A few days after Charlotte’s discharge. Ellas received an invitation to an exclusive charity auction benefiting veteran milies. When he mentioned it to Scarlett. she squealed with excitement and raced upstairs to plan her outfit ||
Later, he glanced at Charlotte sitting quietly on the couch, her face still discolated from the fall. He cleared his throat awkwardly
You should come too.” he said, his tone making it sound like an afterthought. “Least I can do after you gave blood for Scarlen.
se wasnt actually required.)
Charlotte opened her mouth to dedine, but Ellas had already turned away, heading back to Scarlett’s room. As usual, her response wasnt
The auction ballroom at the Ritz–Carltons sparkled with Michigan’s elite. Throughout the evening, Elias bed aggressively on anything Scarlett showed interest in–a first–edition Hemingway, a weekend in Martha’s Vineyard, a private dinner with a celebrity chef–wille Charlotte sat beside them, her mind already halfway to Tanzania]
When an extraordinarily rare diamond and sapphire set came up for auction, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd
“Thias,” Scarlett whispered squeezing his arm with practiced delicacy. “I need to wear those when I become Mrs. Delaney. Please?”]]
Without hesitation. Elias raised his paddle. After a brief bidding war with a tech billionaire, he secured the jewelry for 312 million, earning admiring glances and whispers about his devotion.
Charlotte didn’t even bother looking up–until the auctioneer’s next announcement cut through her detachment Like a knife.]]
“Our next item has extraordinary historical significance. This is an original ballet casing recovered from the Battle of Fallujah, carried by the late captain Clayton Whitmore during his final mission before his heroic sacrifice.
Clayton Whitmore–her father’s name]
Π
Charlotar’s head snapped up, her chest suddenly tight Without conscious thought, she raised her paddle, her hand trembling slightly:||
Elias didn’t bid, but watched her with an expression that might have been guilt on anyone else’s face.
Tharty thousand, going once the auctioneer called
“Thirty thousand, guing twice
Congratulations to Miss Whium-
“Wait!” Scarlett suddenly tugged at Elias’s sleeve, her eyes wide with manufactured intent. “Tas, baby, I want that
at bullet casing for my collection. It would look perfect in that display case you bought me.‘
For the first time that evening, Elias heated. He clearly recognized what this item meant to Charlotte–Langible connection to the father she barely Teinembered
but as Scarlett pared up at him expectantly, he turned to Charlotte. “Let this one go,” he said, his tone somewhere between commanding and uncomfortable. 11 lary you something else–anything else. Scarlett wants this particular piece ||
Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears she rised to let fall. She said thing, simply raising her paddle again with quiet determination. This wasn t about money–It was about the last piece of her father she might ever have||
Elias’s expression hardened After moment of internal struggle that barely registered on his lace, he made a specific grature to the auctioneer–raising his hand with all five fingers splayed |
A murmur swept through the crowd!]
“Hogy shit, did he just signal unlimited backing someone whispered loudly rough for Charlotte to hear []
“That’s the “Lank dirik” signal, another voler added “No one can compete with Delaney money “[]
The room buzzed with excitentar while Charoite felt something inside her finally, irrevocably break. He knew exactly what this meant to her–a piece of her father, the only thing besides the new broken pendant that connected her to her parents- and still, he chose Scarlet’s passing whim.||
The last embier of hope she’d been nursing, that somewhere deep down he might care about her feelings, extinguished completely Charlotte lowered her paddle, her voice barely audible. Tine”
She set doves the bidding paddle and picked up her parse, ignoring tlises suddenly confused expression as she walked out of the auction house with her back. straight despite the hollowness in her chest
Dunide, her phone buzzed with a notification–her flight confirmation for tomorrow evening at 6pm, just hours after the scheduled kidney donation Charlotte exhaled slowly, a weight lifting from her shoulders.||
past one mor
one more day.
One final obligation.
Then she would be free of Ellas Delaney forever ||
Tack at the mansion, Charlotte efficiently packed her sultrase. It was almost darkly amusing after more than a decade living here, everything the wanted to kerp fit into one carry on, while Scarlett’s possessions had already taken over multiple closets after just a week.]
As she rapped the suitcase closed, her bedroom door crashed open. Ellas stood in the dourway, his face contorted with a rage she’d never seen before, radiating a cold fury that made the room temperature seem to cirup|
What the actual hell is wrong with y
you?” he snarled, advancing into the room. “You’ve really sunk this low? Stealing to get what you want?”
Charlotte froze, genuinely confused. Before she could ask what he meant, he continued, his voice cutting like e
a know that bullet casing belonged in your father. I was going to let Scarlet enjoy it for a while, then give it to you later as a gift. But this–he gestured wildly at something in his hand–Scarlett’s phone, this is beyond pathetic.]
itis anger seemed in build with each word “I clearly failed in raising you properly. To honor your parents‘ memory, I need to correct this behavior.“]
Before Charlotte could process what was happening, Elias stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.
The force of the blow snapped her head to the side, leaving an angry red muck blooming on her cheek. Chiulotte stood perfectly still, too shocked to react. In all these years, through all their conflicts, he had never once struck her–and now he had, over something she hadn’t even done.
As this lowered his hand, his phone rang. This expression shifted as he answered.
“Yes, this is Elias Delaney What? Scarlett’s where? lhe right there.”
