“I just want to get this over with,” Chris sighed in front of his parents’ house door.

“They’re your parents, honey. We want them to finally accept me and come to our wedding, right?” his wife, Amanda, caressed his arms.

Chris grunted. “I really don’t care about that, Amanda. I’m sorry, but if they can’t accept the woman I love, I don’t want anything to do with them.”

“Please, honey. We have to make peace with them. What about the future? They’re family. We want them to be a part of our children’s lives, don’t we?” Amanda continued, smiling slightly. The problem is that the young, beautiful woman didn’t see the tightening of her husband’s mouth.

Chris tried to keep his composure after her words, but he only barely managed. “Yeah. I guess,” he muttered through his stiff lips.

“That’s… fine. When are you going to quit your job?” he continued.

“OK! Now, cheer up. We’re in this together,” Amanda perked and hugged his side.

Chris’s mother, Mrs. Castillo, opened the door with her signature fake grin, only slightly lifting her lips.

“Hello, Amanda. It’s nice to see you,” she said, nodding her head subtly and moving, so they could walk through the door.

Chris wanted to roll his eyes. It had been years since he and Amanda got together. They were engaged, and his parents still viewed her as the woman who “ruined their plans.” They wanted their son with someone else and were salty about his decision.

***

When Chris graduated from college and got his first job, his parents introduced him to Ciara, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey. Her father was on a local private clinic board and highly well-respected in their town.

Chris came from the Castillo family, and they had always been wealthy thanks to their great-grandfather’s investments. Chris didn’t care much for that stuff. His parents were obsessed with status and what others would say.

However, he made the most amazing friends at college who came from all walks of life. It truly changed his life, and he realized that the girls he had been exposed to through private school and country club parties were not for him. He wanted a real woman.

And Amanda appeared. He had been at his job for a couple of years and collided with her on his way out of a parking lot. It was love at first sight for him, so he tried to joke, smile, and invite her out straight away.

She worked at a nearby building and was not happy about his advances. But eventually, she said yes to a date, and they had been together since.

The first time she met his parents was a disaster. They told Chris to break things off as soon as she left the restaurant table for the bathroom.

“She’s an assistant. Why can’t you date Ciara? She adores you. This is not the girl for you,” his mother said quietly, but her face showed desperation and disgust.

“Listen to your mother, son. You must marry a woman from your own… ugh… class. It won’t work otherwise,” his dad joined in, shaking his head.

“The two of you need to shut up. I will not listen to this. Ciara is a vapid little princess, and I don’t want to be near her… ever!” he said, forcefully but still discreetly enough.

Amanda returned to the table, and the dinner continued. His parents never had much of a poker face, so this meeting wasn’t pleasant. However, it was worse after those comments, and Amanda sensed it.

He explained everything later, and she understood, telling him to give his parents time. But it had been a while, and they had yet to warm up. They behaved to her face but grumbled behind her back. Mostly, they tolerated her, especially since they got engaged. Meanwhile, she remained hopeful. Amanda was a glass-half-full kind of person. Therefore, she still called his mother to plan dinners and included her in some of the wedding details.

The only thing Amanda had not been open about was the fact that they were already trying for a baby. She wanted that to be a surprise. With some luck, Mr. and Mrs. Castillo would finally warm up when they started having babies.

***

As they sat at his parent’s dinner table, Chris could only think of wrapping this gathering up quickly. He had something to tell his fiancée, and it was extremely urgent. It might change the nature of their relationship forever. She might even decide to leave him.

“They don’t know what they’re missing. Let them eat cake in their country clubs while you and I find real happiness.”

He had actually talked to his parents about this a few days ago when he received the news. They didn’t have a lot to say about it. Their faces showed sadness and concern, but they remained their stoic selves.

“If Amanda leaves you, let her do it,” his mother told him, but that would kill Chris. So, he had been afraid of telling her the truth.

“So, Amanda,” his father began, snapping Chris out of his thoughts. “How’s work?”

“Oh, Mr. Castillo. Work is going great. My boss has this huge event coming up, and I’m helping plan everything. It’s been fun, actually,” she replied, happy they showed interest in her.

“That’s… fine. When are you going to quit your job?” he continued.

“Excuse me?”

“Quit. To become a housewife,” Mr. Castillo clarified.

“I’m not quitting,” Amanda said, confused.

“She’s going to keep working, Dad,” Chris intervened, peeved.

“That’s… just fine. Amanda is a modern woman after all, darling,” his mother said, not quite smiling but not angry either.

“Well, I don’t know my plans yet. It’ll depend on the future,” Amanda said and swallowed nervously. “Speaking of which, I have an announcement. I’m pregnant!”

There was extreme silence at the table, which seemed to expand for hours, but it was only a few seconds. Amanda had been sure that a baby was everything this family needed to accept her finally, but she had no idea what Chris had just discovered.

The first person to break the silence was Mrs. Castillo. “He’s infertile!” she yelled, seething. Her eyes were almost red from anger.

Chris was frozen in complete shock. They had been intimate for a while without protection, hoping for this. But he just got medical results proving that he couldn’t father anyone. That meant… that Amanda had cheated.