Chapter 169 Confront Katherine
Back at Charlotte's small apartment, her little white dog wagged its tail and greeted her.
Charlotte took off her coat and patted its head. "Good boy!"
The dog wagged its tail even more, eager to go out. Charlotte handed the leash to Frederick. "Take him for a walk, and I'll make some noodles."
Frederick gave her a deep look, a hint of eagerness in his eyes.
He bent down, put the leash on the dog, and went out.
From the small kitchen, Charlotte could see Frederick while chopping vegetables. His tall, model-like figure looked striking in his elegant clothes.
She watched him for a long time.
When he came back, the apartment was warm from the heater, making it quite hot.
Frederick took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and sat at the small dining table to eat the noodles, still exuding an air of nobility.
Charlotte picked up a morning newspaper and sat beside him, pretending to read.
She noticed several new needle marks on his arm, the skin bruised from frequent injections.
Charlotte's throat tightened.
She gently touched the area with her slender fingers and looked at him. "You've given blood several times?"
Frederick followed her gaze and softly replied, "Yes."
Katherine had been causing a lot of trouble lately, and both the Mitchell and Hawkins families had been through a lot. Frederick had it the worst. As Ethan had said, whenever Katherine attempted suicide, Frederick had to go to the hospital due to the blood shortage.
Charlotte didn't say anything; she just gently caressed him, feeling a pang of heartache.
She thought, 'Katherine doesn't love Frederick. Even if she did, it's twisted and selfish!'
But she couldn't voice these thoughts.
She also didn't understand Frederick's thoughts.
After finishing his noodles, Frederick habitually reached for a cigarette, but Charlotte gently took it away. "Smoke less!"
He looked up at her, his gaze deep.
Charlotte lowered her eyes and started to clean up the dishes, but he gently pressed her hand.
"Leave it for tomorrow!"
Frederick gently picked her up and headed straight for the bedroom, clearly intending to make love.
"No!" Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck.
Frederick stopped and looked down at her, his voice hoarse. "What's wrong?"
Charlotte freed one hand and gently touched his shirt collar, whispering, "You've given blood several times; you need to take care of yourself."
Frederick looked at her with his dark blue eyes.
Charlotte looked back at him.
Her eyes were misty, her expression complex.
After a long while, Frederick softly said, "It's nothing!"
He was always strong-willed, and Charlotte couldn't argue with him, so she let him have his way at the foot of the bed.
Maybe because he was worn out, Frederick wasn't as vigorous as before. He only did it once.
He lay beside her, breathing lightly in her ear, their clothes scattered on the floor.
Charlotte tried to sit up, but he gently pressed her down. "Don't move. Stay with me for a while."
She stopped moving, resting her face against his neck, feeling his warmth.
Half an hour later, Frederick had rested enough and carried Charlotte to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Charlotte was so tired she fell asleep.
But she woke up in the middle of the night to find Frederick not in bed.
She got up, put on a coat, and walked into the small living room. The window was slightly open, and Frederick was standing by it, smoking.
Seeing Charlotte, he immediately put out the cigarette. "Did I wake you?"
Charlotte went over and hugged him. "Why aren't you sleeping? Is something bothering you?"
She thought if he wanted to talk about Katherine now, she would listen. After all, Katherine was an obstacle between them that couldn't be ignored.
Frederick patted her head. "Work stuff."
He led her back to the bedroom, and as they lay in bed, he kissed the back of her ear for a long time.
They got along quite well! Even though Frederick was very busy, they still saw each other two or three times a week.
Sometimes he stayed over at her place, and occasionally, if he got off work early, he would pick her up and take her to his apartment.
The needle marks on his arm never went away.
Charlotte never asked where he was when they didn't see each other, nor did she ask if Katherine had been discharged from the hospital, if she was still causing trouble, or if she was trying to win him back.
Frederick always wanted to make love, but Charlotte was careful, rarely giving in!
His body was too depleted!
Of course, there were occasional nights when he would get a call from Elijah and head to the hospital.
On those nights, Charlotte couldn't sleep. She would get up and sit in the living room, waiting for him.
But he never returned in those nights!
As days went by, the Mitchell and Hawkins families, both well-known and caught up in Katherine's drama, became the talk of the town.
William felt sorry for his daughter and didn't really approve of Charlotte being with Frederick. No matter how much money a wealthy family had, if the husband didn't belong to her and always went to be with someone else, what was the point?
Maria, being a woman, understood that Charlotte was having a hard time and didn't say much.
Charlotte was in a tough spot!
She got into the car after leaving the Russell residence, planning to go to the hospital to get medicine for William. Maria chased after her from upstairs.
"Maria!" Charlotte got out of the car.
