It didn't take long for her to reach her parents, who wore expressions of seriousness.
'They're going to scold me for sure,' she thought. 'They're going to ask why I refused to go with them previously.'
Her father glanced down at her, and she felt so small, but his lips broke into a smile after a few seconds, stunning her.
“Thank goodness you're back,” Laura cried out, pulling her daughter into her arms.
The action startled Charlotte. She tried to pull back, but the hug was just too tight.
“I thought you were never going to come back,” Laura said, then burst into tears.
Charlotte was so stunned she had no idea how to respond. She didn't understand why they were acting that way because she was home.
Although it felt weird to her that she was being hugged by a motherly figure, it felt so warm, too, that she wanted more.
“Lotte,” her father called. “Welcome back.”
It took an hour for Laura to let go of Charlotte. It would have taken longer if it wasn't for dinner.
The family sat at the d
