He Made My Parents Wait, So I Stopped Waiting Chapter 02
I turned over and avoided his touch.
“I thought you’d stay with Violet all night.”
“After all, she’s still a student. She can’t survive without you.”
The bedroom light snapped on.
It stabbed my eyes.
Sebastian got out of bed, his tone impatient.
“Winnie, do you have to talk like that?”
“I’ve explained so many times. I only see Violet as a little sister. There’s nothing between us.”
I said nothing.
I took out my phone and showed him Violet’s Instagram story.
In the private room I had reserved, Sebastian’s family and Violet’s family sat together in perfect harmony.
In the photo, Sebastian was lowering his head to peel shrimp for her.
Violet was reaching up to touch his face.
They were so close they looked like they were about to press against each other.
The caption read, [Both families finally met. The boy who sponsored me all these years is about to become my forever.]
I held up my phone and looked at him.
“You two are really good at using resources. I spent a week choosing that restaurant and that room, and you turned around and used it for your own wedding talk.”
Sebastian’s expression changed.
He frowned and said, “I didn’t know she posted that. I’ll call her and have her delete it.”
“Besides, Violet probably heard that our families were meeting about marriage and got curious. She posted nonsense for fun.”
“She’s still a kid. What does she know about any of this? You’re the future sister-in-law. You should be more generous. Stop making everything so serious.”
I laughed.
“A twenty-three-year-old kid? Why don’t you just call her an infant?”
Sebastian rubbed his hair in irritation.
“We’re about to get married. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“I’m sleeping in the study tonight. I’ll come back when you stop being unreasonable.”
The bedroom door slammed hard enough to wake my parents.
They rushed out in panic and asked what had happened.
I shook my head, comforted them with a few words, and told them to go back to sleep.
The next morning, I got up early.
As expected, my parents were already in the living room, and breakfast was ready.
On the table sat the homemade pickles they had brought from North Carolina.
They had been my favorite since I was little.
Sebastian came out of the study looking sour.
My parents hesitated for a moment, then warmly invited him to eat.
But the second he heard them, his brows tightened.
“Why are you still here?”
His gaze swept across the pickles on the table.
He covered his nose in disgust.
“And what is that smell? The whole living room stinks.”
“This is New York, not some roadside farm stand in the Blue Ridge. Can you have a little manners and stop dragging garbage into my home?”
My parents froze in embarrassment.
They stood there, not knowing where to put their hands.
My mother hurried to collect the jar of pickles, her voice full of panic.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian. I just thought Winnie loved these growing up, so I brought some. I didn’t think it through.”
“I’ll put them away right now. Please don’t be upset…”
In her panic, a bowl on the table slipped and shattered on the floor.
My mother shrank back and secretly looked at Sebastian’s face, unsure whether to clean the floor or put away the pickles first.
My father stayed silent.
He bent his aging back and slowly crouched down to pick up the pieces.
My eyes stung.
Back in our small town, my parents had always stood tall.
Whenever someone praised me for making something of myself, they couldn’t help lifting their chins, even while smiling modestly and waving the praise away.
But ever since I started dating Sebastian, they had always seemed like this.
Careful.
Afraid.
They didn’t dare accept the money I sent home. They told me to keep it and buy things for Sebastian’s parents so his family wouldn’t look down on me.
When I went home for the holidays, they wouldn’t let me buy anything.
Instead, when I left, they packed piles of local specialties for me to bring to Sebastian’s parents.
Even when Sebastian’s parents stood them up yesterday, they didn’t dare get angry.
They were only afraid I would suffer later.
I walked over and stopped them.
My voice was hoarse with emotion.
“Dad, Mom, sit down and eat. I’ll clean it up.”
“And don’t put the pickles away. I like them.”
They still wanted to help, but I firmly pressed them back into their chairs.
Sebastian turned and saw me.
His expression stiffened for a moment.
Then he explained awkwardly, “I didn’t mean it like that. I have allergies. You know I can’t handle strong smells.”
I ignored him.
I quietly picked up the broken porcelain from the floor and threw it into the trash.
Sebastian followed behind me, step by step.
Several times, he seemed like he wanted to say something.
I pretended not to see.
After breakfast, I had planned to take my parents to a nearby tourist spot.
Then my company called.
There was a serious problem with the project I was responsible for.
Sebastian took the initiative and said, “Go handle it. I’ll take your parents around. I happen to be free today.”
I turned to look at him.
Sebastian turned his head away awkwardly.
“What I said earlier was too much. I was still angry from last night.”
“After we get married, your parents will be my parents too. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of them.”
Since my parents would leave with me in three days, I didn’t want their whole trip to be wasted.
In the end, I nodded.
By the time I finished handling the project, the moon was high.
I was about to call and ask how my parents’ day had gone when my phone started vibrating.
The moment I answered, my mother’s helpless sobs came through.
“Winnie, come to the hospital. Your father is hurt. He passed out…”
My mind roared.
When I stood up, I nearly lost my balance.
