Coralie answered lightly, "Thanks, Judie. I'll remember that."
Judie had always shown Coralie nothing but kindness, but Jasper was still her grandson by blood. Coralie had only entered the Warren family through marriage. If a serious problem ever came up between them, she knew his family would most likely stand behind him.
For that reason, Coralie didn't place much faith in Judie's promise.
She had already seen the same thing happen with her brother-in-law's family.
Before her sister Lydia Campbell got married, her future in-laws treated her with such warmth that their daughter even became jealous of all the attention she received.
However, their attitude changed once the marriage was official. Whenever Lydia and her husband had an argument, her mother-in-law immediately found a way to accuse Lydia of being a poor wife.
No matter what happened, their son would always belong to them, while the woman he married would never truly be one of their own.
"You need to get to work soon, don't you? I won't take up any more of your time. I'll tell Jasper to fetch you later, and you can join us for dinner tonight."
"Judie, I may have to stay at the bookstore until late, so I probably won't be able to come tonight. Would this weekend work instead?"
Because her bookstore depended heavily on students from the schools nearby, business slowed down whenever classes weren't held. Weekends were usually so quiet that Coralie could shut the store for the entire day and finally have some time to herself.
"That works for me," Judie responded without making a fuss. "We'll save it for the weekend. You should go ahead and take care of your work. We'll talk later."
After saying that, she ended the call.
Coralie still didn't go directly to the bookstore. She first sent her friend and business partner Chloe Mitchell a brief message and explained that she would return before noon, when the students were dismissed for lunch.
She had just made one of the biggest choices of her life. Before doing anything else, she needed to tell Lydia the truth and pack her belongings so she could move out.
Before long, Coralie reached the apartment where her sister lived.
Her brother-in-law had already gone to the office, and Lydia was busy putting the freshly washed clothes into the dryer. As soon as she noticed Coralie, concern spread across her face. "Coralie, why did you come back? Aren't you supposed to open the bookstore today?"
"I'll go there before noon. That's when the students leave school and the shop starts getting crowded. Is Cody still sleeping?"
Cody Jones was Lydia's two-year-old son and Coralie's only nephew. He had reached the age when he was curious about everything and couldn't keep his hands off anything nearby.
"He's still asleep. The apartment would never be this peaceful if he were already awake."
Coralie stepped forward to help Lydia putting clothes into the dryer. Once they were working side by side, she brought up the fight she had overheard the night before.
"Coralie, Kevin didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome. He's carrying a lot of pressure on his shoulders, especially since I don't bring in any money." Lydia immediately started making excuses for her husband.
Coralie didn't argue with her. Still, she was certain that her brother-in-law had been trying to force her out without directly saying it.
Kevin Jones worked as a manager in a large company and received a generous salary. Lydia had first met him in college, and they later became coworkers at the same company before getting married. Not long after the wedding, he looked at her with deep affection and remarked, "I'll support you from now on. You can stay home and enjoy a quiet life while we start preparing to have a child."
Back then, Lydia truly believed she had married the kind of man every woman dreamed of finding. She resigned from her job and devoted herself to being a housewife. One year later, she gave birth to a healthy, beautiful boy. Looking after the baby while handling every chore at home left her with no time to dress well, manage her weight, or even consider returning to her career.
Only three years had passed, yet Lydia no longer resembled the lively young woman she had once been. She had gained at least twenty pounds and become an exhausted housewife who chose clothes based only on comfort and rarely gave any thought to her appearance anymore.
Lydia had no money coming in, yet her husband suddenly demanded that she pay half of every household bill because Coralie was living with them. At the same time, he wanted her to return to work without giving up any of her duties at home.
Coralie was younger than Lydia by five years. She had only been ten years old when a car accident took both of their parents. From that day forward, the sisters had depended on each other and struggled through life side by side.
The settlement from the accident should have covered their schooling until graduation. Instead, relatives from both sides of the family took part of the money. Lydia and Coralie carefully stretched what was left and saved wherever they could so they could both complete college.
Their grandparents on their father's side had also claimed the house their parents left behind in their hometown. With nowhere else to go, the sisters rented one place after another for years. They only stopped living in rentals once Lydia married and moved into a home with her husband.
Lydia had always been deeply protective of Coralie. Long before the wedding, she had told her fiance that her younger sister would continue staying with them. He had readily accepted the arrangement at the time, but now, he no longer bothered hiding how much it bothered him.
"Lydia, I'm really sorry. I feel like I've only made things more difficult for you."
"No, Coralie. Don't ever blame yourself like that. After Mom and Dad died, I chose to take care of you, and I've never regretted it."
Coralie felt her chest tighten with emotion. Lydia had spent years being the person she could lean on, and Coralie now wanted to return that same support.
After taking a moment to steady herself, Coralie looked into her sister's eyes before speaking. "Lydia, I got married today. We went to the courthouse and registered everything. I came home because I needed to tell you, and I also need to pack my belongings. I'm moving out."
"You got married?"
Lydia's voice climbed so high that it almost turned into a scream.
Shock covered her face as she stared at her sister with wide eyes.
"Coralie, what is going on here? You never even told me you had a boyfriend!"
Coralie had already prepared her answer during the trip home. "Lydia, Jasper and I have been together for some time. His work schedule has always been packed, so he never had the chance to meet you. He asked me to marry him, and I accepted. We went to the courthouse today and made everything official. He's kind to me, and he treats me very well. Please don't worry about me. I'll have a good life with him."
Lydia still couldn't bring herself to believe any of it.
Not once had Coralie ever spoken about dating someone, yet she had somehow become a married woman overnight.
Then Lydia thought about the fight with her husband the night before and remembered that Coralie had heard everything. Shame hit her all at once, and tears burned in her eyes. "Coralie, I already explained to Kevin that you contribute to the food and household costs. You can live with us for as long as you want. There was no reason for you to marry someone so suddenly. You didn't need to leave in such a hurry."
In Lydia's mind, Coralie couldn't have known Jasper for very long. Otherwise, she would have said something about him before now.
Lydia was almost sure that her sister had walked into a courthouse and married a man without warning because Kevin had made her feel unwanted. Coralie had sacrificed her own marriage in the hope of keeping Lydia's from breaking apart.
Trying to ease her guilt, Coralie put on a smile. "Lydia, you aren't the reason I did this. Jasper and I get along very well, and I know I'll be happy with him. You should celebrate with me instead of blaming yourself."
Rather than feeling relieved, Lydia finally lost control and cried so hard that her whole body shook.
Coralie held her sister close and didn't know what else she could do. Once Lydia had cried herself out and her breathing returned to normal, Coralie reassured her. "I'll still come by often. Jasper has an apartment in Veridian Apartments, and it's close to your place. I can get here by bike in about ten minutes."
"Tell me more about him. What kind of people are his family?"
Since the marriage had already happened, Lydia had no choice but to come to terms with it. Her attention then shifted to Jasper's family and what sort of background he came from.
In truth, Coralie knew very little about the Warrens. She had been acquainted with Judie for three months, but she had never asked personal questions. Whenever the older woman shared something, Coralie simply listened. All she knew was that Jasper was her oldest grandson and had several younger brothers and male cousins.
Jasper held a position at one of Evrata's leading companies, drove his own car, and had already bought an apartment. Judging from that, his family was clearly well-off. Coralie shared every detail she could remember with Lydia.
After learning that Jasper had paid for the apartment in full, Lydia said, "That means the property belongs to him alone because he bought it before the marriage. Coralie, do you think you can ask him to put your name on the ownership papers?"
Having her name included on the property documents would at least give Coralie something to protect her future.
