It was around two when Trechial woke up, close to school letting out. Her stomach was feeling much better thanks to the Ibuprofen 800s Yoon Mi Rae gave her. Trechial stretched and sat up. She folded the blanket and placed it back in the closet and went in search of Yoon Mi Rae. She owed her an explanation for her breakdown earlier—not that she held any viable explanation herself. But Trechial knew that holding on to the borderline secret abuse and her mother's absentmindedness to it all was eating her up on the inside. Resentment had settled upon her heart and aimed right toward her mother, though she didn't blame her mom for the things Charlie did. No. She blamed her for allowing him to have a say in her life at all. More than anything––than the fire hot anger in her veins for the whole situation––was almost pity for her mom. And disappointment that she thought there weren't other men out in the world like Ashton had been. No one could be Trechial's father, but the universe was full of men at least half as good as him.

Trechial checked the Huan. Empty. She continued down the hall, checking the laundry room on the way. No Yoon Mi Rae. The French double doors were cracked open, so Trechial softly pushed one open, peaking in the sunroom. Yoon Mi Rae lounged in a gray chaise with an open book in her hand, absorbing the puddle of yellow sunlight that poured through the windows. An identical chaise sat on the other side of the white coffee table, and a green plant in a white vase soaked up sunlight in the corner. The smell of ginger permeated the air, and Trechial could only assume the smell was coming from the teacup on the table. Next to it was a tea kettle and another cup. The ceiling fan created a light breeze in the room, and when Trechial closed her eyes briefly, she felt as though she were in the outdoors. Yoon Mi Rae's red-framed glasses nestled on the bridge of her nose, which gave her a cozy look. A look that made Trechial want to curl into her lap and fall asleep all over again.

She further advanced into the room, closing the doors with a gentle click.

Yoon Mi Rae looked up, a welcoming smile forming on her lips.

"How are you feeling?"

Trechial looked around the room. "Much better, thank you."

"Come have a seat." Yoon Mi Rae nodded toward the empty lounge chair. Trechial made her way across the room and took a seat. "Relax. Chill out, girl." Yoon Mi Rae chortled, observing her nervousness.

Trechial laughed at the fact that Devin's mom had just asked her to "chill out."

"Would you like a cup of tea? It's lemon ginger. It will help ease your cramps."

"I would like that."

Yoon Mi Rae set her book next to her and proceeded to pour Trechial a cup of tea.

Trechial sipped from the tiny cup, indulging in the spicy taste of the tea, closing her eyes and allowing the heat to reach her stomach. When she opened her eyes again, she looked to the lush plant in the corner and said, "I hate Charlie."

Yoon Mi Rae grabbed her teacup and took a sip watching her.

Trechial continued, "He just—just does things. He bullies me when Momma isn't around."

"Such as?" Yoon Mi Rae inquired.

"He picks my locks when he thinks I'm sleeping. He follows me around the house. If I go in the Huan, here he comes pretending as if he needs to get something. He gets really close to me sometimes. If it weren't for Tae walking in on him one time in particular, I'm sure Charlie would have––" She stopped. She couldn't say it.

"AISH!" Yoon Mi Rae shouted, then belted out more Korean phrases. The tea splashed out the cup onto her flower print pants. "That son of a— Has he ever touched you?"

"Once, on my thigh."

"AISH—" She slammed the teacup down and rose to her feet, one hand planted on her small waist and the other planted on her forehead. "Gaesaekki!" Son of a b***

Trechial took a sip of tea to warm her dry throat. She forgot how fiery Yoon Mi Rae could get when upset.

Yoon Mi Rae planted her stern eyes on Trechial. "You told Diana, right?"

Trechial averted her gaze back to the plant.

Yoon Mi Rae let out a loud sigh and sat down. "Why not, Trechial?"

"Because mom is always working, and I don't want to be the cause of their divorce and—"

Yoon Mi Rae held up a palm and shook her head. "No, I'm sure your mom would want to know if her one and only daughter is getting sexually harassed by the man that's supposed to serve and protect not only the community but her family. I would want to know if you were my daughter." That last line got Trechial right in the heart.

