That night, after Elisa left, Nadine drove straight to her parents' house in the suburbs of L.A. She had made up her mind, she was going to tell them about the pregnancy. Even though she had a close relationship with both of them, she couldn't help but worry about disappointing them.
On the way there, she switched on the car radio. Music filled the car, and her fingers absentmindedly tapped the steering wheel. But then her brows furrowed.
"Wait… why does this voice sound so damn familiar?"
She let the song play out. That raspy, slightly arrogant-sounding voice, it was scratching at her memory, but nothing clicked.
The radio host came back on. Apparently, the song she just heard was a brand-new single from The Storm, a band that was apparently blowing up across the States. Nadine had definitely heard of them. Their name came up in office girl chatter all the time. And if she remembered right, the band was made up entirely of hot guys.
Not that she cared. Or listened to American bands much, for that matter.
To be fair, it wasn't like she didn't respect band music. It's just… she wasn't really up to date with the new ones. Most of the time, she stuck with the classics bands from the early 2000s, the '90s, even some from way back in the '80s. That was her comfort zone. The newer bands? Totally off her radar. She probably wouldn't recognize a Billboard favorite even if it stood next to her screaming its own lyrics.
After almost an hour's drive, she finally reached her parents' house in Briarwood Estates, a quiet, exclusive gated community on the affluent outskirts of L.A.
Mr. Morris, the older man who'd been working with her family for over fifteen years, greeted her as soon as she stepped out of the car.
"Good evening, Miss Nadine," he said with a warm smile.
"Evening, Mr. Morris. Are Mom and Dad home?"
They didn't know she was coming. Normally, she would text or call ahead but not tonight.
"They're inside. But they've got guests right now."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"I'm not sure, miss. They just arrived not too long ago."
"Huh. Alright, I'll go in."
As soon as she stepped into the house, four pairs of eyes landed on her. Two looked pleasantly surprised. The other two looked... just plain surprised.
Her mother's face lit up, and she immediately stood up to give Nadine a warm hug.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" her mother asked, arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she led her toward the guests.
"Felt like surprising you, Moms," Nadine replied with a cheeky smile.
Her mother, Ruth, turned to the couple sitting on the sofa.
"Nadine, sweetheart, meet Rupert and Emma Clarke. They're old college friends of ours. Just like your dad and I, they were college sweethearts too."
Emma gave her a wide smile. "Wow, you've grown so much! Last time we saw you, you were just this tall."
She held her hand mid-thigh to demonstrate, and Nadine couldn't help but laugh politely.
"Our son's about your age, I think. How old are you now, Nadine?" Rupert asked.
"Twenty-five."
"Oh, then Ethan's twenty-seven, right, hon?" Emma nodded.
"You're lucky, Henry," Rupert said to Nadine's dad. "Your daughter's actually interested in working at your company. I've been trying to get Ethan to join ours for years. He flat-out refuses."
"My daughter's been into business since she was a teenager. I just gave her a little push," Henry replied, chuckling. "My oldest ran off to live in Europe somewhere and refuses to come back."
Nadine smiled. That was true. She'd always wanted to take the family company further, turn it global someday.
"Well, Ethan might not want to be part of the corporate world," Rupert added with a slight huff, "but I'll give him this, he's committed to his dream. The kid's been dead-set on being a singer since he was little. Now look at him. He made it. His band's pretty big around here." Rupert let out a dramatic sigh. "Too bad his personality hasn't changed. He still gives us headaches every other day."
Despite herself, Nadine felt a flicker of admiration for this Ethan guy, whoever he was. Most people would just take the easy road, work at Daddy's company, collect a paycheck.
But this guy? He fought for his dream. Risked everything.
That... took guts.
***
After Mr. Rupert and his wife left, Nadine was reminded of the real reason she had come to her parents' house in the first place. The courage she had built up back in her apartment? Yeah, that was slowly disintegrating. She was terrified to tell the truth but she had to.
"So, is there something you wanted to talk about?" her dad asked, cutting straight to the point.
"I… I'm pregnant, Dad. But it's not Matt's baby," Nadine blurted out. No sugarcoating. No stalling. Just the facts. That's always been her way, rip the Band-Aid off and deal with the bleeding later.
Her heart raced as she watched her parents' faces. Her dad's expression stayed neutral, classic poker face, though she caught the way he inhaled slowly. Her mom, on the other hand, looked… sad? For like, two seconds. Then… was that joy?
"Wait, why do you look happy, Mom?" Nadine squinted, confused.
"What do you expect me to do?" Ruth shrugged. "It already happened. And for the record, I've been dying to hold a grandchild from you or Kane. But the two of you? God. You never think about me," she added, hand dramatically pressed to her chest like she was in a soap opera.
Nadine's jaw dropped. Is this woman serious right now?
"So… you're not mad at me?" she asked, still dazed.
"Mad? I mean, I'm a little mad," Ruth admitted, finally sitting down, "but what's the point? The milk's already spilled. I'm not going to ask you to get rid of my future grandchild."
Nadine just blinked, stunned.
"Dad?" she asked hesitantly, unsure what to expect.
Her father finally looked up and locked eyes with her.
"Nadine," he said calmly, "you're a grown woman. Of course I'm disappointed. But being mad won't un-make this reality. I trust that you know the difference between right and wrong. I also know you're capable, you've got your own income, and you'll figure this out. I'm not going to micromanage your life. If you need anything, you know your mom and I are always here."
That was it.
Nadine couldn't believe what she just heard. No yelling. No guilt trips. No drama. Just unconditional support. Her eyes welled up as she wrapped both her parents in a tight hug.
"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. You guys are seriously the best."
There were probably thousands of parents out there who would've flipped their entire house upside down after hearing news like that and here her mom was already shopping for baby socks in her head.
But she wasn't done yet.
There was one more person who needed to know. The one she was most nervous about.
Nadine didn't expect forgiveness. She wasn't delusional or heartless. She knew exactly how much her mistake would hurt him.
Still, she had to tell Matt.
And she prayed, with everything she had, that somehow he'd find it in his heart to understand.
***