Chapter 6
Charlotte slipped into the bathroom, trying to keep a low profile. Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from the hotel manager.
The hotel manager texted, "Mrs. Grant, isn't your birthday tomorrow? Why is there already a celebration tonight?"
Charlotte was puzzled, wondering what he meant by that, when the message was suddenly retracted. Then, a new one popped up.
The hotel manager sent another message: [Mrs. Grant, everything is all set. Happy birthday in advance! See you tomorrow.]
Just then, Andrew knocked on the bathroom door.
"Charlotte, I need to head back to the office for something. Let me drive you home first," Andrew said.
Charlotte took a deep breath, steadied herself, and walked out with a gentle, understanding smile.
"I can drive myself home. Work comes first. Go ahead and take care of things," she said.
A flicker of joy crossed Andrew's eyes as he pulled her into his arms, his voice soft and affectionate.
"I'll come home early tonight, and we'll sleep together. I need to work hard so my wife can finally get pregnant," Andrew said, his tone playful and affectionate.
Charlotte felt a wave of sadness. Maybe if he kept lying long enough, it became a habit.
She knew she couldn't keep fooling herself. Just yesterday, she'd had the herbal medicine tested. Every single ingredient was meant to prevent pregnancy.
Charlotte forced a bitter smile, but Andrew didn't notice the pain in her eyes at all.
She gently pushed him away. "It's fine. Work comes first. Just make sure you show up at my birthday party tomorrow."
Andrew's brows lifted in delight, and he gently corrected her, "No, Charlotte, you'll always be the most important person to me."
Charlotte couldn't keep up the act with Andrew any longer. After seeing him off, she jumped into a discreet car and drove straight to the luxury hotel.
As soon as she stepped out of the car, she saw Andrew heading into the hotel.
Charlotte followed him inside. The party hall, meant for her birthday party, was now covered in glamorous shots of Nina.
In the most eye-catching spot, a message spelled out in red roses read: [Congratulations, Nina, on becoming a mom!]
The place was full of people, but Charlotte didn't recognize anyone. All of them were Nina's friends.
With her hat and sunglasses on, Charlotte blended into the crowd and caught Nina showing off, her voice full of pride.
"When my mom got divorced and remarried, I became the Parker family's second daughter. But being the outsider in someone else's house was rough," Nina said.
"Good thing my boyfriend's rich and hot. He's given me tons of cash. I'm gonna start a big company in Maple City and build myself a huge castle!" Nina added.
Most people looked jealous, though a few started to doubt her story.
"Who's your boyfriend, anyway? Why do you keep hiding him from us?" one of the guests asked.
Nina's face turned bright red. She practically squealed with excitement. "Brace yourselves, this is gonna blow your minds. He's Andrew Grant, the Grant family's eldest son, who basically runs Maple City!"
The noisy crowd went silent for a couple of seconds, then everyone burst out laughing.
"No way! Everybody in Maple City knows Andrew is head-over-heels for his wife. He's the most doting husband ever," someone chimed in.
"I heard Andrew even bought Charlotte a piece of the Milky Way from the observatory, just so they could stargaze together," someone added.
Another person chimed in, "Every year on Charlotte's birthday, Andrew books every public screen in the city to wish her happy birthday.
"And on that day, every flower in Maple City is free for the taking just to spread their happiness around."
With everyone doubting her, Nina's eyes grew red as she desperately tried to defend herself.
Just when she looked completely helpless, Andrew showed up like a knight in shining armor and kissed Nina right in front of everyone.
"Tonight, Nina's the star, and nobody gets to mess with her. I'll give each of you a card worth 30 thousand, but no one is allowed to talk about what happened tonight," Andrew said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
For a split second, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then, the crowd erupted with flattery and congratulations.
Charlotte quietly turned and left the hotel. As soon as she stepped outside, her phone started blowing up with texts and photos from Nina.
Nina texted, [Charlotte, everyone thinks you're so lucky to have a perfect husband, but only I know how miserable you really are.]
Nina: [You have no clue how crazy Andrew gets whenever he's with me, right?]
Nina: [He keeps saying you're stiff and boring in bed. I'm the only one who really knows what he wants. He can't get enough of me, and we're always all over each other for hours.]
Nina: [Andrew promised me that as long as you can't have a baby, my kid will be the Grant family's only heir. You won't be able to keep him out, and you'll just have to put up with me being around.]
Nina: [All I have to do is wait to get pregnant and have his baby. So, do those herbal birth control meds taste bitter? You never answered me last time.]
The cold night wind howled, drying the tears on Charlotte's face.
She stared at the videos and evidence she'd saved on her phone, and for the first time, she replied to Nina: [Thanks.]
Nina: [Charlotte, are you losing it? You'd better just suck it up!]
Charlotte looked at the reply, and for the first time, she felt an unexpected calm settle over her.
No, she wasn't losing her mind. If anything, she'd never felt so clear-headed. She was genuinely grateful to Nina for handing her all this proof, and for taking off with a man who was never truly hers to begin with.