"Is that the only reason why you came here? Because you want to plead with us, your father and me, to accept your marriage to that woman tomorrow?"
Bitterness and coldness filled every word Aurora uttered.
They were facing each other in the living room of their house. The house that she knew would soon be lost to them. Because of her mother's decision to sell it.
"My decision is final. And I believe it would be better if you just accept my choice, Mama," he said in a low voice.
If only Aurora knew how much pain all of this caused him. That their current situation deprived him of peaceful sleep at night. But he couldn't say that here. Because he had a feeling that if he did, it would only strengthen her resolve to oppose his love for Mia even more.
"And have you completely forgotten about us, who raised you since childhood? Is that it?"
Deep resentment was evident in Aurora's voice.
"Perhaps you've forgotten that we are your parents, and if it weren't for us, you wouldn't even be in this world right now!" Her emotions finally burst out, no longer under control.
Erik winced at what he heard. It hurt him. But he couldn't give Aurora what she wanted. He loved Mia, and no matter how many times he died and came back to life, he knew with certainty that she was the one he would choose and desire to love and marry.
"Fidel! Do something! This marriage between this child and that woman cannot happen!" Aurora continued, standing up and starting to cry.
"Mama, please!" Erik pleaded, his heart struggling.
"No! I will not allow what you want to happen!" Aurora shouted again.
"That's enough. What are you doing? I told you before, didn't I? But you didn't listen to me!" his father Fidel intervened calmly. Although when he glanced at him, he saw the resentment in his eyes. And Erik felt an even greater sense of anguish from that.
In many instances, he had a similar temperament to his father. That's what his mother used to tell him. And he believed it. Even without speaking, he knew that Fidel pitied Aurora.
He understood why. Just as much as he loved Mia, his father loved his mother in the same way.
"Why can't you accept that I'll be happy with Mia?" Erik's words seemed to escape him as he sat back down on the sofa that he occupied a while ago.
"All of this is for your own good, Enrique! Why can't you understand that?" his mother shouted at him.
"But what you want to happen is not right! Don't you understand that I love Mia? She's the one I want to be with for the rest of my life! And besides, I'm not forcing you to like her! Whether you like it or not, our wedding will happen!" Erik firmly stated.
"Well, if that's how it is, why did you even come here?"
His mother, now with tears subsided, paused and regained her strength to face him and the news he had just revealed to them.
Once again, Erik's chest rose and fell as he looked directly into Aurora's eyes. "I'm just pleading, Mama, Papa. I'm pleading that may be in the past few days, you've reconsidered my situation. Maybe you've understood me. That's why I'm here now. But from what I see, it seems like you haven't yet," he said, standing up and sadly shifting his gaze between his parents, who were also looking at him at that moment.
"The time will come, I know when you'll accept everything. For now, maybe I need to do this on my own," he continued, taking a deep sigh as he felt the rapid warming in the corners of his eyes.
"Son," Fidel began as if he understood what he wanted to say.
"Throughout my life, you've been with me on every joyful and special day. Since childhood, I've thought about it, and I had no other dream than to have it happen on my wedding day. But out of everything, why is this the one thing you've denied me?" he said, his own emotions still restrained.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you had just listened to me! She's not the right woman for you! There are many better options out there. Women from good families. That woman doesn't even know her own parents, right? She's lucky she was adopted by Miss Sanchez back then. Otherwise, she might have ended up in prostitution!" Aurora's voice wasn't raised, but her words still carried a sharpness that Erik truly disliked.
"Ma, please! Enough! Stop insulting Mia! I love her, and I will accept her no matter what!"
"I can see that you're blinded by that love. Nadine was better off then---"
"Nadine? Didn't you dislike her too? And wasn't she the reason why I came back here? To do her a big favor?"
"Yes! Didn't you consider that you were just like this with Nadine before? Willing to do anything to help her? And what did she do? Didn't she leave you? Didn't she also choose to marry the man her family picked for her? If you had listened to us back then, maybe you wouldn't be in this situation now. Maybe you wouldn't have seen that woman again!"
Upon hearing everything his mother said, Erik realized that she was right. He had been willing to do anything for Nadine before. But she left him and eventually married someone else.
And now, here he was in a similar situation. This time, Mia was involved. The woman he promised to marry ten years ago.
"Do you really think that woman has truly ended her relationship with her former live-in partner? How sure are you that they don't still talk anymore? One day, you might be shocked to find her no longer by your side. She might leave you after she's drained your money and ruined your life!" Aurora continued.
"Mia is not that kind of person, Ma," he insisted.
"How sure are you? Just because she's your childhood friend, you think you know her so well, Enrique? It's been a long time since you've been apart. And you weren't even that close back then, right? Why do you believe her so blindly now? Is it because she agreed to marry you?"
"Because I can feel that she loves me, Ma," he said as he stood up.
Aurora released a mocking laugh. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you, Enrique."
Erik didn't want to hear any more of the hurtful words he knew his mother could say. So he decided to leave. Despite feeling upset that, even in their last conversation, his efforts to communicate and be humble were ignored by his parents, especially his mother. And that brought tears to his eyes, which he quickly wiped away.
If he let his emotions get the better of him, Mia would surely notice. She would ask, and if that happened, she would be saddened and hurt. And he didn't want that to happen.
After all, Mia was aware that his parents didn't approve of their decision to be together. In his opinion, she only needed to know that much. He didn't want to add to the pain she already carried. Somehow, he still held onto the hope that Fidel and Aurora would eventually accept them. He just needed to wait for the right time and opportunity.