From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 100- happy

A love as dazzling and brilliant as Karl and Marylin’s was not meant for every couple. Marylin was exceptionally confident, and she possessed a strong sense of adventure. That was why she had been moved by Karl’s passion and persistence, and why she had dared to begin such a fiery romance with him.

Catherine was different. She was cautious and delicate by nature. On top of that, there were Renata’s and Channing’s failed marriages, as well as her own unsuccessful relationship with Gerald. All of it made her less courageous when it came to love and marriage.

Marylin, on the other hand, had grown up with parents whose marriage was happy—and that made a crucial difference. People often say that family education and a healthy home environment play a vital role in a child’s emotional growth.

Although Marylin had experienced a failed relationship before, it hadn’t been enough to make her despair of love or reject marriage altogether. So when Karl’s love arrived, she was still able to grasp it with confidence and courage.

Not long after ending the call with Lilian, Bert received several photos she sent over—images from Karl’s proposal. There were pictures of the two of them embracing and kissing, of Marylin crying tears of joy, of her wearing the gown and lifting her hand to show off the engagement ring, and one close-up shot of the ring itself.

Bert forwarded all the photos to Catherine.

This kind of joy was something she should share as well. He imagined she would be happy to see them—after all, it was the first time she had designed such an important engagement ring, and the client’s satisfaction was the greatest affirmation she could receive.

He had always known it: people with beautiful souls created things that resonated with others.

When her goodness met his flaws, it felt like a kind of balance. All the beauty missing from his life—he would let her make up for it.

In truth, when Bert sent those photos to Catherine, he had another motive.

He wanted her to see how lively and sweet someone else’s proposal was—to see if, deep down, she felt even a trace of envy, even the slightest longing.

When Catherine returned home, Renata was preparing dinner. Seeing her come in, Renata said,

"I was just about to call and ask whether you were coming home for dinner."

Then she noticed Catherine’s outfit and looked her up and down in surprise.

"That outfit looks great on you. When did you buy it?"

Catherine had left early that morning, so Renata hadn’t seen what she was wearing.

Catherine brushed it off casually.

"I bought it earlier... with Riley."

She didn’t dare tell Renata that the clothes were from Bert. Catherine already felt uneasy—if she really did end up in a relationship with Bert, she wasn’t sure how Renata would react. After all, Bert’s mother had once been the "other woman," and Renata had never had a good impression of such people. Catherine couldn’t be certain whether that history would affect how Renata saw Bert.

Hearing that the outfit had been bought with Riley, Renata took another careful look at Catherine and couldn’t help but praise her.

"Riley really lives up to being a model. She has such good taste in clothes. This outfit suits you perfectly—next time you shop, you should let Riley help you pick things more often."

Renata fully believed the outfit had been chosen by Riley and lavished it with compliments. Feeling guilty, Catherine hurried back to her bedroom. Only after changing into home clothes did she come back out.

She went into the kitchen to help Renata prepare dinner and casually asked,

"He didn’t come looking for you today, did he?"

Renata answered briskly,

"He did. I did exactly what you suggested—I called the police."

Catherine, "..."

Noticing her reaction, Renata glanced at her.

"What’s wrong? Wasn’t that what you told me to do?"

Catherine snapped out of her shock and murmured,

"You actually called the police?"

Catherine had never expected Renata to really go through with it. In her mind, Renata had always been the kind of person who preferred to smooth things over, turning big issues into small ones and small ones into nothing at all—someone gentle in the way she dealt with people, rarely engaging in serious confrontation.

Catherine had inherited much of her temperament from Renata. In all her years, the most decisive thing Catherine had ever seen her mother do was divorce Channing, and the boldest thing she had ever done was refuse a single cent of Channing’s money and raise Catherine on her own.

That was why Catherine hadn’t expected Renata to be so resolute this time, to call the police without hesitation. Yet Renata looked remarkably at ease.

"If I don’t call the police and take firm action," she said calmly, "he’ll keep coming to harass me every day."

"I don’t have the slightest feeling left for him. To me, he doesn’t even qualify as a passerby. Why should I put up with a man that rotten showing up in front of me every day and disrupting my life?"

To Renata, Channing truly had become nothing more than a stranger. Seeing him only made her feel sickened by the look on his face. So when Channing appeared once again along her usual walking route that day, she chose without hesitation to call the police. The expression on his face at the time couldn’t have been uglier.

Channing was someone who cared deeply about his pride. At first, he thought she was just bluffing—but when she actually dialed 911 right in front of him, his face went pale.

He was the kind of man who lived for his reputation. Before she even finished the call, he turned around and slunk away in embarrassment.

Renata was certain that Channing would never appear in front of her again. This decisive, once-and-for-all solution was exactly what she would choose—only this way could she reclaim a peaceful life.

At this point, Renata didn’t want to think about anything else. All she cared about was getting body back into good health as soon as possible, then finding a teaching position somewhere, or even starting a small tutoring class of her own. That way, she could earn some money and ease Catherine’s burden of supporting the household.

So now, if anyone—or anything—stood in the way of her recovery, she would treat it as an enemy without mercy.

Because in Renata’s eyes, nothing mattered more than her daughter, Catherine.

After listening to Renata, Catherine calmed herself and ultimately agreed with her approach.

"That might actually be for the best. At least he won’t come and harass you anymore."

"That’s exactly what I thought," Renata said as she continued cooking. "People like him can only be dealt with in extreme ways."

Watching how composed Renata was, Catherine let out a quiet sigh of relief.

In truth, Catherine had been afraid that Channing’s harassment would affect Renata emotionally. But seeing how unbothered she seemed now, Catherine finally felt at ease.

After dinner, Catherine received a message from Bert. When she saw the photos of Marylin being proposed to, she was so moved that tears nearly spilled from her eyes.

It was truly—overwhelmingly—happy.