I Already Found Someone

Melissa’s POV

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Three days had passed since my disastrous blind date, and I had almost managed to forget the man who had accepted my marriage proposal.

Almost.

I was in my office, finishing a patient's report, when my phone rang. Seeing my mother's name on the screen, I considered ignoring the call.

Then it rang again.

With a sigh, I answered. "Hello, Mother."

"Melissa, your father and I are coming to see you this evening."

My pen paused mid-sentence. "Is something wrong?"

My mother's voice immediately turned defensive. "Can't we visit our daughter without something being wrong?"

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Of course you can. I was only asking."

"Good. We'll see you later."

The call ended before I could ask anything else.

I stared at my phone.

That was strange.

My parents rarely announced their visits without giving me a reason, and lately, most of our conversations had revolved around one subject.

My marital status.

I rubbed my forehead before returning to my report. Whatever they wanted, I hoped it had nothing to do with another lecture about how I was ruining my life by remaining unmarried.

I already had enough to worry about without being reminded that I was thirty-one years old, a doctor, and a single mother.

Apparently, those three things were a personal offense to everyone around me.

That evening, I arrived home to find Vanessa sitting on my sofa while Ethan played with his building blocks on the rug.

My parents sat opposite my best friend.

I stopped in the doorway. "Oh, good. Everyone's here."

My mother smiled at me, a little too sweetly.

"Come and sit down, Melissa. We need to discuss something important."

I set down my handbag but remained standing, my shoulders still tense from a long day at work.

"Can I at least change out of my work clothes first?"

"It won't take long," my father assured me.

I turned to Vanessa, who gave me a small, helpless shrug that seemed to say, Don't kill me. I tried to warn them.

I immediately grew suspicious.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice dropping.

My mother exchanged a glance with my father before answering.

"We've found someone for you to meet."

I briefly closed my eyes.

Of course.

"Mother, please tell me you're joking."

"I'm perfectly serious," she replied, seemingly oblivious to the look on my face. "He's a respectable man from a wealthy family. His parents approached us, and we agreed that the two of you should meet."

"You agreed?" I repeated, my brows furrowing.

"Yes. Why are you looking at us like that?"

"Because I'm trying to understand when my love life became a family project."

My father's expression tightened.

"Watch your tone."

"I'm asking a simple question, Father." I tried to keep my voice even, although my hands were beginning to shake. "Did either of you think to ask me before arranging a meeting with a stranger?"

"We're your parents. We have every right to be concerned about your future."

"Concerned about my future or determined to choose it for me?"

My mother let out a loud, impatient sigh.

"Melissa, you're not getting any younger. You have a son who needs a father, and you cannot keep living like this forever."

There it was again.

I glanced toward Ethan. He was too busy building a tower to pay attention to our conversation, but I lowered my voice anyway.

"Can we please not do this in front of him?"

My father shook his head.

"This is exactly the problem. Whenever we try to discuss your future, you become defensive."

"Because you never discuss it. You make decisions and expect me to obey."

"We've already spoken to the man's family," my mother continued. "They know about Ethan, and they have no problem with you having a child. We also told them you're ready to settle down."

I stared at her, my mouth falling open.

"You told them what?"

"That you're ready for marriage."

"Without asking me?"

"We thought you'd appreciate us finding someone suitable."

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh that held no humor.

"Well, you thought wrong."

My mother's smile disappeared completely.

"At least meet him before you reject him."

"No."

The refusal came out firmly.

"Melissa!" Her voice sharpened.

"I said no, Mother." I clenched my jaw. "I'm not meeting a man simply because you and Dad have decided he's suitable for me."

My father leaned forward.

"And what exactly are you waiting for? Another Sebastian?"

The mention of my former fiancé wiped the remaining amusement from my face.

My throat tightened.

"Don't bring him into this," I said quietly.

"Why not? You chose him yourself, and look how that ended. Now, whenever we try to help, you behave as though we're your enemies."

"I'm not asking you to find me a husband!"

"Then what are you asking us to do?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Stand aside while you struggle alone? Watch you raise Ethan without a father because you're too stubborn to accept help?"

My hands tightened at my sides.

I worked hard every day to give my son a good life. I had never asked my parents to shoulder my responsibilities, yet somehow, they still treated me as though I were incapable of making my own decisions.

"Ethan is not a problem you need to solve," I said, each word deliberate. "And I will not marry someone just to satisfy other people's expectations."

"A mother cannot replace a father," my mother replied matter-of-factly.

"Neither can a marriage certificate turn the wrong man into a good father."

Across the room, Vanessa lowered her head, apparently trying to hide her reaction.

But I caught it.

"Don't laugh," I warned quietly.

"I'm not laughing," she murmured without looking up.

"You are."

"Fine. A little."

"Vanessa!" My mother snapped.

Vanessa immediately straightened, biting her lip.

"Sorry."

I almost smiled, but my father's next words stopped me.

"If you're so certain you can manage your life without our interference, prove it. Stop rejecting every opportunity we bring you. Unless, of course, there's already someone serious in your life."

I fell silent.

My father watched me closely, his eyes narrowing.

"Well?"

I had no answer.

There was no boyfriend waiting for me. No secret relationship I could reveal to put an end to the argument.

There was only Nathaniel Brooks.

The man I had met by chance. The man whose true intentions I still didn't understand. The man who had accepted my outrageous proposal as though marrying a complete stranger were the most normal thing in the world.

I remembered his gray eyes and the certainty in his voice when he told me he meant what he had said.

What a ridiculous man.

But why was I thinking about him now?

"Melissa?" my mother pressed, sensing my hesitation. "Do you have someone or not?"

Vanessa turned toward me, her expression suddenly cautious.

I knew I should simply say no. I could tell my parents the truth, endure another lecture, and refuse their arrangement without dragging anyone else into it.

But I was tired.

Tired of being treated as though my life belonged to everyone except me. Tired of having to defend every decision I made, especially when it came to my future.

I was a grown woman. I had a career, a home, and a son I loved more than anything.

Why couldn't they trust me to make my own choices?

I lifted my chin, my heart pounding against my chest.

"I don't need your arrangements," I said firmly.

My parents stared at me in confusion.

I knew I should stop there, but the words were already forming in my mind. Before I could talk myself out of it, I took a breath and continued.

"I've already found someone I intend to marry."