Falling for the Chase

Episode 62: Crybaby

Episode 62: Crybaby

"I can't believe you had to go through all of that," her mother sobbed. "Why didn't you just come home? We could've figured it out together."

Valentina rested her head against Chase's shoulder, the movement coming naturally to her. She saw him spare a wary glance over at her parents but they were too caught up with what she was telling them to care for the display of affection.

"I messed up pretty badly by signing that contract without reading it properly. I got tricked by the industry I loved the most, yet I still wanted to be apart of it. I knew if you'd known, you wouldn't allow me to stay in New York or anywhere else for the matter on the basis of 'following my dream'."

"You've got that right. There's no way we'd let you still be involved with people who treated you so badly." Her father strictly expressed.

Her eyes found his own strongly.

She saw straight through his concerns.

"But I had to in order to be where I am right now."

The room fell silent.

"I had to endure all of that to become the actress Valentina Flores that you see on TV. All of those horrible experiences made me who I am today. They made me work harder, smarter and faster than anyone I knew. It was because of them I could accomplish so much with less than five years in the business."

"And we're proud of you, darling," her mother cut in compassionately. "We are, but it would have made us feel better to bear the burden with you at the time. How do you think it makes us feel now knowing that we've been taking your hard-earned money that you've been facing devils for?"

Her chest tightened at the break in her mother's voice.

"Ma..."

Her lips folded as she looked away and her husband patted her shoulder comfortingly, but it didn't seem to do much as she drew for a deep breath.

Valentina felt Chase stiffen beside her at the sight of her mother becoming emotional.

She could feel him looking down at her worriedly but she was too preoccupied by her mother's sympathy.

"I don't need you to feel sorry for me, ma. I'm an adult, I've been one for a while now. I need to face the world for what it is without being hidden under your wings all the days of my life. You and dad can't work for much longer to sustain this family, so how does putting in the effort against all odds make me the bad guy?"

Chase subtly pressed his fingers into her arm, cajoling her into calming down.

Even more so when he leaned back but only to quickly whisper into her ear, "You're gonna hurt their feelings."

She took a deep breath at seeing how he'd been right—her words had struck her mother from the anguished look she flashed her.

"Don't paint us out to be ungrateful, tu despiadada hija mía."

She flinched at the harsh term.

This image of her mother was the one she was familiar with; her eyes hard and words even harder.

She was surprised they'd been civil at all from her return, knowing how she was the most affected of the lot.

It was a matter of self-control.

The girl's crass words, however, had her mother snapping and losing her cool within seconds.

Valentina felt like she'd just signed her death wish.