The Redemption (Charlotte Bloom Book 2) (21 page)

“He tried to give me money to leave. He handed me… who
knows
how much money, but I threw it back at him. And then I left. I guess I fainted, because the next thing I knew, you were here, and Alec was gone.”

“I see,” Henry said, looking back at Mary.

“What?” I asked. “What was that look?”

“Well… I don’t understand why he left. That’s why I was yelling at the policeman. He… he never would’ve left you,” Mary said, trying to convince me, trying to convince
herself.

“How did you guys get here?”

“The police called us. They said Alec gave them our number to… to come pick you up.”

“So, Alec
left
me passed out on the ground? He just left?”

I saw Mary glance at Henry, and I knew I was right. I stayed silent the rest of the way to the Parc, wondering where I was going to stay. I didn’t want to be anywhere near Alec or his possessions.

“Can I stay with you guys?” I pleaded.

“Of course, honey,” Mary soothed, stroking my arm gently from the seat behind me.

We pulled up to the Parc, and I hoped I wouldn’t run into anyone. I was not in the mood for conversation. I walked past the desk, which, luckily, was empty, and headed straight to Alec’s room, unlocking it with the key he’d given me last night, after we…

As I opened the door, everything hit me, and I collapsed onto his bed, sobbing endlessly. The most frustrating part was that I didn’t have answers.
Why?
That’s all I needed to know.
Why did he choose her?

Had he always loved her? I thought back to the one time I saw them interact, and Mary and Henry were right… there had been no love there. He’d been annoyed, exasperated… exactly how he’d been with me at the station. Maybe when I went back to L.A., he’d found solace in her. Maybe I was the reason they were together. I couldn’t blame him either. She was gorgeous, tall, blonde… she looked like a model, and so did he. They were a perfect match. And they’d known each other for so long, and they were
married…

“Charlotte?” Henry nudged the door open and closed it behind him, coming over to where I was curled up on the bed. “Mary sent me in here to help carry your luggage.”

“OK,” I choked, my body heaving from crying. I felt Henry sit down next to me.

“I’m sorry, Charlotte. I don’t know why Alec acted the way he did. He’s never once mentioned to me… he never said anything.”

“Well, then, clearly we’re both fools,” I croaked, covering my face with Alec’s pillow.

“I know he would never hurt you on purpose. Whatever is going on, we’re going to figure it out. I tried calling him just now, but he didn’t pick up. Maybe Natasha is blackmailing him…”

“No. I thought about that. I thought of every possibility. He kissed her before they even spoke. When we walked into the interrogation room, it wasn’t me he was excited to see—it was
her
. He went to her. He kissed her. There was no time for blackmail.”

“Well, Mary and I both think something else is going on. I knew him when he met Natasha. Even before they got married, he wasn’t interested in her. I swear to you, Charlotte, I would’ve never expected this. It’s coming out of left field here,” he offered, and I knew he was trying to make me feel better.

“I’m not sure if that’s comforting or… if it makes it worse. I think—I think it makes it worse,” I cried, my voice breaking as I wailed.

Henry started gathering my things as I hugged Alec’s pillow, trying to make sense of it all. Henry was a good man. I knew he believed it when he said that Alec never had feelings for Natasha.

“I mean, maybe he always had feelings for her… I don’t know,” Henry mumbled. “It’s weird. It’s like I don’t even know my best friend.”

“That’s not making me feel any better, Henry!” I shrieked from beneath Alec’s bedding. I knew I was leaving mascara stains on his white sheets.
Ha!
I thought, feeling the tiny little victory.
At least your sheets will be dirty!
I continued to cry, getting whiffs of Alec’s scent—his lovely, clean scent—a scent I was sure Natasha loved, too. I heard Mary come in, and she whispered something to Henry. I saw him shuffle out of the room from the corner of my eye as Mary got into bed with me, cradling me as I sobbed.

“Shhh…” she cooed, petting my hair. “Let’s get you dressed.”

I felt her move me, and it was as if someone was trying to carry a sleeping person. I did not have the energy to move myself. Mary lifted my dress up over my head as I sniffled, and she exchanged it for one of my t-shirts. Next, she took my shoes and tights off, and handed me a pair of leggings that I’d forgotten that I’d packed. The next thing I knew, she was outfitting my feet with socks and boots, and pulling my coat over me as I hunched over, my face in my hands.

“We should go, sweetie,” she said softly. “We’re taking you back to our place.”

I stood up and wobbled a bit, reaching out for Mary’s hand. I felt like a fucking invalid. I was humiliated, angry, sad as hell… and I just needed sleep.

We got into the car as Henry loaded the trunk of their mid-sized sedan with my suitcase.

“My car,” I said, pointing to the Mini Cooper in the driveway.

“We’ll take care of it,” Mary said, getting me settled in the passenger seat.

The drive was short. I realized, as we pulled up to a small house, that I hadn’t been to Mary’s house since I left Wales in August. I loved their house. It reminded me of the house Alec wanted to rent… the house that would never be, now that…

I couldn’t even think it. Henry was right. There had to be an explanation. I was sure of it. I was not easily led astray by men. I was not naïve. What Alec and I had was
real.
I knew it was. He was hurting me on purpose. Handing me the money… it was a slap in the face, and he knew it. Like our relationship was only worth that—like what we had wasn’t real.

I walked into their house, the scent of a wood-burning fire instantly comforting me. Mary got me all set up on the couch. They were renovating the guest room, they explained, so they turned the TV on and tucked me into a large, feather comforter.

“I think it’s safe to say that Alec was
not
going to propose,” I mumbled as I got myself settled.

