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Her former future-in-laws, if that term made any sense.Matt’s parents. Next to her mother, they were the last people she wanted to see. Her relationship with them was courteous and standard. They only saw each other for dinners, which happened scarcely.
She hadn’t seen them since the wedding, thanks toMatt’s offer to handle them. From the disgruntled expression on their faces, they Matt didn’t do too good of a job appeasing them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Park,” Charlie addressed politely. “It’s good to see you.”
“Is it?” Mrs. Park raised a brow before casting a withering glance at Rick, who stood quietly by Charlie’s side. “We were hoping to find you here. Clearly, you’ve been avoiding us.”
The sharp tone stabbed, causing Charlie to shrink back. She then felt a gentle squeeze of her forearm from Rick.
“I’ll give you a moment,” he muttered close to her ears before leaving. His departure helped the uncomfortable edge she felt. The conversation with her former in-laws was obviously going to be painful.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy,” she said apologetically. “There’s a lot going on and… Matt said he was going to talk to you about it, so I didn’t want to add more problems to the situation.”
“If you didn’t want problems, then you should’ve handled the situation better,” Mr. Park retorted with a glare. “Not only did you embarrass us by leaving our son hanging on his wedding day, but you’ve gone and tarnished his image by getting involved with another man. I would’ve never expected this kind of behavior from you.”
“Please, that was a misunderstanding. There’s no involvement. He was a friend,” she tried putting it lightly. “I really didn’t mean any disrespect. It was a very confusing and overwhelming moment for me…”
Mr. Park scoffed. “Disrespect. How laughable. Matt came to talk to us about his lack of interest in continuing with the marriage and said you’d be handling the financial loss from your flighty actions.”
Trying to ignore the insults, Charlie said, “Yes, and I’ve already taken care of the bills. Please don’t worry about that.”
“Yes, I’m sure that will absolve you of what you did.” Matt’s mother shook her head scornfully. “I am very disappointed in you,Charlotte. You should’ve come to us. It was so rude that you didn’t even pay us a visit. Maybe we could’ve understood. It’s like we meant nothing to you after the time you spent with our son.”
No matter how much Charlie wanted to spin it, they were right. She’d been so avoidant, she didn’t consider any of their feelings. Not Matt’s, not his parents, only hers. Even though she didn’t regret backing out of the marriage, she regretted how she handled the aftermath.
“I’m sorry, I really am. I know there’s nothing I can do to fix this right now, and I won’t ask for forgiveness yet, but I hope you know I respect you two as Matt’s parents,” Charlie said. “And though we can’t be family, I really hope that we can still be friendly.”
The word ‘friendly’ drooped like a joke. The older couple’s resentment was thick enough for Charlie to feel its weight. Guilt was her worst enemy. She knew she couldn’t please everyone, but that didn’t stop the rut from festering.
“Let’s not see each other for a while, Charlotte. Your mother already knows our feelings about this, so it’s best we keep our distance,” Mrs. Park said crossly. “I wish you the best with your choices.”
They left abruptly and turned around without giving her another glance. The sting was icy, leaving Charlie immobile. As a sensitive person, the confrontations lingered. She was glad Rick wasn’t here to see her falter, feeling embarrassed enough.
As she trailed in the direction Rick had left earlier, a hand caught her before she took another step.
“Here you are.”
Like autopilot, the dread scorched into Charlie as she turned to her mother. The hope to avoid another dissatisfied parental confrontation was ambitious, and Grace was here to prove it.
“Hello, mother,” Charlie said formally.
“Finally showing your face after ignoring me for weeks,” Gracesnapped. “I saw you talking to the Parks. What did you say to make them so unhappy?”
“Nothing! They were already unhappy.”
Her mother hooted. “Can you blame them? With your repulsive behavior. Honestly, I am so ashamed. Can you imagine how long it took for me to make peace with them?”
“I’ve already apologized, and told them we could continue to be cordial even if we can’t be in-laws. I don’t think I could do more than that.”
“It’ll take time, but I’m sure we can get back on their good side soon. You just make sure you’re on your best behavior with Matthew,” her mother said.
Charlie blinked. “Getting on their good side? What are you talking about? Please tell me you don’t still think I’m getting back together with him.”
“Why not? You’re both a good match. You just made a mistake, and anything can be fixed with the right attitude.”
It shouldn’t surprise Charlie; her mother was always in her own world.
“I told you, Matt and I are done. Neither of us wants to pursue a relationship, let alone a marriage,” Charlie said, hoping something would get through. “He even has a newgirlfriend!”
