Coy's voice was ice-cold as he said, "Please leave. Now."
Charlene's eyes brimmed with tears, her hands trembling as she held the tray. The coffee sloshed out of the cup, scalding her fingers. Despite the pain, Charlene didn't make a sound and turned to leave.
But she had only taken a few steps when Thorne's voice followed her from the office. "don't bother coming to work again if there's a next time."
She had resigned. Even without this incident, she would have left the company when they found someone to replace her.
But she knew no one there cared about her story. Speaking up seemed pointless.
Without a word, Charlene turned and walked away, carrying the tray.
Before she left, she overheard Vesta soothing Thorne. "There, there, dear Thorne. I'm sure she didn't mean it. Let's not stay angry, okay?"
Charlene dumped the coffee down the sink, ran cold water over her reddened fingers, and skillfully applied ointment from her purse to the burn.
She scoffed in her heart, ‘It's funny. I’m now quite the cook and barista.’
Before marrying Thorne, she couldn't do household chores, cook, or even make a decent cup of coffee. But after the marriage, she learned for Thorne and their child.
The time and effort she put into learning, turning from a total disaster to nearly perfect, was a journey filled with hardships that only she knew about.
As for the ointment in her purse, it was the first aid for their child from a mother. However, since Jasmine went to live with Thorne in Goldland, she scarcely used these ointments. Thankfully, they hadn't expired yet.
After treating her burn, Charlene pushed down the sharp pain in her heart and returned to her desk to continue working.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Unknown Divorce Revelation Beyond Time (Charlene and Thorne)