Chapter 272 Meeting Again
Charlotte had watched it a million times.
Lola just stood there, frozen. "Daddy! Daddy looks so cool when he smiles!"
Lola suddenly buried herself in Charlotte's arms and whispered, "Mommy, is Daddy coming back?"
Charlotte just hummed in response.
She gently patted Lola's head and softly said, "But Daddy's not feeling well. Let's give him some time, okay?"
Lola kinda got it.
Even though Mommy didn't spell it out, she knew that ever since Daddy went to the hospital, they hardly saw him. Sometimes, when Daddy read her storybooks, he'd zone out halfway through.
'So, Daddy is sick.' Lola dashed back to her room and soon returned with a box. She opened it.
It was a set of toy stethoscopes.
Lola, with her golden curls, softly said, "I'll make Daddy better."
Charlotte hugged her and kissed her, her eyes getting all misty.
Lola was the best thing Frederick had ever given her.
In late autumn, the busy streets of Seattle were filled with sycamore trees shedding their leaves, while the maple trees turned fiery red, like the sky was on fire.
The airport was packed.
Tons of reporters were waiting at the exit, cameras aimed at the customs gate.
Today was the day Frederick was coming back.
A legal hotshot making a comeback—who wouldn't want that first photo?
Charlotte was there too.
She didn't bring Lola; she came alone, with the Hawkins family's old driver, Jared Hayes.
Time dragged on, and Charlotte's palms were sweaty.
'Frederick, what's it gonna be like when we meet again? Do you even remember me?'
A commotion broke out, and the reporters suddenly rushed in one direction.
Flashbulbs were going off everywhere.
Frederick had come out.
Surrounded by bodyguards, he emerged from the security checkpoint. Despite all the cameras in his face, he handled it like a pro, casually answering a few questions before leaving smoothly.
The bodyguards held back the swarm of reporters.
Charlotte stood at the exit, and he brushed right past her. Her hands and feet went cold, and it felt like all the strength had drained from her body.
Frederick really didn't remember her.
Just then, Frederick paused, his gaze landing on Charlotte's face.
His eyes were cold and unfamiliar.
Charlotte couldn't help but call out, "Frederick."
Frederick's thin lips tightened, and he said, "We'll talk in the car."
Charlotte was stunned.
Jared nudged her, grinning, "Frederick wants you to go over and talk."
He helped Charlotte to the parking lot.
Frederick was already sitting in the car. The window of the black limo's back seat was rolled down. He had taken off his coat, and the well-tailored white shirt showed off his upper body lines.
At that moment, he was resting his elbow, lost in thought.
On his lap was a document, detailing the five years of his missing memory.
It was about his marriage to Charlotte, a kid named Lola, their breakups, and Katherine's death.
Not hard to dig up.
But for Frederick, who'd lost five years of memory, Charlotte was a stranger. He couldn't picture himself head over heels for anyone.
Five years ago, he was all about that single life.
Charlotte quietly got into the car.
She glanced at the document on his lap. She figured he must've been curious about those five years and did some digging, but she wasn't hopeful. His eyes were ice-cold.
Frederick looked at Charlotte.
She was pretty, with a delicate, fair face. Her figure was well-proportioned. Even pregnant, her limbs were slender.
His gaze fell on her swollen belly.
This should be his kid.
Frederick looked away and told the driver in a calm voice, "To the apartment."
From start to finish, he was in control, and Charlotte had no chance to refuse. She swallowed her longing and quietly sat beside him.
They weren't sitting close, but she could still feel his body heat.
Charlotte's eyes reddened, and she turned to look out the car window.
About an hour later, the car stopped at the apartment building. The driver unloaded the luggage and then left.
Frederick grabbed the luggage, glanced at Charlotte, and led the way into the elevator.
From start to finish, he was ice-cold.
Charlotte's heart ached, but she told herself this was normal.
Because he didn't love her now.
But when they walked into the apartment, and Charlotte saw the decor, she couldn't help but tremble and ask, "Have you been here before?"
The place had returned to a black-and-white color scheme.
It was tasteful but as cold as a model home.
Frederick put down the luggage, changed his shoes, and gestured for Charlotte to sit down.
Probably seeing that she was pregnant, he poured her a glass of water. He himself poured a glass of red wine and leaned against the bar, sipping it lightly.
Charlotte knew he was thinking about how to deal with her.
How to deal with this uninvited guest in his life.
Frederick drank half a glass of red wine, put down the mug, and with a thoughtful look in his blue eyes, said, "Although I've investigated it for five years, I still want to hear your version of the story."
Charlotte met his gaze.
His blue eyes were clear and intensely magnetic, different from the later Frederick, who was always gentle with her.
