Page 81 of Before We Break Again
“How could you?”My mother’s voice cuts through the air, brittle and wounded.Her eyes, though filled with hurt, are sharp with accusation.
“We’re leaving,” my father says, his tone flat, like this is a simple business transaction he wants to walk away from.Like he can just order it, like he can make it go away by force of will.
“Please, do,” Dustin says, his voice calm but with an edge of warning.“Before my bodyguards make you leave.”
My father’s gaze darkens, but my mother’s hurt morphs into something sharper—betrayal mixed with incredulity.She looks at me, her voice shaking but biting.“I can’t believe you’re back with them,” she says, her words laced with all the bitterness she’s been holding on to for years.“After everything, after all we talked about.You’re a whore, a slut that can’t keep your legs closed.Are you going to be having sex with all these men too?”
“Keep your tone in check and your words too, or I’ll have my men dispose of you,” Dustin threatens her.
“Why are you surprised?”I ask as I meet her gaze head-on.“I told you then, and I’ll tell you again: I love them.Both of them.And we plan on spending the rest of our lives together.”
My mother recoils, her lips pursing in that way that always made me feel like I’d disappointed her, like I was a child who didn’t know what was best for myself.Her eyes scan me, then Santos, then Dustin, as if she can’t quite believe this is the life I’ve chosen for myself.
There’s judgment in every glance, like she’s mentally cataloging all the ways I’ve gone wrong, all the ways I’ve failed to live up to her expectations.
“You could’ve had a normal life.A career, a family—without all this ...shame.”
“Your daughter is a successful doctor and an extraordinary woman,” Santos says.“She’ll still have the career, the marriage, and a happy family.”
“With very wealthy husbands,” Dustin adds.
I almost laugh but then Dad adds, “This isn’t the life we wanted for you,” he pauses, shaking his head, his gaze narrowing on me like he can’t understand how I’ve strayed so far from the path they set for me.“You’ve thrown away everything.For what?This?”
For a second I’m back in Blissful Meadows about to be taken away from my home, but Santos’s hand tightens around mine again, reminding me that I’m not alone in this.Dustin’s grip on my waist firms, his chest solid and strong against my back.
“Yes, I’m throwing away your plans and keeping my own dreams, my happiness.”I don’t think I’ve ever confronted my parents this way.Sure I had thought about it and even written cue cards but those are in my room and I don’t have time to leave and grab them.“If you don’t approve, that’s not my problem.I love you, but I don’t need your judgmental attitude in my life.”
And then, as if the universe has a cruel sense of timing, another car pulls up.The gravel crunches under its tires, the sound making my head snap up in surprise.I feel my stomach drop.
This time, it’s Santos’s parents.
The color drains from Santos’s face, and I feel his hand tense in mine.His breath catches, and the easy confidence he usually wears like armor vanishes.I know this moment is about to become so much heavier.
The door opens, and Santos’s mother steps out, followed by his father.Their expressions are unreadable from this distance, but I can already feel the shit show.The world suddenly feels much, much smaller, and I’m trapped in the middle of it, torn between the two families standing on the edges of our lives.
“Fuck,” Dustin mumbles.“Who invited the bigot to our house?”
ChapterForty-Two
Santos
This is officially a three-ring circus.There are bodyguards stationed all around, Halsey’s parents glaring from one side of the yard, and now, to top it all off, my parents have shown up too.The tension is suffocating.I feel like I’m watching everything unravel in slow motion, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
“Just ask them to shoot anyone who treats our girl badly,” I joke, even though it’s weak.It’s all I’ve got right now.
Dustin doesn’t miss a beat.He flashes a half-smile and says, “We can bury them in the barn or feed them to the horses.”
“Not funny,” Halsey mumbles.“I do think they should leave, all of them.”
“We’re not leaving without you, Halsey,” her mother demands.“Get your things.”
I take a deep breath, seeing my parents walk toward us.The heaviness in my chest intensifies.I straighten up, forcing myself to speak.“Mom.Dad.”
Dustin moves Halsey right next to me, his whole body tensing as he eyes them, his protective instincts kicking in hard.“Can I just ask how the fuck you found my house?”
My mom lets out a small sigh, clearly uncomfortable but pressing forward.“No need to be upset, son.It was your grandmother who told Aunt Rita,” she explains.“Who told?—”
“Small town gossip.Gotta love it,” Dustin interrupts, his voice sharp and dripping with sarcasm.He glances between my parents and Halsey’s, frustration tightening his expression.“So, they’ve already called my woman a whore and said she’s ruining her life.What about you two, Mr.and Mrs.Calderón-Bélanger?Let’s get this over with.If there’s any homophobic comments, you’re out.”
