Chapter 1702:
Belinda chuckled softly. “Whatever makes you comfortable.”
Then she looked at Nalani and said with an amiable nod, “Nalani.”
Nalani clapped her hands together, clearly pleased. “Perfect! Now let’s eat.”
With that, the three of them took their seats.
Midway through the meal, Nalani lifted her glass and turned to Belinda. “Belinda, I’d like to make a toast—with juice instead of wine, if that’s alright.”
Belinda raised her glass in response.
Nalani said, “My daughter opened up to me—she shared things she’d kept buried for years. So much of it had been locked away, as if she’d built a wall around her thoughts, too scared to let me in. But when she finally let it all out, only then did I see it clearly—how my constant hovering, my overprotectiveness, had come dangerously close to hurting the very person I wanted to protect.”
After a pause, she continued, “She told me it was you who gave her the courage to speak—that you were the one who stood beside her and gently urged her to be honest with me. Belinda, thank you. From the bottom of my heart—thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, I might have remained blind to how deeply I’d misunderstood my daughter and how much damage I nearly caused her without meaning to.”
By now, Nalani’s voice was trembling, her emotion rising like a tide she could no longer hold back.
Belinda gently placed her hand on Nalani’s, offering a reassuring touch. “You need to have a heart-to-heart with your daughter. It’ll do you both good. Honest communication is key. So many problems stem from not talking things out. Nalani, you’ve been taking care of Barbara so carefully because of her health, handling her like she’s fragile, limiting what she can do. That might keep her safe, but it’s also stealing her joy.”
Turning to Barbara, Belinda continued, “And you, Barbara, you’re hurting inside but hold back because you don’t want to upset your mom. If you keep bottling it up, it’s going to cause bigger issues down the line.”
Nalani nodded solemnly. “Belinda, I hear you. I won’t put so many restrictions on Barbara anymore.”
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Her eyes softened as they met Barbara’s. “I will keep my word.”
“Okay!” Barbara grinned, nodding. “I promise, from now on, I’ll open up about everything.”
Nalani and Barbara shared warm smiles.
“Let’s toast to that,” Belinda said.
The three raised their glasses, clinking them together with a soft chime.
Nalani sighed, her gaze warm on Belinda. “I really like you, Belinda. I don’t know why, but being around you just feels… relaxing.”
Barbara nodded eagerly. “Same here! You’re so easy to talk to, Belinda.”