For some reason, her face blushed slightly.
Frederick noticed.
He walked over and sat beside her, gently teasing her delicate face, with a hint of flirtation. "Spill it."
Charlotte was powerless to resist.
With a calm expression, she recounted the events of the past five years to him.
After listening, Frederick chuckled lightly. "How touching! Miss Russell, it's a pity you don't act."
Charlotte was taken aback.
Frederick slowly caressed her face, his voice low and husky. "Do you love me?"
Before she could react, he had already pressed her down on the sofa.
She lay there, in a somewhat compromising position.
But as she looked up at him, at his handsome face, she felt a deep longing.
Charlotte couldn't help but reach out to touch his handsome face, gently caressing from his brows to his nose, her voice slightly choked. "Very much!"
Frederick caught her hand, stopping her from touching him.
Then, her loose dress opened, revealing her swollen belly.
Frederick's long middle finger gently traced over it, somewhat teasingly.
Charlotte hadn't felt this in a long time.
And in front of her was the man she deeply loved; she couldn't help but feel something.
Her body trembled slightly.
"Do you want it?" He whispered in her ear, his voice hoarse. "I heard women at this stage have quite a strong libido."
Charlotte felt both ashamed and angry.
She wasn't afraid of him being cold, but he was not only cold but also quite a jerk.
Frederick let go of her, slightly adjusting his shirt, and said nonchalantly, "Miss Russell, do you want a husband or a man who can satisfy you? Think it through, and then we can have our next conversation."
Charlotte's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
She trembled as she gathered her dress, softly asking him, "Do you want to divorce me?"
Frederick's gaze lingered on that slight furrow.
Her skin was snow-white, making that slight furrow particularly noticeable.
He couldn't help but gently caress it, but his words were merciless. "Not at all! After all, we have two kids to raise."
Frederick stared at Charlotte.
She was indeed very beautiful, even more so while pregnant, but he had no interest in living with a woman.
He got up and walked into the study, returning with a document in hand.
He gently placed the document in Charlotte's hand.
Frederick sat on the opposite sofa, his demeanor now noble and reserved.
He stared into Charlotte's eyes, using a very businesslike tone. "Miss Russell, I am willing to co-parent our two kids with you. The condition is that you sign this separation agreement. Once it's signed, I will pay the appropriate child support and visit the kids once a week."
Charlotte felt a bit humiliated.
How was this different from a divorce?
Her lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing, knowing that pleading now would only make him more disgusted.
In fact, she should be grateful.
It was already good enough that he didn't deny their existence.
But she was still super bummed.
In front of her was clearly the husband she deeply loved, but she didn't even dare to hug him, fearing he would be repulsed. She couldn't understand what he thought of her now, or what he thought of the dead Katherine.
There was a saying that you could never compete with the dead.
Charlotte flipped through the separation agreement he had drafted.
He would pay $2 million a month in child support, spend one night a week at her place to be with the kids, and they would have no other interactions. Of course, if there were important events requiring them to attend as a couple, they would have to cooperate unconditionally. Additionally, he specifically required her to remain faithful to the marriage.
Frederick stood up and said calmly, "No rush; take your time to consider."
He had matters to attend to at his firm, so he went into the master bedroom's walk-in closet to change into a different outfit.
Just as he took off his shirt, Charlotte followed him in.
She came over and directly told him, "Frederick, I don't want to separate."
Frederick frowned slightly.
His hand was on his belt, and seeing that she didn't leave, just standing there.
Her little face was white with a hint of red, her nose red as if she had been crying.
She looked very easy to bully.
He took a few slow steps towards her, looking down at her, his voice hoarse. "Are you so eager to see a man change clothes? Mrs. Hawkins, I think it's been a long time since I've had sex. If you're willing, shall we?"
Charlotte certainly wasn't willing.
He had no feelings for her now, treating her merely as a plaything.
Frederick had already started kissing her. With no experience in his memory, he relied on male instinct to press her against the cabinet door, gripping her delicate chin, forcing her to follow his deep and shallow kisses.
In the mirror, a man and a woman entangled.
The woman was in tears.
Frederick let her go, giving a cold smile. "You're such a killjoy."
He held her chin, his long fingers teasing her pale pink tongue, speaking softly, "Don't ask for too much. Isn't it good for us to each get what we need?"
Although he resisted marriage, their marriage was a fact.
As a lawyer, he needed a good reputation.
He couldn't divorce and become a laughingstock, so the best way was to maintain the marriage. If she was willing, they could occasionally satisfy each other's physical needs.
The separation agreement included spending one night a week at her place, mainly because he also had physical needs.
Frederick thought that if she were smart, she would sign the agreement.
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