Chapter 4
On Saturday morning, Emily met up with Charlotte as planned.
She and Charlotte had been friends since college. Now Emily was a lawyer, sharp and efficient, and her words were even sharper.
The two of them grabbed a booth at the coffee shop, and Emily slid a folder across the table to her.
"Grace Ford, twenty-six. Joined David's company last year, works in marketing," Emily said.
Emily opened to the first page. It was Grace's background info.
"From what I found out, her relationship with David has been going on for a while," Emily said.
Charlotte held her cup of milk, saying nothing.
"It started when you were three months pregnant. That was four months ago," Emily said. She laid several photographs on the table. "I had the hotel records pulled. Seven times."
Seven times.
Charlotte stared at the photos, at David's hand around Grace's waist, and her stomach churned.
"And there's more," Emily said, lowering her voice. "Grace had an HCG test last month."
"What does that mean?" Charlotte asked.
"It's just a test to see if she's pregnant. But there's no record of her following up or registering for prenatal care, so it was probably just a false alarm," Emily replied.
Charlotte set her milk down and traced her fingertip slowly around the rim of the cup.
"Emmy, I want to move out," Charlotte said.
Emily looked at her. "You really made up your mind?"
"I have," Charlotte replied.
"Come stay at my place. It's a two-bedroom apartment, and it's close to the hospital," Emily offered.
"I'll pay rent," Charlotte said.
"Come on, we're friends," Emily replied.
"I'll pay," Charlotte said, looking her straight in the eye. "I don't want to owe anyone."
Emily studied her for a few seconds and then nodded. "All right. Five hundred a month. Because I love you."
"Thanks," Charlotte replied.
That afternoon, with David out of the house, Charlotte packed her things.
There was not much to pack. Two suitcases and a backpack. Clothes, her maternity file, her laptop, and the old metal box.
Karen stood in the doorway, watching her pack. "Charlotte, what are you up to?"
"I'm moving out," Charlotte said.
"Don't make a fuss. David could be mean sometimes, but—" Karen said.
Charlotte said, zipping up her suitcase and straightening up, "David's seeing someone else."
Karen's expression stiffened for a moment.
It was just a brief pause. She was not surprised at all.
Charlotte caught it instantly.
"You knew," Charlotte said.
Karen opened her mouth, but just deflected, "What are you talking about? He's just..."
"You knew he was seeing another woman, and you still watched him ask me to go Dutch," Charlotte said.
Karen went silent.
Frank came in. "Charlotte, let's talk this through. We're family, after all."
"I'm carrying a baby," Charlotte said, pointing at her belly.
"For seven months, I haven't had a proper meal, and every single prenatal checkup, I went alone. Your son is out there shacking up with another woman, and none of you said a thing. But now that I'm moving out, suddenly you all want to talk?"
The living room went quiet for three seconds.
Frank sat back down on the couch, picked up the remote, and turned on the TV.
Karen stepped back, then turned, and went back to the kitchen.
Charlotte wheeled her suitcase out the door.
In the elevator, she texted David.
David: [I'm moving out. I've taken all my things.]
Ten minutes later, David replied with just one word, "Okay."
Then he sent another message.
David: [Don't forget to transfer your half of the mortgage.]
Charlotte stared at the message for a moment and then deleted the entire conversation.
Emily came to pick her up and helped her haul her suitcases upstairs.
The apartment was small but spotless, and sunlight streaming through the living room window made it feel warm and inviting.
Emily had the bed already made up when she arrived.
"I heated up some soup," she said, setting a bowl on the table in front of Charlotte. "Eat."
Charlotte sat down and took a spoonful. The seasoning was perfect.
Her eyes welled up before she could stop it.
"What is this about?" Emily said, settling into the chair across from her. "You just got rid of a man like that. You should be celebrating."
"I know. I am not crying," Charlotte muttered, pressing her fingers to the corners of her eyes. "The soup is just too hot."
Emily snorted. "Then blow on it first."
That night, Charlotte set up her laptop on the bed and opened the contract offer from Starlight Jewelry Group.
The terms were detailed. She would be the chief designer for Starlight's new brand, Aurum, with an annual salary of 150,000 dollars, a three-year contract, and a share of the sales revenue.
150,000 dollars.
Her last job paid her just 25,000 dollars a year.
She read through the contract three times, marked a few clauses she wanted to change, and emailed Ethan.
Ethan replied almost instantly.
Ethan: [We can negotiate those terms. How about we discuss them in person on Monday?]
Charlotte: [Okay.]
She shut her laptop, lay down on the bed, and rested her hand on her belly.
The baby rolled over inside.
"It's just you and me now," Charlotte whispered softly. "Mommy will be strong for you. We'll get through this together."