She should not have hugged me like that...
Charlotte's POV
The sky looked too bright for how I felt inside. As I stepped out of the shower and wiped the steam from the mirror, I stared at my reflection. My eyes were tired, skin pale, and the weight on my chest had not lifted since Friday. It felt like the world kept moving while I was stuck in the same nightmare, looping the same memories of my father and Luther over and over.
I had not left the house all weekend. I kept my door shut, skipped meals, and ignored the few texts that came in. Luther had promised to take me to a doctor, but he never showed up. I thought he would force his way in like always, but this time, there was silence.
A knock came at the door. “Charlotte, breakfast,” my mother called from downstairs.
I dragged myself to the kitchen, where she was already seated at the table, sipping tea. The smell of bacon filled the air, but it did nothing for my appetite. I sat down anyway.
“Loveth is still picking you up, right?” she asked, looking up at me with a soft expression.
“Yes,” I answered, voice low.
“You have barely touched your plate. Is something bothering you?” she asked, pouring more tea into my cup.BEverything was bothering me. Luther. The murder case. My aching chest. But I smiled a little and shook my head.
“I am okay.”
“I heard from the detective,” she said. Her voice was calm, but I could tell she was holding back. “You know how I feel about you digging around. Let Stanley do his job. The man who did this will pay.”
My fingers gripped the edge of my plate, but I said nothing. Just then, my phone buzzed beside my cup. It was Loveth.
“He is here,” I muttered and stood up quickly.
“Take care,” my mother called after me.
The air outside felt cooler than I expected. I spotted Loveth’s car by the curb and climbed in.
“You look more alive today,” he said as I buckled my seatbelt.
“I pretended to be, so my mum would not worry,” I replied, raising an eyebrow when I noticed the empty backseat. “Where is Kate?”
Loveth scratched the side of his neck but said nothing. His eyes stayed fixed on the road. I narrowed mine.
“Loveth, answer me.”
Still no reply. I pulled out my phone and dialed Kate’s number from memory. When she picked up, I tapped the speaker.
“Hey, where are you hiding?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“I am not going in today,” she said, her voice faint.
“You? Miss class? Since when?” My tone shifted. She sounded off.
“I cannot face Loveth. Not after what happened.”
My eyes shifted to him, but he kept driving like nothing was happening.
“What happened?” I asked, turning off the speaker and placing the phone to my ear.
“We ran into him at the mall yesterday. I hugged him. He pushed me away.”
I felt my chest tighten.
“Why?”
“I thought maybe he was just shocked, but then this girl walked out of Victoria’s Secret and grabbed his arm right in front of me. He did not even say anything. Just let her walk off with him like I meant nothing.”
Her voice cracked, and I knew she was holding back tears. I looked at Loveth again. This day had just started, and already it was falling apart.
I ended the call without saying much. There was nothing I could say that would take away what Kate felt. Betrayal from someone you trusted always leaves a different kind of wound.
"You have anything to say?" I asked Loveth, my eyes fixed on the side of his face.
He let out a long breath. "It is not what she thinks."
"So explain it."
He hesitated, then shook his head. "She should not have hugged me like that. Not after everything that happened at the club."
"She did it because she cares. You know that," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "And what about the girl at the mall?"
"She is just someone I have been talking to. It is not serious."
"It was serious enough for you to let her cling to you right in front of Kate."
Loveth did not respond. I could see the guilt written across his face, even if he was trying to act calm.
The rest of the ride to campus was quiet. I kept looking out the window, trying to stop my thoughts from drifting back to Luther. He had disappeared after making such a big deal about taking me to the doctor. Typical. He always showed up when I least expected him and vanished when I needed him the most. When we got to campus, Loveth pulled up by the front entrance and parked. Before I could get out, he touched my arm.
"Charlotte... I did not mean to hurt her. I swear."
"You already did," I said flatly, opening the door.
As I walked away, I could feel his eyes on my back, but I did not turn around. Not today. Classes went by in a blur. I barely registered anything the lecturers said. My notes were a mess, my thoughts worse. I kept checking my phone, half expecting Luther to send a message. But there was nothing. At lunch, I sat alone under the big tree near the arts building. It was quiet, the kind of quiet I had been craving since Friday, but now it only made the ache inside worse. I picked at my sandwich, appetite gone.
"Skipping meals again?"
That voice. I looked up sharply. Luther stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, looking like he had not lost a second of sleep. His dark hair was neatly styled, and his grey shirt clung to his frame. He looked...unbothered.
"Where have you been?" I asked, not bothering to hide my irritation.
"Handling things."
"Like ditching me after you said you would take me to the doctor?"
"I had something urgent come up," he replied.
"Of course you did," I said bitterly.
He walked closer and sat across from me. "I know you are mad. You have every right to be. But I would not have missed it if it was not serious."
I studied him, trying to figure out if he was being sincere. It was hard to tell. Luther always had a way of saying just enough to sound right.
"You should have called," I said.
He nodded. "I should have."
We sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again.
"How are you holding up?"
"I am tired, Luther. Tired of all of this."
His jaw clenched slightly, but he said nothing.
"My mum says the detective is working on it. She thinks we will get answers soon."
"I hope so," he said quietly. Then he looked at me, eyes softer now. "I do not want you going through this alone."
"You already left me alone."
He leaned forward. "Then let me make it right."
I stared at him for a long moment, unsure of whether to believe him. But part of me still wanted to.
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