The Unexpected Bride-Book One in Taming of the Shrew

Chapter Fifty

So holding onto her shoulders, she spoke with more conviction.

"This is not a joke, Riri. You cannot just suck this up like salt. If you do not put your foot down, that family will cause you to lose your fated love. Didn't you tell me one time, Yoyo is the only one for you?"

Rita's laughter died down as the weight of Sharlene's words fell on her shoulders. Contemplating, she quickly nodded, for Sharlene was right. She needed to put her foot down.

At seeing her nod, Sharlene expressively added after pulling away.

"Well, if that is true, his family needs to know how much you care about him. It is time to bring back the no-nonsense Rita Kim from a few days ago. You are not one to be defeated after a problem. I know that from experience."

Walking over, she grabbed a small opened rectangular box of tissue paper from on top of her vanity cupboard and passed a few tissues towards her.

Shaking her shoulders as if to rid herself of the painful emotions, Rita took the tissues from her hand and gently wiped her eyes.

"You are right, Shar."

Briskly nodding, Sharlene sounded confident.

"Of course, I am right. I am always right."

Grabbing her phone from the bed, Rita murmured as she looked at the blank screen.

"But what about him not answering my calls and texts? It is giving me mixed signals. Do you think he found someone else? Someone better than me?"

Processing her words, as she placed a hand underneath her chin, Sharlene sighed.

"Yoyo would never do that. He cares about you far too much. He might have left because something happened at home, and his meddling parents must have done something to his phone."

Pointed eyebrows, she looked up at Sharlene.

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

Shaking her head, she placed the phone back into her bag.

"You watch way too many soup dramas, Sharlene. Remember what you said when I said your life is like a romcom? You said we are in r-e-a-l-i-t-y."

Mimicking her sing-song voice, Rita found her reasoning disbelieving.

Rolling her eyes, Sharlene sat next to her with a huff. Placing the box of tissues on the floor near her feet, she drawled.

"I know what I said, but this is different. I could be right. I knew Yvonne and his family before you, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know."

Murmuring, the smile that Rita had buried underneath the sadness returned to her lips.

Smiling, when she saw that she was now completely relaxed, Sharlene continued to babble.

"His family did not like me as well, and I was just a friend. Can you imagine that? I remember one time he introduced them to me. They looked down at me as if I was dirt stuck underneath their designer shoes. After he explained to them that I was a friend and not a girlfriend, they were a little kinder, but just the same. I also remembered a time when Yoyo's phone had fallen into a pond of water when he was supposed to call home. You know how clumsy he can be, especially when he is nervous. I lent him my own, by the way. Anyway, he received a new one and had to re-enter my number because he did not back up his contact lists, which he always forgets. When he gave me his new number, I tried calling him for an entire month but never got him. I found that odd, so I would occasionally visit his house to inquire about his absence, but his mother stopped me from ever knocking on their door again with her mean glare and pursed lips. I can almost remember..."