Immediately, Erik's eyebrows knit when he recognized the woman Aurora was talking to in the living room of their house.
"Erik, honey," Dolores greeted him as she was about to approach him but was quickly stopped when he spoke.
"So, I was right. You are the ones who told my parents the thing that I should have done. The reason for their sudden arrival in no time!”
Erik didn't hide the anger in his voice anymore, even though he hadn't forgotten everything he and Mia had talked about earlier.
“Erik!” Aurora scolded him as she stood up from the long sofa she was sitting on.
Erik didn't answer after that. Instead, he just turned his back on them and went into his room. Mia and his suspicions are right. Dolores is the cause of all this. He became angrier about what he thought. But he still tried to control his emotions. He immediately took out the clothes he could wear and then entered the bathroom to take a shower.
"Where are you going?" was the question he heard from Aurora as she pushed open the door to his room and entered.
"Mia and I are going somewhere, Mom," he replied while combing his hair in front of the dresser.
"And you really won't listen to me? You won't break up with that woman?”
His mother's tone of speech was low but full of anger and authorization.
"And why would I do that? Why would I leave the woman I love so much?" he replied in a casual tone.
"Do you really love her so much that you can resist your own mother?"
Erik sighed at that question. And even though he didn't want to be affected, he couldn't stop it because it was his mother who was hurting in all this.
"Why can't you understand me? I love Mia!” he insisted then looked Aurora in the eyes.
He knew his mother could read in his eyes the pain he was feeling in those moments. And he hopes that in that way he can change and soften her heart to change her mind.
As long as possible that is what he wants to happen. Because he loves his parents, and he doesn't want to choose between them and Mia.
He didn't want to lose any of them. And because of the tormenting pain in his heart, he was not surprised when the anger he had for Dolores intensified.
"If it wasn't for that so-called friend of yours, I wouldn't have been able to explain it properly to you."
"It's good that he told me about it. At least we found out what kind of woman you are planning to marry without us even being told!”
"Mom, no matter what you do, you will not be able to destroy us. Even if you sell this house, I don't care! Even though it will hurt me because I grew up in this home. I'll just think that Mia is more important to me. Because I love her so much and I won't be able to live a normal life if she's gone from my life!" that's what he said emphatically as Aurora remained silent.
Even though he felt bad for his mother, he still couldn't yell at her.
"I'm having a hard time with everything you do, Mom," he said truthfully, pleadingly looking his mother in the eye.
"Then leave that girl and let's go back to Canada," Aurora answered him instead.
Erik sighed again with a heavy chest. He just picked up his car key and then continued to leave his room. But his mother still followed him.
"Erik! Listen to me!”
That's when he turned back at Aurora and then looked at the seat that was previously occupied by Dolores who was no longer there.
"Just to inform you, Mom. I'll be back later to get Mia and my personal things here. Because if you're saying you're going to sell this house, maybe I should train myself to live in the house of the woman I'm going to marry," that's all and he left.
Just like before, he still could hear Aurora calling his name. But Erik preferred not to look back.
He made the right decision to live in Mia's house. At least then he won't see his future bride lost in the coldness of his mother's treatment of her.
*****
"I was right in my suspicion. Dolores was the one who reported to my mother," Erik was driving but his tone of speech still did not calm down.
Mia sighed sadly.
"She must have hated me so much that she was able to report to your mother," Mia could not hide the sadness that mixed with the tone of her speech.
"Don't worry, no matter how Mom tries to convince me, I still won't leave you. Just think that we will get married next week," said Erik as if he was giving her assurance that there was no reason for her to worry.
"I know that. I know you won't leave me. And I also know that you love me very much. I just can't stop being affected and maybe that's normal," she said trying to cheer up her voice.
"We will always be together, forever," that was when Erik grabbed her hand and then raised it and kissed it.
At least Mia felt reassured because of Erik's treatment. Even so, he didn't look at her and kept his eyes focused on the road. The warmth of his palm was enough to melt away even the slightest flutter in her heart.
*****
"WHAT are we going to do here?" Mia asked after Erik parked the car at a prominent dress shop in their area.
"Just wait and see," he replied then smiled at her.
Mia just nodded and then thought that they might choose a wedding dress for her. But she was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was more to it than that and she should know.
"Do you like it?"
The words she heard Erik say while her eyes remained fixed on the beautiful white wedding dress in front of her.
“E-Erik…”
Her voice trembled as she said then moved her eyes to Erik’s face.
"I remember you told me the wedding gown you wanted if you got married was the same one my mother gave you. Only the color would be different," Erik reminded her.
Then without any words, Mia burst into tears. And that was because of the overflowing happiness in her chest.
"Y-You don't know how much you made me happy, Erik," she said, hugging him tightly afterward.
Erik took her in his arms as well. They stayed in that position for a while before he released her.
"All right, start fitting so we can eat lunch," said Erik, glancing at the female assistant of that shop.
Mia just nodded and then followed the assistant who headed towards the fitting room. She also wiped away her tears which were as if had a mind of their own that just continued to flow.
Even though they weren't married yet. She could see a beautiful life with Erik and their future children.
*****
"I TOLD you about this didn't I?" Fidel stroked Aurora's back at that moment she couldn't stop crying.
"I didn't think that our son would be able to resist me," she sniffed and wiped away her tears.
"What's better is to let him make his decision. Papa will surely understand him," his husband advised.
At that time, Aurora shook her head consecutively as a sign of her strict rejection of what her husband wanted to happen.
“I'm sure Papa won't accept that woman. So I will find a way to take her away from my son’s life!”
"Don't do that, Aurora. Can't you see that Erik loves Mia so much? Do you want to push your child away from you?”
“That's better than ruining his life. Leave me with this, Fidel! I know what I'm doing and you can't stop me. And as soon as possible I want this house to be sold. So that Erik will lose a reason to stay here in the Philippines!”
There was finality in the tone of Aurora's speech. And he feels the same way. Because as she stands. Mia is not the woman who suits her son.