Chapter 5

Charlotte, having not eaten all day, endured stomach pain as Henry dragged her home. But the moment she walked in, she saw Vivian clinging to Richard, crying her eyes out and whining about how Charlotte was being rude to her.

Vivian said, "The Wynn family has this rule. The younger generation should pay their respects twice a month to the matriarch. I know Charlotte thinks I'm not good enough. She hasn't visited me in years. I've long stopped hoping, but..."

In the study, Vivian wiped her tears and carefully tugged at Charlotte's sleeve.

Vivian continued saying, "I just want you to accept me, even if it's just a little bit. Charlotte, I'm begging you as your mom; please, don't stay mad at me. Don't let the servants laugh at our family, okay?"

It was that pathetic act of Vivian's, playing the victim, that let her sneak into Richard's bed while Andrea was gravely ill, and it ended up killing her.

And now Vivian actually dared to call herself Mom in front of Charlotte. What right did she have to even say that word? Who did she think she was, pretending to be Charlotte's mother?

"Get out," Charlotte shouted.

She yanked her hand away from Vivian, who dropped to the floor and immediately acted like she was hurt.

Henry visibly panicked.

"Vivian, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked, sounding worried.

A wave of bitterness swept through Charlotte, starting deep inside and flooding her entire body.

Henry never noticed how worn out Charlotte was, or how she kept holding her aching stomach, her face ghostly pale. But the moment Vivian hit the floor, he caught every tiny detail.

So that was the difference; when one cared, everything changed.

Vivian's lips quivered in protest, but she managed a weak, pitiful smile.

Vivian said, "Charlotte looks so skinny, but I never thought her shove would hurt so much.

"It's okay. As long as Charlotte's happy and stops blaming or insulting me, I wouldn't complain, even if she wanted to beat me to death."

Anyone who wasn't blind could tell Vivian was totally faking it.

Even the servants were whispering, "When has Ms. Wynn ever hit or yelled at her? She's such a drama queen."

But Henry was oblivious, acting like he didn't see or hear any of it. He just stared at Charlotte, his tone icy and authoritative.

"Apologize," he said.

Charlotte's heart felt like it was about to burst from the pain, and Vivian just kept making things worse.

"Charlotte, I know I messed up. You pushed me into the water, put snakes in my room, and even got people to beat me. I've taken all, but I just want us to get along from now on. Can we please stop fighting?" Vivian said.

Richard immediately sided with Vivian.

"Charlotte, apologize and admit you were wrong. Then this whole thing will be over," he said coldly.

Charlotte raised her voice, the hurt and injustice finally breaking through.

Charlotte said, "I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?

"Dad, can't you see she's just faking it? She's only doing all this to win your sympathy and turn you against me."

Charlotte always thought her dad would be the one to force her to apologize, but to her shock, it was Henry who stepped in.

Henry clamped his hand around the back of her neck, pinned her leg down, and with an icy, unyielding glare, made her grovel.

"If you admit your mistake and are willing to change, you're still my good fiancée. But if you stubbornly refuse and try to blame Vivian instead, then you're no longer the fiancée I want," Henry said coldly.

Charlotte stared at Henry in disbelief, as if the man in front of her was a stranger she never met before.

"Henry, do you really not trust me?" Charlotte asked, her voice trembling with hurt.

Before he found out Vivian was her stepmom, he would be outraged whenever her stepmom tried to set Charlotte up. He always had Charlotte's back, calling her stepmom a lowlife and a manipulative witch.

But now, Henry's words were cold and distant.

He asked, "Do you really think you're completely blameless here?

"If you'd just accepted her, she wouldn't have been pushed to such extremes."

Charlotte let out a cold laugh.

Now everything was suddenly her fault?

Charlotte stared at Henry, hoping to see even a trace of the old tenderness in his eyes. But he just looked at her, cold and distant, impatiently telling her to apologize.

All the pain and resentment Charlotte had been holding back finally exploded. She tore her hand free from Henry's grip, her eyes blazing red as she shouted in anger.

Charlotte asked, "Henry, every other word out of your mouth is Vivian; so tell me, who's your real fiancée here?"

Henry didn't even flinch. He fired back like he had been waiting for this moment, totally unfazed.

Henry said, "Just because you're my fiancée doesn't mean I'll let you throw tantrums and act out.

"Stop using Vivian's so-called kindness as an excuse to push her around. Someone needs to put your spoiled princess attitude in check."

Kind?

He actually called that backstabbing homewrecker kind?