Chapter 15 (Autumn’s POV)
After landing, the Caldwells contacted my parents to explain the situation. That evening, both families met at a seaside restaurant.
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I’d lost some weight over the past month, but I was feeling healthy and energetic. For the first half hour, after briefly greeting everyone, I sat quietly in the corner, not speaking.
The parents made small talk while I listened.
When my parents heard about the canceled wedding, they looked surprised and asked what happened.
Neither Ryder nor his parents seemed to know how to answer, so they offered a vague explanation.
“Something came up suddenly. Elle didn’t want to go through with it, so the engagement was called off.”
Seeing how uncomfortable they were, my mom didn’t press further and changed the subject.
“Well, these things happen. You can’t force matters of the heart.”
“Exactly!” Mr. Caldwell replied. “Since you’re not busy with wedding plans anymore, why not stay in Spain a while? We can show you around—it’ll be like a vacation.”
I’d been silent this entire time, but hearing this, I finally spoke up.
“Dad, Mom, didn’t you promise Aunt Sophia you’d visit her in a few days?”
My meaning was clear.
The Caldwells looked embarrassed.
Ryder’s eyes flashed with panic as he quickly waved his hands.
“It’s fine, really. You can take care of your plans. I’ll look after my parents, and we can meet up when you get back.”
He clearly intended to stay in Spain indefinitely.
A surge of irritation rose inside me as I looked at Ryder with undisguised impatience.
“Is that really necessary?”
The entire private dining room fell silent at my words.
My parents were confused by my rudeness and quickly apologized while scolding
- me.
“We’re so sorry. Autumn doesn’t always think before she speaks. She’s worried we won’t be able to entertain you properly without us there. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“That’s right,” my father added. “Autumn, apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell right
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now. Since they’ve come all this way, we’ll show them around properly. We can visit your aunt next month instead.”
If this were just about tourism, I wouldn’t have cared.
But I knew perfectly well they hadn’t come here to sightsee.
In my mind, this was a private matter between Ryder and me that shouldn’t involve both families.
I also didn’t want my parents to know the ugly details, which is why I was so adamantly against it.
But watching them show up uninvited and insist on dragging this out…
All the frustration and ånger I’d bottled up over these months came rushing to the surface. I no longer cared about keeping up appearances.
“Dad, Mom, I’m not the one who needs to apologize here, and I shouldn’t be the one being apologized to either.”
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