Chapter 81: Childhood Pain
Charlotte had never held a grudge against her parents. They had always provided her with every luxury and never asked for anything in return.
"But if I’m being honest ..." She hesitated, lowering her gaze. "I don’t think I ever really felt their presence when I was a kid."
Her voice was quieter now, almost like she was confessing something she wasn’t sure she was allowed to say. "They were there, in the house ... but their minds? Their attention? It was always somewhere else."
They were always busy, always wrapped up in something important. Work, meetings, responsibilities, there was always something that took precedence.
And because of that, the small moments, the everyday things, the times she just needed them to be there ... those never seemed to happen.
But that was normal, wasn’t it? Parents worked hard. They had a family to support. Charlotte understood that. Therefore she never complained.
She just endured it.
"Why did you feel like you had to endure it?" Emi asked gently.
Charlotte thought about it for a long moment. "Because talking about it felt ... pointless. Like, what would be the use? It wouldn’t change anything. And besides ..." She swallowed. "It would only burden them."
Emi tilted her head slightly, looking at her eyes. "And what about you, Charlotte?" she asked softly. "Aren’t your feelings just as important?"
Charlotte parted her lips, then closed them again. No one had ever asked her that before.