Maria approached and softly said, "Your dad's blunt; don't take it to heart. Matters of the heart are your call. But my advice is, no matter how great Frederick is, if you're not happy, walk away."
Charlotte lowered her head and softly replied, "Got it."
Her eyes were moist, and her nose was slightly red.
Maria felt a pang of heartache.
She reached out to straighten Charlotte's coat. "If you like him, give it your all! If he disappoints you, don't be sad for too long. Life's short; don't waste it."
Charlotte nodded again.
Maria patted her gently. "Go on now! Drive safely!"
Charlotte hugged Maria and then got into the car.
She drove to the hospital to get the medicine and unexpectedly ran into Katherine.
A young nurse was pushing Katherine in a wheelchair, taking her for a walk outside.
Katherine didn't look well; her face was pale, and she was very thin, making her hospital gown look baggy.
Charlotte looked at Katherine.
Katherine also turned to look at her.
The hospital had several paths, and there was always one to avoid a confrontation. Charlotte tried to walk around.
But Katherine called out, "Charlotte, can we talk?"
Charlotte stared at her.
Katherine had the nurse push her closer and raised her hand.
The young nurse tactfully left.
Katherine looked at Charlotte's serene demeanor, feeling extremely jealous.
She had been tormenting herself, but Frederick still hadn't agreed to get back together with her because of Charlotte.
She believed with their past relationship, Frederick wouldn't just abandon her!
Katherine was about to speak when her eyes fell on the diamond ring on Charlotte's middle finger.
The diamond ring was beautiful, but it was on her middle finger.
A cold smile appeared on Katherine's lips. She had thought Frederick valued the woman in front of her more, but it turned out to be just this—only half a promise!
Katherine raised her head, a mix of coldness and mockery in her expression. "I heard you want to marry Frederick?"
Charlotte followed her gaze and looked at the ring on her finger. Her heart skipped a beat.
The reason she had been enduring all this time was because she really liked Frederick and didn't want to give up easily, and because of the romance Frederick had given her. When things were good, they were really happy.
Katherine chuckled lightly. She looked down, fiddling with her fingernails, and spoke nonchalantly. "Miss Russell, do you believe that with just one phone call, or if I cut my wrist, Frederick would have no choice but to come? No matter what he's doing with you, he would immediately stop and rush to the hospital to donate blood, even if you two were in the middle of making love!"
Charlotte was shocked by her shamelessness!
She replied coldly, "Katherine, what's your goal here? You know there's no chance for you two anymore!"
Katherine's expression shifted slightly. Then, with a venomous look, she said slowly, "To torment you both! Especially you, Charlotte. What makes you think you deserve Frederick's love? Having his body isn't enough; you want him in marriage too? Let me tell you, you're not worthy!"
Charlotte knew Katherine was a madwoman, trying to provoke her into doing something extreme.
Charlotte calmed down.
She spoke in a steady tone, "The most unworthy person here is you, Katherine! As for me, whether or not I have a future with Frederick, I have a clear conscience. Even if we part ways, I won't cling to him."
After saying this, Charlotte felt much better. She turned and walked away.
Behind her, Katherine started to cry and scream hysterically, almost losing her mind.
Charlotte felt sad for a long time after returning. 'Is this the woman Frederick has to face every time?'
She took the little white dog and drove to his apartment.
Frederick hadn't come back yet, so Charlotte made some soup and a few dishes, then started working on some reports while waiting for him to come back for dinner.
The little white dog played around and then curled up beside her when it got tired.
Charlotte checked the time. It was 10:30 PM.
At that moment, Frederick opened the door and came in. He looked slightly surprised to see Charlotte.
He took off his coat and walked over to her, leaning in for a kiss, his voice muffled. "Why did you come over by yourself today?"
Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. "I wanted to make you some soup."
She noticed his complexion. As expected, it didn't look good.
Frederick rarely talked about these things with her, and Charlotte seldom asked him about it either, mainly because of Elijah's kindness to the Hawkins family, which made it hard for her to bring it up.
But after meeting Katherine today and seeing her madness, Charlotte's feelings changed slightly.
She spoke gently, "Have some soup first to warm up."
Frederick was reluctant to let her go, holding her close for a long time and teasing her, "Do you like playing housewife that much?"
Charlotte blushed.
"Who wants to be a housewife? I'm still young!"
Frederick kissed her fair neck, and as Charlotte became more and more entranced, he said in a hoarse voice, "I'm not young anymore; I'll be 30 next year."
Charlotte turned his handsome face towards her, looking at his striking features, feeling especially moved.
Frederick wanted to kiss her again.
He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, "It's been a long time, Charlotte. Let's do it once."
That night, he was as gentle as water.
In the midst of their passionate moments, Charlotte couldn't help but lean over and softly call out in his ear, "Frederick!"
Frederick was caught off guard.
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