Chapter 3
Charlotte instinctively reached out to help her.
But before her hand could touch Sophie's arm, someone smacked it away hard.
Blood was pouring from the wound on her palm.
Charlotte crashed into a chair, her head spinning and ringing.
Despite the stabbing pain, Charlotte saw Victor pull Sophie into his arms, his expression filled with distress and tenderness.
Victor asked, "Sophie, are you alright?
"Did you get hurt anywhere?"
Sophie kept shaking her head, looking down with a pitiful expression.
Then she replied, "I'm fine, Victor. Please don't blame Charlotte. It's just I got a little jumpy. The necklace she wore was the same kind the girl who used to bully me in high school always wore, so I..."
Victor's gaze darkened as he stared at Charlotte's necklace.
Charlotte's face drained of color as she gripped the necklace tightly.
Her voice was hoarse as she said, "This was a gift from my father when I turned eighteen."
Victor knew better than anyone.
After all, they'd been together for five years, and she'd told him everything about herself.
The necklace was made by hand by Charlotte's father, Eric Rivers. It might have looked rough, but it was made with all his love.
The day the necklace was finished, Eric made a special trip to pick it up himself.
But on his way back to the city, he was caught in a major car accident.
In his final moments, he held onto the necklace for dear life and, with trembling hands, fastened it around Charlotte's neck.
He looked at her one last time and whispered, "Charlotte, happy birthday.
"Sweetheart, promise me that you'll be happy."
Charlotte had always believed she was happy.
But now, the one who knew her best, Victor, insisted she remove the necklace Eric had given her, even though he knew everything it meant to her.
Charlotte clutched the necklace as if her life depended on it, her face ghostly pale. She said, "No, you know I've never, ever taken it off in all these years, not even to sleep or to shower."
To her, the necklace was her father. As long as she wore it, it felt like he was right there, keeping her safe.
Hesitation flashed in Victor's eyes.
But Sophie covered her face, big fat tears rolling down as she cried out in despair.
She sobbed, "Forget it. Let's not make things hard for Charlotte.
"Victor, maybe I should go home."
She turned to the side and tried to climb back into her wheelchair, looking defeated.
Victor's eyes grew cold and ruthless.
He turned and with no hesitation, yanked the necklace right off Charlotte's neck.
Then, without hesitation, he tossed it straight into the trash.
The twisted part of the necklace caught on Charlotte's lace top, and with a loud rip, it tore a huge gash in the delicate fabric.
Her whole back was suddenly exposed.
Charlotte kept stumbling backward, trying to cover herself up.
Victor ignored her, scooped Sophie up in his arms, and strode out of the room without looking back.
Charlotte stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Suddenly, Sophie looked up and locked eyes with her.
She flashed a provocative, defiant smile.
She silently mouthed, "You stupid pig."
Charlotte crumpled to the ground, drained and humiliated.
Dozens of hands pointed at her, everyone whispering and sneering.
"Seriously, she's that big and still dares to wear lace? She probably ripped her own shirt to get guys to look at her. No one ever does."
"Ugh, look at all that fat. My eyes hurt."
"Did you see her shove that lady? She must be jealous of how good she looks."
"She had the nerve to shove that lady with all these people watching. Imagine what she'd do if no one was around."
"Just look at her. She has that mean-girl vibe. Ugh, she's gross."
*****
The voices buzzed in her head like flies, never letting up.
Charlotte numbly covered her ears, trying to block it all out.
She kept backing away, trying to shrink into the corner, but the voices only got louder and closer.
Someone let out a gross, predatory chuckle as they closed in on her.
"Is that what you want, everyone staring at you? Or maybe you want someone to put their hands on you as well, huh?" he sneered.
His hands went straight for her exposed waist.
Charlotte's eyes widened in panic.
Suddenly, someone familiar stepped in front of her, blocking her from view.
"Get lost!" Victor called out as he slammed his fist into the guy's nose, teeth clenched. "Who the hell gave you permission to touch my woman?"
He took off his jacket and draped it over Charlotte's shoulders, covering her up.
Then, he gathered her into his arms, shielding her tenderly.
She should've been moved.
But instead, she smelled women's perfume clinging to Victor. He never wore any, especially not a woman's scent.
Her heart plummeted all over again.
"I'm sorry," Victor said softly, his gaze full of regret as he looked at her. "Charlotte, you saw what Sophie was going through. I couldn't risk making things worse for her, so I had no choice."
He held out his hand, showing her the broken necklace resting in his palm.
He added, "I'll get the best expert to fix it for you, alright?"
Charlotte grabbed the necklace back and said, "I'll figure it out myself."
Victor blinked in surprise and asked, "Are you mad?"
"No," Charlotte replied, her voice steady. She wrapped Victor's jacket tightly around herself and walked out, calm as ever.
Watching her walk away, Victor felt something strange swelling in his chest. It was a sudden, gut-wrenching fear that he might be losing her.
He told himself that it was impossible, trying to shake off the thought.
She loved me too much to leave me.