Naomi stared at Wendy for a moment, then replied with a smile, "Sure."
Charles had never brought up Naomi's divorce to his family before. Now that his mother mentioned Willowstown, which was Scott's hometown, he could clearly see Naomi's hesitation before finally replying. He tried to stop Wendy from continuing by piping up, "Well, we should get going now, Mom."
Wendy did not want them to leave so soon, but she knew she could not let them stay any longer, so she nodded reluctantly. "Go ahead..."
Naomi gave Wendy one last smile before finally turning and leaving with Charles.
Wendy watched wistfully as the pair rounded the corner and disappeared. She felt like she was at an airport, sending her son and daughter-in-law off to somewhere far away. She hated this feeling.
Naomi and Charles stepped into the elevator together. Charles glanced at her, then said cautiously, "My mother... What she said about Willowstown... I hope you don't take it to heart. She doesn't mean any ill will. She just wants to show you around her hometown. There's nothing more to it."
Naomi had left Willowstown since her divorce, so clearly, Willowstown was a place of sorrow and heartbreak for her. This was why Charles rarely mentioned Willowstown in front of her, fearing that it would remind her of her tragic past.
Naomi's expression had changed when Wendy mentioned Willowstown just now, so Charles knew that this had brought up some bad memories for her.
He was worried that Naomi would get upset at him and even distance herself from him because of this.
He was so nervous that he could not help stuttering when he said this.
Naomi, on the other hand, had realized something else. It would appear from Wendy's reaction that she did not know of her divorce, most likely because Charles had never told her.
This was the reason she had hesitated, not because Wendy had mentioned Willowstown but because she could tell that Wendy was oblivious to her past.
Naomi was not particularly bothered by the place itself. After all, her and Scott's relationship was in the past now, and she had moved on from it. Willowstown no longer meant anything to her. However, Wendy's statement made her realize how different she and Charles were.
Naomi agreed with Amelia about one thing: just because she was divorced, that did not mean she had lost the right to a happy and fulfilling love, but not everyone thought the same.
The truth was, all Naomi longed for was to find her forever person and spend her life with them, just like how her parents had weather so many storms together, their hearts tied to each other like a single soul. Unfortunately, her first marriage had not gone as smoothly as she wished, and Naomi had chosen to end it after three years of unfulfillment.
else
As a divorced single woman, Naomi knew that she would have to face certain challenges and belittlement from close-minded people after splitting up with Scott. She also knew it would be considerably harder for her to find someone to settle down with, especially now that she knew how her marriage had failed. With the lessons she had gained from her divorce, Naomi was willing to put in the work to make sure her second marriage would succeed, but she had also already prepared herself for the worst. Perhaps she would never find
another person to settle down with.
Although she and Charles were just friends, she could tell from his family's reaction that they adored her very much. Unfortunately, that was because they did not know of her past, and perhaps their attitude toward her would change once they found out she had gone through a divorce before.
After that incident with Wendy, Naomi could not help but pause to reconsider her friendship with Charles.
Naomi's thoughts were interrupted by Charles' rather nervous explanation.
Naomi turned to glance at him and was met with Charles' apologetic and rather remorseful expression.
He was worried that she would be upset by Wendy's words, and he regretted bringing her along to meet his family because of this. He was also afraid that Naomi would stop being friends with him anymore because of this.
No matter how cautious he was, he still messed up.
This was Naomi's first time ever seeing such remorse in someone's eyes. It was clear that he cared deeply about her.
All of a sudden, Naomi felt heard and reassured. She smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine, Charles. I know that your mother means well."
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