Only then did it hit me—he knew exactly what was weighing on my heart! He had gone to the trouble of bringing my parents all the way from Baybridge. Seeing the wrinkles that had etched themselves onto my mother's face, I couldn't hold it back anymore; my nose stung, and I cried out in a surge of pent-up vulnerability, "Mom!"
My father, who had been watching us silently from his seat, walked over and gently draped his arm over my shoulders. "You silly girl. No matter what happens, you will always be the apple of our eye."
In the warmth of their embrace, my tears fell uncontrollably. They had cherished me like a precious jewel since I was a child, lavishing me with love and care. Yet, in my obsession to be with Dominic, I had said so many cruel things to them and insisted on cutting ties.
