Chapter 348 They Started the Cold War
Charlotte couldn't help but bawl her eyes out.
She cried all quiet and bottled up.
In this whole mess of a relationship, she was always the one getting the short end of the stick.
They'd fought a ton, but she usually caved. Besides love, there was this nagging guilt; 'cause Frederick had lost his memory for her back then.
He'd put his life on the line for her.
Even though she couldn't stand Brenda, she chose to forgive him.
Charlotte bent down, scooped up the pills, and tossed them back into the little bottle.
There were a bunch of white pills.
She even thought, if she downed them all, would it end everything? Would she finally stop wrestling with whether she loved Frederick or not, and not have to deal with his constant blame game?
Their cold war didn't mess with the kids.
Early in the morning, Charlotte got up.
Across from her, Frederick came out of the guest room, still rocking last night's clothes. He saw the bags under Charlotte's eyes and said casually, "I'll take Lola to kindergarten later."
From that simple line, she knew he was making do in the relationship
Charlotte just hummed in response.
She went to whip up breakfast for the kids like always.
During breakfast, Lola got all clingy, wanting both mom and dad to take her.
Charlotte looked up.
Right then, she locked eyes with Frederick.
He'd showered and changed into a suit, his eyes a bit intense.
The vibe was kinda weird. Just as Charlotte was about to calm Lola down, Frederick spoke up, "It's rare; let's go together! I'll bring you back afterward."
Charlotte was a bit taken aback, but she nodded.
Lola looked from one to the other, gently tugging at her mom's hand. "Do you like the card Kingsley and I made for you, Mom?"
Charlotte kissed her soft cheek. "I love it!"
After the kiss, she pressed her cheek against Lola's and couldn't bear to let go.
Frederick just kept staring at her.
After breakfast, Charlotte went upstairs to change clothes. She picked a silk blouse and a fishtail skirt. Just as she took off her clothes to change, the bedroom door swung open.
Frederick looked a bit surprised; then he slowly closed the door.
Charlotte slowly put on her clothes.
Frederick leaned against the door, speaking softly, "Cherie said you made an appointment with the doc!"
Charlotte buttoned up, pulled her golden hair out from the collar, and combed it a few times. After finishing everything, she looked up at Frederick. "I got stuff to do later. I'm not going!"
She'd never go again.
After saying that, she walked out of the bedroom, brushing past him.
Frederick grabbed her hand. "Charlotte!"
Charlotte gently pulled away, saying calmly, "Frederick, let's just leave it at that! Neither of us needs to force it; let's just live our lives!"
She paused. "I respect your choice!"
Walking down the hallway, she heard Frederick's voice behind her. "I won't let go!"
"Suit yourself!" After saying that, Charlotte leaned against the wall for a few seconds.
He was pissed because of a video of her with Ethan from back in the day. He said she didn't love him, but didn't he just love the Charlotte who was entirely his?
She smiled bitterly.
At the parking lot, she got into the car.
She didn't sit in the passenger seat but next to Lola. Along the way, she spoke gently to Lola, only occasionally chatting with Frederick about the kids.
They could hide their feelings, and Lola couldn't see through it for now.
Lola got out of the car to go to school.
Frederick and Charlotte stood side by side, watching Lola. After a while, Frederick walked back to the car, opened the passenger side door, and gestured for Charlotte to get in.
Charlotte got into the car and said softly, "Drop me off at the next intersection. I'll grab a cab."
Frederick looked at the road ahead and lit a cigarette. "Where you headed? I'll take you."
Charlotte told him the spot, and Frederick said nothing, driving her there.
When she got out, she said thanks.
Frederick gently grabbed her hand, chuckling. "Charlotte, we're married. Since when do you need to say thanks for a ride? Are we that distant?"
Charlotte sat back in her seat, trying to keep her cool. "Frederick, if you wanna keep this marriage going, we gotta talk without all this distance. If not, go ahead and vent your frustrations."
The car went dead silent.
After a bit, Frederick gently pressed the gas pedal.
Maybe Charlotte was right; they might be better off if they didn't hold each other back. They were raising the kids together. But if he met some young, beautiful women...
Frederick didn't wanna think about it. He lightly pounded the steering wheel.
The car horn blared loudly.
He dropped Charlotte off at the entertainment building. As she got out, he sped off immediately.
He was pissed, no doubt.
Charlotte stood there quietly for a while before heading inside.
In the afternoon, it was Charlotte who picked up the kids.
While she was making dinner, Dana came over and said, "Charlotte, Frederick called and said he won't be home for dinner tonight."
Charlotte was kneading dough.
Hearing this, she paused and asked, "Did he say what time he'd be back?"
Dana shook her head.
Charlotte nodded, then continued kneading the dough after a moment. Lola wanted a cake, and she had promised to bake her a beautiful one.
Charlotte thought, 'Wait until the kids grow up a bit more!'
She took care of Lola and Kingsley by herself. After dinner, she taught Lola to play the piano. Kingsley could already walk, wobbling around while holding onto the piano.
Lola played for a while, then went to play with her brother.
By the time Lola and Kingsley were asleep, it was already 10 PM, and Frederick still hadn't come back.
Charlotte took a shower and lay quietly in bed.
Since they remarried, he rarely stayed out this late. Was this the fallout from their argument?
At that moment, Frederick was at a club.
It was a trivial business social event, and he had planned to leave by 9 PM.
But the people around him kept getting phone calls.
"I'll be back soon!"
"You're overthinking it! It's just a social event, no young girls here."
"I'll make it up to you when I get back!"
The men dealt with their wives, looking annoyed as they put down their phones. "Well, she's keeping a close watch!"
Saying this, they hugged young girls.
Someone complimented Frederick at this point, "Mr. Hawkins is different from us! It's this late, and Charlotte hasn't called once. She must have immense trust in Mr. Hawkins!"
Others laughed in agreement.
Amidst the laughter, Frederick felt extremely uncomfortable.
It wasn't because Charlotte trust him.
She just didn't care!
Usually restrained with alcohol, he couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. Feeling unwell, he went to the restroom to wash his face and sober up before returning to the private room.
There was a new young girl in the room, who was said to be a newcomer from a film company. She was 21 years old and was fresh as a flower, but clearly had plastic surgery.
She looked strikingly similar to Charlotte.
Frederick pushed the door open and was slightly stunned.
The young girl was very tactful. She did not do anything annoying, but sat beside him listening to the men talk business.
Everyone there was smart.
They all knew that this girl, named Elizabeth Grayson, had her sights set on Frederick.
Frederick didn't pay much attention.
He lit a cigarette, his long fingers holding it as he smoked slowly, exuding masculinity.
When the dinner ended, he took his coat and left.
As he got into the car, Elizabeth walked up to the car, her voice soft. "Mr. Hawkins, could you give me a ride?"
Frederick still had half a cigarette between his fingers.
He slowly finished smoking it before speaking, "Don't get involved with a married man."
After saying that, he instructed the driver to drive.
The driver, while driving, glanced in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but say, "She's quite pretty! If you look closely, she does resemble Charlotte, but it's obvious she's had work done. Could she have had surgery to look like Charlotte?"
Frederick was somewhat absent-minded.
He was thinking about Charlotte.
Would she ask where he had been so late? Would she care?
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