Chapter 2
Samson said with a resigned tone, "Yeah, I hear them. Don't stay up too late after the fireworks, alright?"
I let out a bitter laugh and wiped away my tears.
With my suitcase in hand, I walked out without ever looking back.
But right as I closed the door, Samson's voice called out. "Charlotte, what did you just say?"
Samson was always the kid everyone held up as the perfect example.
He was always at the top of the class.
But I was never really good at anything—always mediocre.
My mom was always comparing us.
She'd say, "If only you were half as smart as Samson."
I'd protest loudly, "Okay, maybe I'm not as smart as him, but at least my ears work. Whenever someone calls me, I always hear them—unlike him, who acts like he can't hear anyone."
My mom would laugh at that.
She'd raise an eyebrow and tease, "Charlotte, did it ever cross your mind that maybe he just doesn't want to talk to you?"
I shook my head, refusing to believe it. "No way. Samson would never do that to me."
If he really hated me and didn't want to talk to me, why would he stand in front of me whenever I got bullied and say, "Anyone who messes with her is messing with me. Do it again, and you'll pay for it"? And why would he...
And why would he be the first to step up and say, "Charlotte's not dumb. She just doesn't care about studying. I'll help her," whenever my parents called me stupid for my grades?
But now, I thought my mom was right.
He didn't have a hearing problem.
He just never wanted to pay attention to me.
"It's nothing," I said.
I closed the door and walked away.
I slid into the ride I'd called.
That was when Samson, for once, actually sent me a message.
He didn't ask where I was headed. Nor did he ask when I would be back.
He just said: [I locked the door. Come back tomorrow.]
When I saw that message, all the bitterness and frustration I'd been holding back finally spilled over.
Suddenly, tears burst out of me.
The driver was startled when I started sobbing out of nowhere.
He quickly handed me some tissues. "Hey, kid, listen to me. Whatever's going on, don't let it get to you. Go home, freshen up, and get some sleep. Tomorrow's a new day."
My vision blurred with tears as I sniffled and took the tissues he handed me, mumbling a thank-you.
He was right.
There was nothing in this world I couldn't get through.
When today was done, tomorrow was a brand new day.
By the time I got home, it was already ten o'clock at night.
My parents had already gone to bed.
I didn't disturb them.
I went back to my room alone, carrying my suitcase.
*****
The next morning, when I woke up, my parents were stunned to find me suddenly back at home.
"Charlotte, when did you get back?" my mom asked.
"Last night," I replied.
After crying so much last night, my throat was dry and hoarse.
My mom noticed something was wrong right away. "Did you and Samson have a fight?
"That doesn't make sense. He's always so quiet. Back in college, someone even stole his thesis, and he didn't even care enough to complain. Why would he argue with you?"
Samson had never argued with me.
He always looked at me with that same distant, indifferent gaze.
Whenever Samson was upset about something, he'd give me that silent, distant look because he knew, even if he didn't say a word, I'd always end up apologizing anyway.
"Mom, I want to cancel the wedding. Please return the money the Matthews family gave us for the marriage," I said.
My mom looked baffled and kept pressing me for answers.
I knew I couldn't dodge it anymore.
I finally confessed, "I don't want to marry someone who doesn't care about me at all."
I grew up in a harmonious family, with parents who loved each other deeply and spoiled me rotten.
I didn't need to choose someone who didn't care about me and set myself up for heartbreak.
"If Samson didn't care about you, why would he agree to marry you? Charlotte, you're an adult now. You can't call off the wedding because of a minor disagreement," my mom said.
I told her about the lullaby Samson recorded for Aileen.
My mom's face darkened with anger.
She was even more intolerant of this than I was.
She slammed her hand on the table. "This wedding is off! Absolutely off. He's about to get married and still doesn't know how to keep his distance from another woman?
"Recording lullabies for her now? Who knows what else they might do together?"
My dad couldn't stand to see me suffer either.
After breakfast, he got in touch with the Matthews family and returned every dollar of the money.
I kept myself busy and called the wedding planner.
But before I could even mention canceling the wedding, the director said, "Miss Williams, Mr. Matthews put his assistant in charge of everything about the wedding.
"If you need anything, you'll need to talk to Miss Horne.
"Oh, and the wedding dress just came in from overseas. Mr. Matthews said you were busy, so he asked Miss Horne to try it on instead.
"I'll send you the video, so you can check it out and see if you like it. If you don't, we can still tweak it."
The next moment, she sent me a video of Aileen Horne in the wedding dress.