Sugar, Spice & Secrets

34

Gabriele sat before my parents with a sheepish expression, his normally confident demeanor replaced by a sense of humility that seemed out of character for him. My mother, her expression a mix of surprise and disapproval, regarded him with a stern gaze, while my father's amused smirk betrayed the laughter he was clearly suppressing.

"I assure you, this is not how I had intended for us to meet," Gabriele stammered, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he struggled to find the right words. "Formally."

My mother's lips pursed in disapproval, her gaze flickering between Gabriele and me as she took in the scene before her. "Clearly," she remarked dryly, her tone laced with thinly veiled irritation.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, acutely aware of the awkwardness hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. This was not how I had envisioned introducing Gabriele to my parents, and the fact that they had walked in on us in such a compromising position only added to the embarrassment.

My mother's voice cut through the air with an edge of disappointment, her eyes narrowing as she fixed me with a stern gaze. "And you," she began, her tone laden with reproach. "What were you thinking? How are you going to explain this to Caleb?"

I winced at the mention of Caleb's name, a pang of bitterness twisting in my chest at the thought of what I had walked in on today. "Joan–"

But my mother wasn't finished, her words tumbling out in a rush as she continued to voice her disapproval. "We raised you better than this, Julie," she admonished, her tone laced with disappointment. "I can't believe you would be so reckless, especially considering your relationship with Caleb."

I swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling heavily on my shoulders as I struggled to meet her gaze. "We broke up," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper as I avoided her eyes, unable to bear the weight of her judgment.

There was a beat of silence as my mother processed my words, her expression softening slightly as she looked at me. "I see," she murmured. "But I didn't think you would throw yourself into the arms of another!"

"Mom!"

"Joan!"

Gabriele, sensing the tension in the air, rose from his seat with a sense of urgency, his discomfort evident in the way he shifted from foot to foot. "I–I should go," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper as he made a move to leave.

But before he could make his escape, my mother's words stopped him in his tracks. "You should," she replied curtly, her tone icy with disapproval as she fixed him with a stern glare.

"No" I protested, my frustration boiling over as I watched Gabriele's discomfort only worsen under my mother's scrutiny. "What did I do so wrong?"

I could feel my frustration boiling over, the urge to defend myself and Gabriele growing stronger with each passing moment.

"No," I protested, my voice trembling with anger as I locked eyes with my mother, refusing to back down. "What did I do so wrong?"

My mother's expression softened slightly, a flicker of concern flashing in her eyes as she regarded me with a mixture of frustration and worry. "You barely even know him, Julie," she admonished, her tone laced with genuine concern.

But her words only served to fuel my frustration, the memory of Caleb's betrayal still fresh in my mind. "So did the woman Caleb was sleeping with in his office!" I snapped, my voice rising with indignation as I leveled a accusing glare at my mother. "You didn't expect that, did you? Of course not, Caleb is such a golden man in your eyes that you're not even listening to your own daughter. What a mother."