Chapter 3
Charlotte didn’t respond to Elias’s dismissive offer. She gathered the shattered pendant with trembling fingers, her throat too tight to speak. Each broken piece felt like a fragment of her past–of her father slipping away forever.
After what felt like an eternity, she looked up at Dias with eyes that had gone eerily calm. “Don’t worry about it, Uncle Elias=[]
She turned and walked quickly toward the stairs, shoulders rigid with barely contained emotion
Elias stood frozen, those two words-“Unde Blas“-echoing in his head. Since that night years ago when he’d caught her kissing him, Charlotte had stubbornly infuriatingly refused to use that tide. Now she’d used it voluntarily, and something about it fell wrong
“Babe? Hello?” Scarlen nagged at his sleeve, pulling him from his thoughts
“sorry.” rijas said, his voice automatically softening as he refocused on Scarlett. “Don’t stress about what happened. Charlottes always been… intense about her start a probably spoiled her too much growing up
scarlet looked surprised at his defense of Charlotte. She nodded with exaggerated understanding, though something possessive and calculating flashed in her
yes
She pressed herself against him, suddenly needy. “So after my a
my surgery, we’re finally doing this, right? Setting a date? I’ve waited so long, Elias.“]
The tension in his shoulders melted as he brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Whatever you want, sweetheart. I’m all yours.“]
“Really?” Scarlett’s face lat up 1
it up with genuine joy. I’m going to be the most beautiful bride ever. Everyone will be jealous.
for the next several days, Charlotte became a phantom in the house. She left before sunrise for campus, returning long after dinner, her footsteps deliberately silent on the stairs.]]
On Thursday evening. Charlone dragged a cardboard box to the living room fireplace when she thought the house was empty. Inside were hundreds of letter–very embarrassing confession, every desperate declaration of love shed written to Ellas over the years. One by one, she fed them to the flames, watching her childish handwriting curl and blacken
As she was about in toss in the final letter, a sharp voice cut through the room. What the hell are you doing?
Curlotte’s heart slammed against her ribs. She hadn’t heard flias come in. She didn’t answer, couldn’t look at him.
Elia: strode forward, catching sight of the partially burned paper in her hand. His face darkened with anger as he grabbed her wrist, hard enough to hurt
“Are you kidding me right now?” he demanded, his voice vibrating with tension. “Another dramatic performance? Burning your little happen to find you? God. Culotte, when will you grow upr
e love notes where I’ll just
Charlotte kept her eyes fixed on the fire as she pulled her arm free, her voice
ce hollow. “Coul
“Contrary to what you might think, not everything I do is about you.”
Something in her tone made the pause, but his anger paickly returned. “The wedding’s in ten days, he announced coldly, watching for her reaction. “Youte welcome to come, if you can art like an adult for once. ||
Charlotte felt like she’d been pushed. Ten days der plane ticket to Tanzania was for e think. Then she forced her lips into what she hoped rescmdded a smile ||
r exactly ten days from now. For a
now. For a mount, she couldt breathe, couldn’t
“Congratulations,” she managed, the word like ash in her mouths[]
She would be gone by the She never attend his wedding, never see him again. The thought should have brought relief, but instead, a crushing finality settled over her She turned to leave, desperate to escape before she booke down ||
(she reached the doorway. Has called after her “Scarlett anys a wannan only i
Charlotte pausei, genuinely confused through her emotional hare. “What does that have to do with me
Y get one wedding e. She doesn’t trust some random planner to handle it.“||
want you to organize it,” he said, his tone suddenly businesslike. You’ve known me since you weie lei. You
Yau kusw what I want be
i better than some stranger
