Chapter 2
Charlotte stepped out of the bathroom in a pink silk dress with a plunging neckline, water trickling from the ends of her hair down her neck and disappearing beneath the dress.
I lay on the bed, staring at her beautiful face and her perfect curves, swallowing hard.
The thought that this incredible woman was about to belong to another man made my heart ache.
In that moment, I pictured Lucas with his shirt half open, gently kissing Charlotte, the two of them wrapped up in each other.
My eyes grew wet, tears streaming down my face, my heart feeling like it was being crushed by a heavy stone.
Charlotte scrambled for a tissue, sitting on the edge of the bed and carefully wiping the tears from my face.
I brushed her hand away, ignoring the shock in her eyes, then turned over, pulling the blanket close and curling up on the edge of the bed.
Charlotte's hand froze in midair, watching me with a mix of emotions as I lay with my back to her.
After what felt like forever, she let out a soft sigh, climbed into bed, and wrapped her arms around my waist from behind. "Once things calm down, I'll take you to Gallia for some desserts. Get some rest."
Her warm breath tickled the back of my neck, and her scent filled my senses, making me shiver all over and my heart ache with longing.
She seemed to sense my unease and started gently patting my back, one slow, comforting tap at a time.
As I was about to turn and tell her about Lucas, a phone rang suddenly.
Charlotte answered, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "What's wrong?"
A deep male voice came through the phone. Charlotte glanced at me, covered the receiver, and walked out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her.
She frowned, her fingers absently tapping on the railing.
Five minutes later, she finally hung up, rushed to the closet, threw on some clothes, and came over to kiss my forehead. "I have to go, something came up."
A rich perfume scent drifted to me, faint but unmistakable.
It was Lucas's favorite sandalwood fragrance.
I preferred the light, fresh scent of flowers and fruit.
I let out a bitter laugh, slowly sat up, almost like I needed proof of something, and knocked on Richard's door.
The door swung open, and before I even knew what was happening, Richard shoved an ice cream into my hand.
Richard grinned. "Eat it quick, it'll melt."
Tears still in my eyes, I took a bite. It was icy cold and sweet, and I think there were Oreo crumbs mixed in.
"How is it? Is it good?" Richard asked.
I nodded eagerly, and Richard broke into a big, cheerful grin.
Once I'd finished the whole thing, it suddenly hit me. "Rick, did Mom leave too?"
Richard twisted the ring on his finger, then took it off. "Yeah, as soon as she got a call from Edward, she left."
So it really was Lucas's voice I heard.
Early the next morning, Richard and I went through all the watches and cufflinks in the house, packed them up, and sold them to a luxury store.
We even sold the two cars we kept in the garage.
I watched those cold, lifeless things turn into a comforting string of numbers in my account.
My tears fell again. Three years of my life were worth nothing more than those numbers.
Richard and I sat in silence, a table full of food in front of us. What used to taste amazing now felt bitter in my mouth.
My phone lit up again. Lucas had posted something on his feed.
He posted: [The little dog at home was begging for Main Street Grill's beef last night. Luckily, someone went out in the middle of the night to get it for me.], [I'm never letting go of your hand again.].
The photo showed a slender, manicured finger, a half-gold, half-silver ring still on the ring finger, the ring we had custom-made for our wedding.
Back then, when my pet Goldie passed away after twelve years, Charlotte had this ring custom-made to comfort me, as if Goldie had never left my side.
Back then, seeing that ring filled me with joy, but now, it hurts to see it.
All the comments were from her friends, showering her with congratulations.
Someone: [Who's jealous? Not me, I swear.]
Another: [After all these years, you finally got what you wanted. Wishing you two forever.]
Every time we hung out, her friends would either say I looked cheap or that I wasn't good enough for Charlotte.
I used to think her friends were all high and mighty, like nobody outside their clique was worth their time.
Turns out, it was me they couldn't stand.
But in one more day, I'd be leaving this place for good.
*****
Richard and I booked our tickets to Gallia for tomorrow night.
On our last night, we packed up our own bags.
I took off my ring and set it on the nightstand. As I stared at the wedding photo on the wall, a mocking smile tugged at my lips. How ironic this all was.
Maybe her friends were right. What you snatch away is never really yours in the end.
Honestly, I'd had a crush on Charlotte since high school. Back then, I was chubby and my face was breaking out like crazy.
My parents dragged me to every doctor they could find, but nothing helped. All the other kids joked that I'd gone from a swan to an ugly duckling, and they all avoided me like the plague.
But Charlotte would always sit right across from me, her tray in hand, like she didn't care what anyone else thought.
I knew she was only doing it out of pity, since Lucas, that tall, handsome guy, was always hanging around her.
One day after school, Lucas caught me at the street corner.
He looked me up and down, sneering. "Don't think because your family's loaded, Charlotte's gonna give you the time of day. Have you seen yourself? You look like a complete slob. What girl would ever want you?"