章 75: Chapter 75 - Blood Is Thicker Than Water

I had enough. "Dante will you show me to the restroom." I did not even wait for him to respond. I got up before him and pointedly waited for him to take a hint.

He took me to the bathroom furthest from his parents and it wasn't until he shut the door closed that I even spoke to him. "Are you being serious right now?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Ok ok I get it I am very sorry. They are just very excited as you can tell so they tend to take things overboard." He dismissed their actions quickly. This concerned me a lot. I was close and tight knit to my family, blood is thicker than water. I am ready to defend them if they need me.

But the one thing my mother and father instilled in me was to take accountability. My father told me that he would defend my mother even it meant going against his parents wishes because they got married. He took an oath to be at her side and he would be a bad husband by not treating his wife as blood.

Thankfully my parents and grandparents all got along but he was prepared. I was not aiming to 'steal' him away or force him to go against his parents, but how could he leave me high and dry. If he can't do it now I can't expect him to do it later.

"Dante I need to ask. What exactly do your parents think is going on right now? Even more so what expectations did you come in having?"

"What do you mean?" He seemed taken aback a bit at my line of questioning. His brows furrowed and his body visibly tensed. I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step forward. "Don't play dumb. You are very well aware of why I was willing to meet you. The condition was to treat it like a blind date and once we become official then we date for at least a year before even considering marriage."

I was not sure what reaction I was expecting but he laughed instead. But it had no humor in it, it was a dead laugh. A mocking one. "You were serious about that? Come on, at our age especially yours this is not something to 'take slow'. I know how your previous engagement ended, if things went well you would be married already and at least a few kids in. Do you not feel any sense of urgency? Or did he break you that badly?"

He might as well slapped me.

I was shocked. The few times we have met he was the perfect gentlemen. I was under the impression he was a considerate, kind man. But instead the man he is right now was far from it. With those few words he already told me everything I needed to know. Any questions about the future he wants were cruelly answered. He was on a different page and expected me to catch up rather than meet me in the middle or see if I can even catch up.

I was being treated like a business deal. Except I was one who he would be intimate with, one who would in his mind bear his children. An accessory to brag about. "Excuse me? What do you know about me?"

He must have noticed the slip of his tongue about his knowledge about me. Because he backpedaled a bit. "Well word travels fast and I heard about it before we even met. But please understand where I am coming from. My family is just like yours, I can't just marry anyone. They have to match and you my dear fit me perfectly. None of the women back home are like you, you are in a league of your own."

I just hardened myself. My face morphed into a calm dead stare. Any affection I felt was gone. I was not sure if he noticed my lack of interest but he let himself keep going. "Aside from on paper being perfect, in person you are even better. I really like you, you are the perfect woman for me. So please don't be angry. We can work through this."

He tried to appear charming but he just looked ridiculous to me.

"So?" His smiled dropped at my cold attitude. "What do you mean 'so'?" He stepped up threateningly but I did not budge. "Yeah, so what, just because you 'think' I fit your bill you can have me regardless of what I want. A partnership is where we both are in this together. Clearly you don't view me as an equal but as an accessory to wear."

"I got some really good advice today. I know what I want and you are not it. So if you will excuse me I am leaving. Consider whatever this was as over." I shoved past him and began to walk out.

I walked past his parents ignoring their calls and slammed the door shut. I was so angry but no tears streamed on my face not at least until I was already home. My mom, who was home, saw me and within a minute she ran to me and cradled me as I cried.

She didn't even question me, we just went into her room and laid down together as I cried my heart out. I was not even sad about breaking things off with him, but how both breakups had the men stab a hot iron into me. It was painful feeling those insecurities be shoved into my face.

After crying for a few hours I got up. My eyes were swollen but I could make out that my Dad was also in the room sitting at the edge of the bed, I was not sure when he arrived. "Honey are you feeling better now?" His voice sounded broken. After all that crying I felt like I was cleaned from the inside out.

I looked at my parents and understood it was time. They were not just going to hear about one breakup but two.