Goosebumps formed on her skin, flushing her daughter's ideas and coming back to the present.

"I'm scared. What if Momma blames me? It's like we barely get along; what if she doesn't believe me? Charlie gets in her head about a lot of things, and she goes with it. That's why the two of you aren't talking because he lies to you, Mr. Liao, Unc, and especially on Devin. It's frustrating!"

This time Trechial rose and began to pace, then she paused in the middle of the room and ruffled her hair out of its ponytail. "He lies on me and Mom even grounds me because of it. He told Mom he caught Jared and me touching each other inappropriately at the park. It's just always something." She collapsed on the chaise.

Yoon Mi Rae pressed her lips into a hard slash, though her eyes held sympathy. She exhaled. "Tell Diana, no matter the cost. She needs to know about this creep."

Despite her anger toward Charlie, she kept her tone even for Trechial. And Trechial realized then how lucky she'd be if she ended up being Yoon Mi Rae's daughter.

"You know, Mrs. Sheryl? Charlie's sister? Well, that's not his sister. I saw the two of them kissing." This time Yoon Mi Rae didn't look so shocked. "You knew that, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Should I tell Momma about it?"

Yoon Mi Rae shook her head no. "I think that would further draw Charlie's attention to you. Don't worry about that part––Huan has been working behind the scenes to reveal that man's true character."

Trechial took a seat, staring at Yoon Mi Rae wide-eyed. "Really?"

"Yes. But I want you to get your mom alone and tell her about that sick—" She fell into her native tongue, making Trechial snicker a little. She knew Yoon Mi Rae was cursing; she could tell by the scowl on her face.

"There's something I would like to give to you," said Yoon Mi Rae. She disappeared from the room and returned with a black suede box in hand. She handed Trechial the box and resumed her seat across from her. They both eyed the box from their quiet bubbles across from each other.

"I would like for you to have that."

Trechial opened the box, and her jaw dropped in awe. Tiny diamonds on a gold chain sparkled up at her from a silver chain before her. She looked at Yoon Mi Rae's smiling face.

"I can't accept this." Trechial closed the box and handed it back to her, tears threatening to pool over her rims.

"May I ask why not?" Yoon Mi Rae cocked her head, looking at the bracelet.

"Because it's your family heirloom." Trechial insisted on holding the bracelet out to her.

Yoon Mi Rae accepted it back, seeing that Trechial was not ready to accept the gift. She smiled at Trechial. Expensive things like this did not capture her attention like the blood-sucking mosquito of a girlfriend Devin had now. In truth, Yoon Mi Rae knew Trechial would not accept the bracelet, no matter how badly she wanted her to have it. Yes, it was her mother's jewelry and it was special to her, and the moment was not planned, but after seeing Trechial's tears and hearing her say in so many words that Trechial was not special to her own mother, Yoon Mi Rae had to show Trechial that, at the very least, she was special to her. Her mother's bracelet was her cherished heirloom and she wanted Trechial to have it, even though she knew Diana loved her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Yoon Mi Rae," Trechial whispered, looking away.

Yoon Mi Rae set the box on the table. "You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. Besides, I'm not accepting the gift back; I'm just holding on to it until you return for it—even if it means holding on to it for a couple of more years. It's yours, Trechial. It is my most precious heirloom and I want my most cherished person to have it."

Both of their eyes glistened, and Trechial stood and walked to Yoon Mi Rae and hugged her. "Thank you for believing me."

Yoon Mi Rae patted her gently on the back, her throat swelling with emotion. "You're welcome."

After Trechial went back to her seat, she relaxed against the chair, feeling lighter than she ever had before knowing that Yoon Mi Rae was on her side and Charlie would soon be gone out of her life. Yoon Mi Rae followed suit, grabbing her book and opening it to the page she left off on. Her eyes fell into typewriter mode, while Trechial stared at the twirling blades above her head. For some reason, her mind drifted to the boy that occupied the house, and she inhaled then expelled a long breath of wind. "Devin and I kissed at ninth-grade prom."