On Friday, I left work early and prepared carefully.

Natural-looking makeup, black heels, a small handbag, and a simple hairstyle.

I wanted everything to feel understated but perfect.

Richard arrived soon afterward to pick me up.

“You look gorgeous, babe!” he said, giving me the smile I loved. “Ready?”

I nodded, trying to calm myself. “I really hope they like me.”

“They will, babe,” he held my hand. “After all, you’ve got everything that a parent would want to see in their child’s partner. You’re amazing inside out.”

His reassurance helped a little.

But nothing could have prepared me for the scene that followed.

A few minutes later, we entered the restaurant.

It was beautiful.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, soft piano music filled the room, and even the water glasses looked expensive.

Richard’s parents were seated near a window.

His mother, Isabella, was a small woman with perfectly styled hair. She stood as we approached. His father, Daniel, looked stern and remained in his chair.

“Oh, Richard!” his mother cooed as we approached her, completely ignoring me.

She pulled him into a tight embrace, then held him at arm’s length.

“You look so weak. Have you lost weight? Are you eating enough?”

I stood beside them awkwardly until Richard finally seemed to remember I existed.

“Mom, Dad, this is Clara, my fiancée.”

Isabella looked me over from head to toe.

“Oh yes, hello dear,” she gave a smile that was not quite reaching her eyes.

Daniel responded with only a grunt.

Once we sat down, I tried to begin a polite conversation.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you both. Richard has told me so much about you.”

Before either of them could respond, the waiter arrived with the menus.

As we looked through them, I noticed Isabella leaning closer to Richard.

“Oh, sweetie,” she said in a loud whisper, “do you want Mommy to order for you? I know how you get overwhelmed with too many choices.”

I stared at them.

Richard was thirty years old, yet she spoke to him as though he were a small child.

I expected him to object.

Instead, he nodded.

“Thanks, Mom,” he said. “You know what I like.”

I attempted to catch his eye, but his attention remained fixed on his mother.

She ordered some of the most expensive items available for the two of them.

Lobster.

Prime rib.

A two-hundred-dollar bottle of wine.

When my turn came, I chose a basic pasta dish. By then, I was too unsettled to feel hungry.

While we waited for the food, Daniel finally spoke directly to me.

“So, Clara,” he said, his voice gruff. “What are your intentions with our son?”

I nearly choked on my water.

“I’m sorry?”

“Well, you’re planning to marry him, aren’t you? How do you plan to take care of him? You know he needs his clothes ironed just so, and he can’t sleep without his special pillow.”

I turned toward Richard, expecting him to interrupt and tell his father the question was inappropriate.

He remained silent.

“I… uhh…” I stammered. “We haven’t really discussed those details yet.”

“Oh, you’ll need to learn quickly dear,” Isabella intervened. “Our Richie is very particular. He needs dinner by exactly 6 p.m. every day, and don’t even think about serving him vegetables. He won’t touch them.”

I could barely understand what I was hearing.

I had agreed to marry a grown man.

I had not agreed to become his caretaker.

Why was Richard allowing them to speak about him like this?

Why was he not embarrassed?

Why had he never warned me?

The waiter arrived with our meals, temporarily rescuing me from having to respond.

But the situation only grew stranger.

Isabella cut Richard’s steak for him.

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