Chapter 6: Charlie
My parents‘ expressions were full of hesitation.
They couldn’t trust my foster parents now, but they still believed in the character of the child they had raised.
It was true that I had run away before, but it was because my parents wanted me to marry an old bachelor from the village.
The man, Charlie was a notorious scoundrel and an old bachelor in our village–someone that no family wanted to
provoke.
If it weren’t for the fact that my foster parents wanted to keep me tied to the village, they wouldn’t have even considered dealing with him.
To my surprise, my foster parents had called the police.
That night, when the police brought me back, I was beaten so badly that I nearly suffocated.
If it weren’t for Xena getting sick and needing a kidney transplant, I would’ve already been forced to marry this old
bachelor.
“Coco! Coco!” A rough male voice sounded from outside.
I looked toward the door in confusion.
When Charlie appeared, he immediately rushed in and tried to drag me away.
“Come back with me! Your parents have actually hidden you here!”
My foster parents also rushed in. “Wait a bit, wait for a moment!”
“Wait for what! I’ve already paid! She’s my woman now!”
My parents stared in shock at the scene, seemingly unable to process what was happening.
I struggled to free myself from his grip, but I was powerless against him, my eyes turning red from the effort.
Mom snapped out of it and asked, “Who are you? Why are you trying to take my daughter?”
“Why? Because I paid you! I gave you money!” Charlie said, his tone full of confidence.
“If I hadn’t seen your daughter being brought here in the video, I would’ve never known where to look for her-”
In a moment of desperation, I bit down on his hand.
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When Love Whispers
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Chapter 6: Charlie
Charlie yelped in pain and pushed me away. My parents immediately rushed to support me, and I caught a glimpse of Xena, whose eyes were gleaming with hidden mockery.
I pushed her away. “This is their real daughter. Take her instead!”
Charlie’s eyes lit up. Xena’s skin was delicate and fair, the result of years of pampering.
She froze in fear, then hid behind my foster parents. “Mom, Dad! Help! I don’t want to go with him!”
My foster parents tried to calm her down. “We’ll return the money, and I’ll still marry Coco to you!”
‘Just wait for a while, please!”
A man who could marry someone like Xena would never give up so easily.
‘I advise you not to interfere! I’m taking my wife today!”
My foster parents, always submissive to force, were immediately paralyzed with fear.
Charlie roughly dragged Xena toward the door. My parents immediately called security, and the police were soon on their way.
The situation quickly escalated, and we were all brought to the police station, where I sat, waiting to give my
statement.
‘It’s you!” A young police officer exclaimed with a smile, recognizing me. “I’m so glad to see you again!”
‘I was really worried when your parents took you back. I didn’t know what had happened to you.”
The officer was named Luke, and he had been the one to catch me when I ran away and sent me back to the village.
frowned, eyeing him warily. He immediately raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “Don’t worry! Back then, your arents told us you were missing!”
They said you were tricked by a man, so I had to send you back. I never imagined that your parents wanted to sell you to an old man from the same village!”
uke looked guilty as his voice trailed off.
What? They wanted to sell you?” Mom exclaimed in disbelief.
Xena’s face turned pale. She quickly tried to calm my mother down. “Mom, you can’t just listen to one side of the tory. My parents are good people. There must be some reason behind all this!”
“There’s no reason! The whole village knows that Coco was adopted, and the Smith family has been abusing her!” Luke, youthful and passionate, immediately retorted.
Xena’s smile froze on her face, embarrassed.
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When Love Whispers
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Chapter 6: Charlie
“They knew all along that you weren’t their biological daughter?” Dad asked, frowning at me.
“They knew from the start. They even had pictures of Xena,” I said with a bitter laugh.
Xena panicked, trying to deny it. “No! It was just a mistake, they took the wrong baby!”
“Shut up!”
“Mom-” Xena stared in disbelief at my mother, as if this was the first time she had ever been treated this way.
Her gaze met Mom’s angry expression, and she swallowed the rest of her words.
It turned out that my foster parents had been deceiving my real parents all along. I hadn’t been able to hear, so I never knew how they had communicated.
I looked at Xena with sarcasm. “Did you know your parents did this on purpose?”
“I didn’t! Stop saying things like that!” Her eyes momentarily showed guilt.
My parents saw through her fake bravado.
Mom completely lost control. Shaking with anger, she grabbed Officer Luke’s arm. “I want to report a case! Someone
is trafficking my daughter!”
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