He’s... my step-uncle
Charlotte’s Pov
I didn’t even remember starting the car. I just found myself outside Loveth’s place, the steering wheel damp from my crying hands. I don’t know how I made it there without crashing. My chest felt heavy, like my ribs were trying to hold in a storm.
Climbing the steps to his door felt like walking through thick mud. Every movement reminded me of what I was trying so hard to forget, Luther. His voice still rang in my ears, cold and cruel. His words had left a deeper mark than the ache in my body.
I rang the bell, then wrapped my arms around myself, Stanley’s car keys now stuffed deep into the pocket of my shorts. It wasn’t long before I heard some cursing behind the door, and then Loveth appeared, his hair messy like he’d just gotten out of bed. The second I saw his face, my mouth opened, but nothing came out. My chin trembled. I couldn't speak. Couldn’t breathe properly.
“Charlotte…” His voice was low. Gentle. He stepped out and opened his arms.
I ran straight into them like my life depended on it, pressing my face to his chest as the tears exploded all over again. My body shook. I couldn’t stop it. He didn’t rush me or say too much. Just rubbed my back slowly, letting me fall apart in his arms.
“I’m such an idiot,” I croaked, my voice nearly breaking apart.
“You’re not,” he said softly and led me inside.
He brought me to his room, my comfort zone. I collapsed onto the couch at the foot of his bed, curling into myself. He handed me a box of tissues, but they didn’t help much. I kept crying.
“I should’ve said no,” I managed between broken breaths. “I should’ve walked away.”
“It’s alright. You’re here now,” Loveth said, sitting beside me. I leaned against him without thinking, his hand gently warming the side of my arm. He didn’t ask for details. He never pushed. That’s what made him different from Kate. She meant well, but sometimes she didn’t know when to stop digging.
“I just want this to stop,” I whispered, pressing a hand to the pit of my stomach. It felt like something was clawing at me from the inside.
“Let it out. Don’t hold anything in,” he said, letting me lean further into him.
A long silence passed. Then I sat up, still shaky.
“Can you help me with something?” I asked, swallowing hard.
“Of course.”
“Can you drive me out of town? I need to see a doctor. Any doctor.”
His brows drew together, concern rising. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, my voice thin. “I just need an STD test. And...emergency pills.”
He shot to his feet so fast it startled me. His whole body was tense now.
“Charlotte,” his voice hardened, “Did someone hurt you?”
“No! No one forced me,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “It was my choice. I thought I wanted it... I thought it meant something.”
The shame of saying it out loud made my throat burn. I felt like I was tearing myself open.
“Did he...not use protection?” he asked, pacing now, clearly trying to stay calm. He always warned me about stuff like this, and I had ignored all of it.
“I didn’t care at the moment,” I said, blinking back fresh tears. “Now I wish I had.”
He looked down, jaw clenched, hands fisted at his sides. But when he turned to me again, his eyes had softened.
“Okay. We’ll go. I’ve got you.”
I shook my head, barely able to say the word “no” before another sob ripped through my chest. I buried my face in my hands and cried hard, ugly tears. Everything felt so heavy. I couldn’t believe the side of Luther I had seen, cold, cruel, and nothing like the man I thought I knew. That moment at the club should’ve warned me, but I ignored it.
"It just… happened,” I choked out. “I didn’t plan it. I didn’t think it would turn out like this. And when it was over, he accused me of trapping him. Like I had planned the whole thing just to get something out of him.” My voice shook as I remembered every sharp word. “He told me to take a test and send him the results by tomorrow, or else he’d come to my house and drag me to a doctor himself. Loveth, my mum can’t find out. She’ll lose her mind.”
I nearly collapsed onto the floor, but Loveth caught me with a firm hand and helped me sit back.
“Who is this guy?” he asked. “And how the hell does he know where you live?”
I reached for another tissue, trying to clear my nose and eyes long enough to answer. “He’s... my step-uncle.”
Loveth stopped pacing and stared at me. “What?”
“You would’ve met him if you hadn’t bailed on Tuesday night,” I said, a little bitterly. “Kate and I were stranded. You left us for some random girl.”
He sighed and looked down. “I didn’t think, I told Kate to call a cab.”
“Well, we didn’t. Luther offered to drive us back to Kate’s,” I muttered, my throat dry, eyes burning from the tears.
Loveth dropped onto the couch beside me. “Let him try to drag you to a doctor. Let’s see how that works out for him.”
“Loveth,” I pleaded, “you don’t get it. If my mum hears even a whisper of this, she’ll flip. I can’t handle her finding out.”
“This guy sounds like a selfish prick. How old is he anyway?” Loveth asked, frowning.
“Thirty-five,” I mumbled. Saying it out loud made my stomach churn.
“And he blamed you?” Loveth scoffed. “He’s a grown man, Charlotte. This wasn’t just your mistake. It’s both of yours.”
I nodded slowly. He was right, but the truth didn’t make me feel any less cheap. The way Luther had looked at me, like I was nothing, still hurt. It made me feel like the only thing he’d wanted from me was sex.
“I still need to get contraceptive pills,” I said quietly, hoping he’d help me.
“I’ll get them for you,” Loveth said without hesitation. “But that other test? You’re not doing that alone. He either goes with you or shows you his own results. He doesn’t get to throw accusations around and treat you like this.”
His words gave me a little strength, something I’d lost completely after Luther humiliated me.
“There’s a problem,” I said, lowering my voice. “I don’t even know how to contact him. I don’t have his number, and I can’t just ask his brother without raising questions.”
Loveth raised an eyebrow. “So how was he expecting you to send him the results?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he assumed I’d ask around or something. He didn’t give me any details.”
“Do you know his full name?” Loveth asked, already walking toward his computer.
“Luther King,” I said, dragging my aching body from the couch to sit beside him. Loveth typed quickly, his eyes scanning the screen.
“This name sounds familiar,” he muttered. He clicked on a link, and there it was, Luther’s face, staring back at us from a professional website. His sleeves were rolled up, a gold watch gleaming on his wrist. I blinked, frozen in shock.
“That’s him?” Loveth asked. I nodded slowly, unable to say a word.
He read aloud from the screen, disbelief thick in his voice. “Luther King. Private businessman. CEO of MC Security. Multi-millionaire. Damn, Charlotte…”
I just stared at the screen. I couldn’t believe it either. Everything hurts, my body, my heart, my pride. And now, this? I’d slept with a man I barely knew, who turned out to be not only rich and powerful but also heartless. And I was the one left to clean up the mess.
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