Shahriar and I had a whirlwind romance. And two months after our first date, I said, “Yes!” He was relieved. I was ecstatic — we couldn't wait to start our life together.

Seven months later, we tied the knot.

During the seven months leading up to our marriage, unlike other couples fraught with tension and overwhelmed with wedding plans, we weren’t. Filled with love and joy, it was one of the sweetest times of our courtship.

However, Shahriar had one request for me:

“Veronica, I’d like to keep our engagement a secret for now?”

“Oh?”

“I know this might sound strange, but I want to make sure my parents are the first to know.”

Shahriar’s parents were back in Iran then and weren’t expected to return to Jacksonville for six months.

“Couldn’t you just call them?”

“I’d rather wait until they return and tell them in person,” he said.

When Shahriar’s older brothers got married, he was a child living in Iran with his parents. Both had come to the US to study at university. They met their wives here and married.

“Since my parents couldn’t travel outside of Iran due to the war, my brothers had to tell them about their engagements over the phone,” he explained.

“My mother was so heartbroken she wouldn’t be a part of their special day that I’d hear her cry herself to sleep for months.”

I completely understood Shahriar’s reasons and felt proud to be with a man who wanted to honor his parents, so I didn’t tell my parents, either.

(This should have been my first red flag.)