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Hazel’s POV
I stood outside Charlie’s room, breathless, my hands shaking. The sound of his sobs from behind the door pressed down on my mind like an unbearable weight.
Each scream and whimper seemed to call to me, inviting deeper anxiety. I knew I should go in and comfort him, but fear and doubt held me back. What could I say to make am feel better?
“Charlie, stop!” I shouted sharply, trying to control my anger. But his cries only grew louder, making my head throb.
I rubbed my face roughly, then slammed my palm against the door. “I said stop crying, Charlie!”
Frustration and despair flooded me. I knew yelling wouldn’t help, but the overwhelming emotions made it hard to think clearly. Each scream from Charlie felt like a knife stabbing, adding to the heavy burden on my shoulders.
Yet nothing changed. I could hear his desperate sobs, full of sadness, calling out Sabrina’s name. That name. The name that constantly haunted me, like a shadow I couldn’t escape.
Every time Charlie mentioned it, my heart felt crushed. Jealousy and anger mixed together, but beneath it all was a deep pain. I knew Sabrina meant a lot to Charlie, but how could I compete with that memory?
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but my anger continued to boil. My fists clenched tightly, holding back the urge to open the door and confront Charlie directly. But I knew I couldn’t. If I went in, I would just lose control.
Charlie’s cries pierced my ears more painfully, and his pain trapped me. I tried to remember all the good moments we had shared, but the shadows of anger and uncertainty always lingered.
With all my strength, I tried to steady my breath. I needed to find a way to help Charlie without letting my emotions take over. Maybe if I could be patient for a moment, he would feel safe enough to open up.
“Charlie! Sabrina is not your mother! She means nothing to you!” I yelled louder, hoping my words would erase that woman from his mind.
But after that shout, there was only silence. The atmosphere grew heavier, and I felt a deep sorrow. It turned out that my yelling didn’t bring relief; it only widened the gap between us.
“Charlie, L… I just want you to know that I’m here for you,” I said in a softer voice. “Let’s talk about this. I don’t want you to feel alone.”
But Charlie’s crying only grew louder, tearing at my heart in a strange way. His sobs made me feel even more defeated, and I knew my words weren’t enough to comfort him.
1 stepped back from the door, pressing my throbbing temples. I felt like I was losing control over everything- over Charlie, over my feelings, over this situation. Frustration and sadness merged, creating chaos within me.
My head was spinning, and I wanted to scream, but I knew that wouldn’t help. I had to find a way to reach Charlie, to make his feel safe and loved, even though everything felt dark right now.
“Hazel?” A soft voice, my mother–in–law Mrs. Rosa, came from behind. I turned to see her standing at the enu the hallway, her face showing concern. “What’s going on?”
I sighed heavily, trying to control my anger. “What’s going on? You still dare to ask, Mom?”
Frustration made it hard to speak calmly. My mother–in–law looked confused, but I could feel her care. Yet at that moment, I couldn’t suppress my overflowing emotions.
+25 BONUS
She looked puzzled, her eyes gazing at me uncertainly. “Charlie… Is he crying? Is he sick?”
I approached her quickly, making her step back a little. “Charlie is crying because of you, Mom! Because of your carelessness, he ran away from home yesterday and went to that woman!”
My words struck like lightning, and I could see the change her. Her face went pale, but I couldn’t stop the flow of my emotions. Anger and disappointment surged within me, as if all the pent–up dissatisfaction exploded.
Her eyes widened, then she looked down with a guilty expression. “I didn’t know he would call Sabrina. I thought Charlie just wanted to watch cartoons. I thought it was a small thing
“A small thing?!” I interrupted, my tone rising “He just left! In a taxi! What if something happened to him? Do you know how dangerous that is?”
Every word that escaped my lips seemed to add weight to the atmosphere. The mixture of fear and frustration made it hard to remain calm. I could see Mrs. Rosa feeling overwhelmed, but I couldn’t ignore my boiling feelings. “He’s still a child, Mom! He doesn’t understand the risks! We should be protecting him, not letting him go without supervision. And now look at Charlie, crying for Sabrina!” My voice trembled, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
My mother–in–law just shook her head slowly, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “I didn’t know he remembered Sabrina’s number. I never saved it on my phone…. I didn’t know, Hazel. I truly didn’t know.”
She didn’t mean to hurt Charlie, but this mistake had happened. I felt conflicted, torn between wanting to scold and wanting to forgive. Seeing her, I knew we were both in a difficult situation, and we had to work together to fix
- it.
I huffed loudly, turned, and quickly walked toward the kitchen. Anger and disappointment burned through every nerve in my body. I slammed the fridge open, grabbed a bottle of cold water, and poured it into a glass. My hands trembled as I brought the glass to my lips, gulping it down in one long sip.
The coldness was somewhat soothing, but my mind was still filled with anger. Every passing second only intensified my feelings of distress. I knew I needed to calm down, but it was hard to ignore everything that had happened.
