**Fateful Encounter: A Drama of Shattered Hopes**
Melanie Whitaker sat in the café, her eyes fixed on the entrance. Her fingers drummed nervously against the tabletop, her thoughts a tangled mess. After three years of her daughter’s relationship with Daniel, she was finally meeting his parents. The stakes couldn’t be higher—the circumstances were anything but simple.
Days earlier, Emily had dropped the bombshell: at just twenty, she was pregnant. Barely recovered from the shock, Melanie had insisted on marriage. Daniel hadn’t refused, swearing he was ready to take responsibility for their future family.
*”As if you’d refuse!”* Melanie had snapped, temper flaring. *”You’ve ruined my girl’s future! She hasn’t even finished university. Emily, what were you thinking?”*
*”Mum, we were going to get married anyway,”* Emily had mumbled, eyes downcast. *”Just… a bit sooner than planned.”*
*”A bit? This isn’t ‘a bit’!”* Melanie had thrown her hands up. *”Fine. Daniel, call your parents. It’s time we talked.”*
*”They already know,”* he muttered, avoiding her gaze.
*”Brilliant. When and where can I meet them?”* Her stare could’ve burned through steel.
*”Your choice. A café?”*
*”Tomorrow. Seven p.m. The Rose & Crown.”* Her tone left no room for argument.
Daniel had nodded, calling his parents straight away. They’d agreed, but Melanie couldn’t shake her unease. Why meet in public instead of their home? Something felt off, but she pushed the dread aside.
Arriving early, she claimed a table by the window. She didn’t know what Daniel’s parents looked like, so she studied every couple that walked in. Then they appeared—a balding man with a stiff posture and a woman with sharp makeup, her lips plump from fillers, her hair impeccably styled. Their confident strides confirmed it: them.
*”We’re Daniel’s parents,”* the woman announced, scanning Melanie head to toe as if tallying flaws.
Melanie noted her Botox-smooth forehead, the telltale signs of a woman who spent more time at the salon than with family.
*”What did you want to discuss?”* The woman sank into the chair, arms crossed.
*”Our children’s wedding. Given the… situation,”* Melanie said, gripping her composure.
*”If you’d raised your daughter properly, there wouldn’t *be* a situation,”* Daniel’s mother sneered.
*”Your son’s twenty-three! He knew exactly what he was doing!”* Melanie’s cheeks burned.
The woman rolled her eyes, glancing at her husband. He cleared his throat. *”Arguing won’t help. We need solutions.”*
*”Solutions? Emily’s having the baby, and Daniel *will* marry her. That’s why we’re here.”*
*”Marry her?”* A mocking laugh. *”You just want to palm her off! How *convenient*.”*
*”Don’t you dare insult my daughter!”* Melanie’s voice trembled with fury.
The couple exchanged smug looks. The father, Richard, sighed. *”Daniel’s willing. We won’t stop him—”*
*”I didn’t call you here for nothing,”* Melanie cut in. *”I can’t fund a wedding alone. We need your help.”*
Daniel’s mother’s face twisted. *”We’re not ‘chipping in.’ A quick registry office signing will do.”*
*”No. My daughter deserves a proper wedding!”* Melanie’s fist hit the table.
*”You want the moon on a stick, don’t you?”* The woman smirked. *”Pay for it yourself.”*
*”You’ve got money for fillers and facials, but not your son’s wedding?”*
*”How I spend *my* money is none of your business!”* she snapped. *”If you can’t afford it, that’s *your* problem.”*
*”You’re not exactly struggling. Why won’t you help?”*
*”I decide what’s *my* concern. Your child’s wedding isn’t it.”*
*”What a pair you are!”* Melanie scoffed. *”The penny-pinching is *astounding*.”*
*”You’ll apologise for that!”* Richard’s face flushed.
*”For what? The truth?”*
*”Richard, we’re leaving.”* The woman stood, chin high. *”I’ll talk to Daniel. Better he pays child support than ties himself to *your* lot.”*
They marched out, leaving Melanie seething. She drained her cold coffee, paid, and trudged home, fury simmering beneath her skin.
That night, she confronted Emily—who admitted she’d never even met Daniel’s parents. *”Now it makes sense,”* Melanie sighed. *”You’re not ‘good enough’ for them. All filler, no feeling.”*
*”Daniel’s not like that!”* Emily choked out.
*”We’ll see,”* Melanie muttered, doubting her own words.
Hours later, Daniel called. He rambled, then dropped the truth: marriage was off. Three years, wiped away. His parents’ words had erased every promise.
In the end, Melanie shouldered it all—Emily’s pregnancy, the birth, the court-mandated child support. Cradling her grandson, she whispered, *”We’ll manage.”* But inside, grief festered. The dream of her daughter’s happy ending had crumbled under the weight of someone else’s icy indifference.