed her keys and went.
My fiancé couldn’t be bothered to pick up my parents. A friend I hadn’t seen in months did it without a second thought.
The absurdity of it hit me all at once, and I laughed — the kind of laugh that was devoid of any humor.
On the other end of the line, Tristan’s voice relaxed. Casual. Like the whole thing was settled.
“See? You’re laughing. We’re good.”
“Don’t pull this kind of thing again, okay? You know my parents weren’t exactly thrilled about us to begin with. You’re not making it easier.”
“I’ll set another date. Have your parents call mine and smooth things over. Then we’ll talk about the wedding.”
He said all of it like he was being reasonable. Like he genuinely believed he was the generous one.
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Don’t bother.”
“My parents are leaving.”
He barely paused.
“That’s fine. The wedding’s going to follow my family’s plans anyway. Not like your parents would have much to add.”
A girl’s voice floated in from somewhere behind him.
“Tristan, the food’s here! Come on, everyone’s waiting for you.”
And just like that, he hung up. Same as always.
My mom found me in the living room. She took my hand, her fingers trembling, but her expression gentle.
“Audrey, don’t throw this away because of us. Your dad and I are fine.”
“If he treats you right, that’s all we need. We’ll come to the wedding and head right home. You won’t even have to worry about us.”
Something cracked open in my chest. I turned and wrapped my arms around her.
“Mom, the company’s opening a new office back home. I already applied to transfer.”
“I’m coming home with you. In three days.”
Her expression completely shifted. Her voice cracked.
“Really?”
I smiled and nodded.
“I promise.”
They went straight to packing. Everything they’d brought with them — things meant for my new life as a married woman — was going right back into the suitcases.
Tristan came home after midnight.
I was half asleep when I felt his arms slide around me from behind.
“Mm, baby. You didn’t wait up for me tonight?”