No lies. No pretending
Charlotte's POV
The car door slammed behind me harder than I meant. My hands trembled as I fumbled with the seatbelt, eyes burning but dry. I refused to cry. Not for a man like Luther. Loveth glanced at me from the driver’s seat. “Tell me what happened.” I could barely meet his eyes. My chest was tight, like something was sitting on it. “Nothing,” I said quickly, coughing to hide the crack in my voice. “He was in a meeting.”
A lie. One that tasted bitter on my tongue. I had walked in without knocking, thinking I could surprise him. Instead, I saw her. With him. Their bodies tangled like I had never existed. It was like someone had slapped the air right out of my lungs. Loveth did not buy my lie. “Then why do you look like someone punched a hole through your heart?”
I wanted to scream. Or hit something. Anything to drown the image from my mind. “Because I care about someone who sees me as nothing!” I shouted, the words exploding out before I could stop them. Luther had money, power, and charm. Women probably threw themselves at him every day. I had hoped I was different. I was wrong.
“Charlotte, breathe…” Loveth reached out.
“Do not touch me,” I snapped, knocking his hand away. “And do not tell me to breathe when you are doing the same thing to Kate.” His mouth shut, but I saw guilt flicker in his eyes.
“You know she loves you. You sit there pretending not to notice, but I see it. Everyone sees it,” I said, my voice rising again. “And you left her tonight. Alone. While I was stuck pretending everything was fine when it was not.” He kept his eyes on the road, jaw locked tight.
“We made a pact, remember? No lies. No pretending. You made that rule. So why are you breaking it now?” My voice cracked, softer now, more tired than angry. I folded my hands in my lap, eyes staring out the window, but the only thing I could see was Luther. And her. And the way he looked at her like I never mattered.
“You are selfish, Charlotte.” The words hit me. My hand flew to my chest, my jaw dropping.
“What?” I stared at him, eyebrows raised, unsure if I heard him right. That was the exact word Luther had used. Just like that, cutting, cold, final. I could still see the smug smirk on his face as he thrust into that brunette like I never meant a thing. Loveth’s voice brought me back.
“That day at the lake, you acted like everything was about you. Just because your mother announced her marriage, you thought the world had to stop. You were furious when Kate and I got close, and you accused us of ignoring you. When we were all just trying to give you a good time.” He slammed his palm against the steering wheel, then gripped it so tightly I thought he might rip it off.
“I wasn’t angry at you,” I said quietly. “And I definitely did not feel pushed aside.”
“Stop pretending.”
“Can you shut up for a second and actually listen to me?” I snapped, slamming my hands on the seat beside me. The sound startled even me. I exhaled hard, trying to gather my thoughts. “That day... When you and Kate were getting close, I left because I wanted to give you two spaces. I thought it was the right thing to do.” I paused, swallowing against the lump rising in my throat.
“But just as I turned to leave, I saw him. Luther. Standing outside his cabin. And at that moment, I felt like the whole world was falling apart.”
My voice trembled near the end, and I shut my eyes tightly, trying to push away the memory.
“Wait, what are you saying?” Loveth asked, glancing at me. “You already knew Luther? Even back then?”
“Yes,” I admitted, nodding. “I had met him the day before. And... somehow, I was already drawn to him. He made me feel something I had never felt before, and I could not explain it. Seeing him again out of nowhere messed with my head. Then seeing you and Kate together just made me feel more alone. I guess I was jealous because I wanted something like that. With him.”
I looked down at my hands. “I never told you because I was ashamed. I was falling for a much older man, and it felt wrong.”
Loveth was quiet for a while, his hands still on the wheel, the tension in his shoulders finally beginning to ease.
“You should never be ashamed of your feelings, Charlotte,” he said at last, his tone gentler now.
“I know,” I whispered, chewing the inside of my cheek.
“You love him,” he said suddenly. I turned to look at him so fast my neck almost snapped.
“Do not give me that look,” he added. “I can tell. From the way you speak about him. The hurt in your voice. The way you are holding yourself together like you are about to break.”
I squeezed my eyes shut again. The ache in my chest only grew stronger. Because deep down, I knew he was right. It was not a stupid crush. It never had been.
“I don’t think so,” I murmured, shaking my head as the image of Luther and that woman flashed through my mind again, vivid, haunting and unrelenting.
“You can keep denying it,” Loveth said gently, “but deep down, you know it’s true. What you feel for him, it’s stronger than anything you’ve ever felt for anyone. Your eyes don’t lie, Charlotte. No matter what he did, you still want him.” I swallowed hard, but my throat was too tight. His words hit too close to home.
“I know if he were to apologise right now,” Loveth went on, “you’d forgive him. No matter how deep the wound. Because the heart doesn’t care about reason, it wants what it wants.”
Right then, the first tear, my first since walking out of Luther’s office, slipped free and slid silently down my cheek. Another followed. Then another. And soon, the dam I’d been holding back burst. The betrayal I’d tried so hard to bury surged forward, tearing through me like a storm. I cried, my shoulders trembling, sniffling helplessly into my palms. I couldn’t understand how I’d ended up here, how I’d fallen for a man like him. It was never just a crush. Loveth had been right all along.
“I know there’s a lot between you two,” Loveth said softly, still focused on the road. “He hurt you, yes. But maybe... just maybe, if you talked…”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I cut in, wiping my face with the back of my hand.
“There is,” he insisted. “Because your feelings matter, Charlotte. When you came home crying after whatever he said to you, I thought it was just a passing thing. But this…” his voice dipped…“this isn’t something you can fake or ignore. You’re in pain. I see it every time I look at you.”
I bit my lip, my heart pounding, because he was right. I hadn’t even noticed where we were driving to. I’d been so consumed by thoughts of Luther, by the ache he left behind. Just then, my phone rang. A number I didn’t recognise flashed across the screen. Curious and half-expecting it to be someone else, I hesitated before answering. I pressed it to my ear with trembling fingers.
“H-Hello?” My voice cracked, thick and raw from crying.
“I need to talk to you.” My entire body went still. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as I recognised the voice, Luther. I almost dropped the phone. How did he get my number?
“Charlotte, please,” he continued, his voice unusually soft. “I want to explain what you saw.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. Loveth glanced at me, one eyebrow raised, but said nothing.
“I know what I saw,” I said quietly, my voice heavy as the ache in my chest came rushing back in full force.
“Just once,” he pleaded. “Just let me explain.”
“You had your chance,” I replied coldly, gripping the phone tightly. “You used it to turn me into some object for your accusations. You insulted me. Now you’ve made your choice, live with it. Don’t call me again.” Before he could respond, I ended the call. And just like that, the floodgates opened again. I couldn’t hold it in. I broke. Tears spilled down my cheeks as sobs tore from my chest, shaking me to the core. Luther had shattered something deep inside me, and I wasn’t sure it could be put back together again.
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