Page 19 of Runaway Pride

Charlie gasped. “Oh, no. I’m sorry! What happened? Everything seemed fine between you two.”

It was hard to actually be certain since Aera and her husband didn’t come out often. She was a very private person. Aera was away often for training and Danny was busy with his family business. But they looked happy inpictures.

Aera shrugged, keeping a straight face. “Pressure. Expectations. They’re relationship killers. I retired because Danny and his parents wanted us to start a family. We tried for two years with no luck. I didn’t want to go through any of the procedures to get pregnant. They grew impatient and it just… killedeverything. We’re not the same anymore.”

“I can’t believe this…” Charlie whispered. “Why are we just talking about thisnow? I’m so sorry I haven’t been available to you. Want to grab coffee?”

Aera shook her head. “I’m actually on my way to see my therapist. We’ll catch up next week after our board meeting, I promise. I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?”

Aera’s car pulled up as the valet got out to hand her the keys.

“Yes,” she said and leaned in to kiss Charlie’s cheek. “We’ll talk. And then you can tell me more about your sexy Rick.”

Aera winked at her before getting inside the car, not leaving Charlie an opportunity to say that while Rick was sexy, he wasn’thers…

That evening in her office in Springly Spa, Charlie was hard at work. After a quick dinner of chicken cashew salad, she went over her to-do’s. Primarily responsible for marketing, and without an assistant, she was behind.

This summer, she had a goal of attracting new customers by offering 10% more on deals on their beauty procedures. Their reserved plastic surgeon and dermatologist, Dr. Alanna Yee, would start a week after the grand opening, so Charlie needed to get a few customers by then.

At the end of her night, she scheduled posts, set up payments, refilled medical supplies, and negotiated with merchants. It was nearly ten when she was ready to leave. The adjacent businesses had been closed long before, so the building was quiet and empty. She’d grown to enjoy working at night, loving the calm and being left to do what she wanted without interruptions.

However, just as she’d locked the last latch of the shop, a voice pierced her eardrums, causing Charlie to yelp.

“Charlotte Grace Ha!” Grace Kim cried in the most accusing tone. “You’ve got a lot of nerve avoiding me! After what you did. And yourhair.” She tugged a handful of Charlie’s hair. “Ugh, you look like a washed out old maid.”

“Mother,” Charlie backed away. “You scared me.”

Dressed in a black embroidered jacket and dress, Grace’s face cinched in the most enraged scowl. “You should be scared. You have no qualms putting me through such hell. Do you have any idea what I had to do to pacify the Parks and redeem the humiliation my daughter brought upon them?”

Charlie held her chest high. “I’ve already spoken to Matt, and we agreed that we both don’t want this marriage. He said he will take care of his parents. You don’t need to do anything more.”

Her mother scoffed. “Take care of it? How? That will not atone for your scandalous behavior. Everyone wouldn’t stop talking about you and how disgraceful you’ve become. What happened to you, Charlotte? Where is all this coming from?”

“Nothing happened to me. I’m protecting my own interests,” Charlie defended as she turned her heels to walk. Grace followed. “I decide what I want and it’s not marrying into the Park family. Matt feels the same way.”

“That’s because you’ve wrecked everything!” Grace shouted. “But there’s still a chance. We can save this.”

“There’s nothing to save. It’s over. Everyone is moving on,” Charlie insisted, gripping the straps of her purse to steady her shaking hands. Her mother had a way of rattling her. “You should, too. Everything will settle down with time.”

“Why are you being so difficult? You are so irresponsible! Have you not considered everyone else’s feelings? There were so many of us who lost a lot of money on the wedding, and you’re acting like it’s not a big deal.”

“I told Matt that I will foot the bill since I was the one who left everyone out to dry,” Charlie said. “Stop worrying about that.”

Grace laughed and pulled Charlie’s arm, stopping her from walking another step. “You think it’s that easy? Just throw money at the problems?”

“Why not?Youdo it,” Charlie quipped.

“And it solved nothing,” Grace spat. “Charlotte, look at the bigger picture. You are over thirty and your reputation is hanging on its loose end. You’re almost like a pariah in the community… this can’t go on. Everyone your age is settled down.”

Charlie untangled herself from her mother’s grasp. “Being over thirty is not a death sentence. I still have a lot of time left, and I want to prioritize what makes me happy.”

But of course, the words went into Grace’s ear only to come back out. “You are being stubborn. Listen to me. We can salvage this. I’ll talk to the Parks. We can get Matthew to change his mind and take you back.”

“For the last time, I don’t want him back!” Charlie shouted. “I don’t even love him!”

The expression on her mother’s face was incredulous beforeshe snorted.Snorted. Charlie had never seen her do that. The hanging lamps against the building walls highlighted Grace’s features, and Charlie saw a little of her own face. She was a few inches taller than her mother, and they were similarly slender and delicate-looking. But Grace was anything but soft.

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