I saw Henry shoot Mary a death stare, and Mary shrugged her shoulders innocently.

“Charlotte,” Henry said with a hint of sympathy. “Don’t think about that right now. Just sleep.”

I sat up and looked at him. Henry had become one of my best friends, and I felt some sort of brotherly connection to him. Mary and I were close, but Henry and I were close in a different way. I could read him very well, and vice versa. He was a good guy. I was glad that he had married one of my best friends. I wished I could be as close to Sam, Amara’s husband, but with Henry, it came so much easier. So when I saw some sort of look pass over his face as he said
don’t think about that right now,
something inside of me, my gut instinct maybe, woke up.

“Oh my god…” I said slowly. “He
was
going to propose to me.”

Henry sighed and put his face in his hands.

“Mary…” he growled.

“What? I thought it was common knowledge!” she retorted.

“Am I right?” I demanded, staring at Henry. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Charlotte, it’s complicated,” he started, coming towards me.

“Answer me!” I yelled, standing up. “Henry fucking Maddox,” I said, using his surname, “answer me right now.”

“Yes,” he conceded, looking at me pitifully.

“Dammit,” I whispered, falling back onto the couch. “Fuck everything,” I added, for dramatics.

“That’s why this,” he said, waving his hand, “is so hard to believe. I even helped him pick out a ring.”

I gasped. There was a
ring
?

“Henry, we should let Charlotte sleep. I think she’s had enough for one day, don’t you?” She motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

I sank down into the couch and buried my face under the covers. I felt a hand—Henry’s perhaps—rub my back briefly, and then they were gone, and I was alone again.

***

I woke up with a start, unsure of my surroundings, but when Mary and Henry’s living room came into view, I dropped back down into the covers and willed it all to be a bad dream—the world’s
worst
dream. I turned over and checked my phone. It was mid-afternoon, and I felt thoroughly groggy. I didn’t have any missed calls or texts from Alec.

I got off of the couch and made my way to the kitchen and the bedroom. They were empty. Mary and Henry weren’t here. In a way, I was sort of relieved. I needed some time alone to think about everything.

I found my suitcase propped up in the living room, and I rummaged around for my toiletries. I went to go turn on the shower, and I got a glimpse of the guest room. My heart stopped. The last time I was here, there had been a bed, a couple of nightstands, and a dresser—your typical guest room.

Now though, a small crib stood alone in the corner. I put my hand over my mouth as realization hit me. Mary was pregnant! I thought back to the night before, and it all clicked. Mary was gluten-intolerant, so she never drank beer and instead always opted for wine or cider. Last night she had… seltzer. She had blamed heartburn, but I knew the real reason now. I smiled. At least there was one good thing going for someone.

I showered quickly and changed into travel clothes—leggings and a loose shirt. I had no reason to stay now. Not when it was still so raw and painful. Clearly, Alec didn’t want me, and as hard as that was to accept, I
had
to accept it. He’d wanted me gone, and I took that as a very clear message. He wasn’t being blackmailed. He wanted Natasha, not me. I was not going to be degraded anymore. I was not going to be humiliated anymore in front of my friends.

I sat down and grabbed Mary’s laptop, logging in to the KLM airlines website. I was supposed to be flying back to Los Angeles with Alec in a week, but now I would be going home alone, permanently this time. I bought a last-minute ticket for tonight—a red eye. It was direct. I called Amara, hoping she would be awake. It was morning in Los Angeles.

“Charlotte?” she grumbled. “Everything OK?”

“Ummm…” I bit my lip to keep from crying. “No.”

I heard Sam’s muffled voice and movement.

“What happened?”

“I’m coming home,” I said glumly. “Alone. For good this time.”

“No! But I thought everything was going great?”

I explained everything as briefly as possible, giving her the shortened version: he’d chosen Natasha and he wanted me gone. I couldn’t bear to think about it any longer.

“Look, Mar, it’s still so raw… I can’t really talk about it. I get into Los Angeles tomorrow morning at nine. Will you pick me up?”

“Of course. I’ll be there.”

I thanked her and hung up, cupping my mouth with my hand to muffle my crying. I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I had to be strong. I had to get away from this place.

Just then, Henry walked in, carrying some grocery bags.

“Hungry?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Not really. I could go for some coffee though,” I added, trying to look on the bright side.

I couldn’t think of a single positive thing about this situation. The only thing that came remotely close was that I would be avoiding the hassle of visa paperwork, but even that had seemed exciting yesterday, like I was solidifying my life here or something. Now… now I was just going home.

“Sure,” he said, speedily fixing me a cup of coffee. “How’re ya feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” I said, smiling sarcastically. The smile dropped when Henry glared at me.

“It’s OK to be sad, Charlotte. Hell, I’m sad for you. What Alec did…” he shook his head. “Let’s just say, he’ll be getting an ass-kicking.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do.” He handed me a cup of black coffee and came to put his arm around me. “We’re on your side, you know.”

“Th—thanks,” I stuttered, unsure of what to say. I had thought that when your friends chose your side, you were supposed to be happy. But in this case, I wasn’t happy or glad that they’d chosen me. It mad me sad. It made me
angry.
They’d known Alec for years, and he’d betrayed them, too.

“He’s still not picking up his phone,” Mary sang as she walked into the kitchen. She halted when she saw me. “Sorry, I thought you were asleep,” she confessed, hiding her phone from my view.

“You don’t have to tiptoe around me,” I said, walking over to her and giving her a big hug. “Besides, I’m leaving tonight.”

“You can’t!” she said, pulling away quickly. “What if… what if this is all a misunderstanding?”

“This is different.”

“Don’t you want to talk to him?”