Why are you crying?
Luther' POV
"Let her in," I told Reyna, my secretary, after she called to say Charlotte was outside. I did not know whether to be angry or relieved. It was dangerous for her to come here now, especially after we found out what her mother was capable of. But I was glad she was safe. I had missed her, even though I had made love to her just before coming to work.
“She lied.” That was the first thing she said as she walked in, holding a large envelope.
“She lied to me, Luther,” she said again, her voice cracking as she wiped her tears with her left hand. I stood up quickly as she came around the desk, dropped the envelope, and ran into my arms.
“What happened, love? Why are you crying?” I pulled her closer as she started crying harder. I still did not know what she meant, but I could feel how hurt she was. Her shoulders shook, so I carried her to the office couch and sat down, holding her on my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck tightly.
“Mom,” she said, breathing heavily against my neck. My heart skipped. I wondered if she had found out the truth I had been keeping from her.
“It is okay, babe,” I said gently, rubbing her back.
“She wants to sell my father's house. She said she only wanted to lease it.” I narrowed my eyes.
“She told you that?” I asked, trying to keep her calm.
“No. I saw the agreement. It… it is in there.” She could not finish. Instead, she pointed to the white envelope. I wanted to look inside, but it could wait until she stopped crying.
“We will find a good lawyer. I do not know much about property, but if the house is still in your father's name, you can stop her.” She relaxed a little when I said that. She stayed in my arms, resting against my chest while I called one of my company’s lawyers.
“Did Stanley ask you to install a security system while he was away?” she asked suddenly, and my hand stopped on her back.
“What?” was all I could say.
“I saw him there,” she added. I tilted my head.
“You saw him at Stanley’s house? I thought you were with your friends. What were you even…” I stopped talking. I remembered Stanley mumbling something earlier about people asking where he was. He must have meant Charlotte.
“You were looking for your father's house documents,” I said, finally understanding. But then I wondered why Mateo had not called to tell me he ran into her.
“Does he know?” she asked again.
“No,” I replied.
“But Mateo said he was the one who hired your company.” I almost pulled my hair in frustration. Mateo should have told me he lied, so I would have known what to say.
“Well, the thing is…”
“Why are you lying to me, Luther?” I knew this was about to go badly. She only called me by my full name when she was really upset. She got off my lap and walked to the desk. I ran my hand through my hair. She reached to grab the envelope, but then stopped halfway. That was when I remembered the photo Mateo had given me, it was still on the desk, next to my laptop.
“Oh no,” I muttered as she picked it up. I could not see her full face, just the side, so it was hard to read her expression. I stood up, my throat dry as I tried to come up with an excuse. She opened the envelope and quickly flipped through the papers.
I watched as she pulled out what looked like a driver’s licence. Then she slowly walked to the large window and stood there silently. She looked at the photo, then at the paper, then back again. She shook her head. Every second she stayed quiet made my heart beat faster.
"Where did you get this?" Her voice was calm, but I could see how tense her back was under her tight top.
"I, um..." I scratched the side of my head.
"Why do you have a photo of my mother and the same man who came up to me at the party?" Her voice rose as she turned around, her eyes full of anger. At least now she was reacting, even if it was out of rage.
"Listen, babe, there is no need to jump to conclusions…"
"I will do more than just jump to conclusions if you do not tell me the truth right now!" she shouted, breathing hard, her eyes filling with tears again.
"Okay, okay," I said, lifting my hands and nodding quickly. "Stanley gave me that photo."
That was a lie. I had already kept too many things from her, and now I was adding more to protect the truth.
"Would Stanley say the same thing if I call him now?" she asked, and I closed my eyes. I could not bring myself to look at the sadness written all over her face.
"I wish it was easy to tell you the truth, Charlotte," I said, lowering my eyes to the floor. If only she knew how much I wanted to protect her heart from what was coming.
"Wish? So you are saying you will not tell me?" Her voice cracked as she stepped closer.
"I am not stupid, Luther. I saw Mateo trying to hide what he was doing. I know he was installing cameras. Why would he sneak in if Stanley really asked for it? And why would you all do it secretly if it was not to spy on Stanley or my mother?"
She was getting closer to the truth. Nothing was going to stop her now.
"How do you know he sneaked in?"
"The way he acted. It was obvious."
"Charlotte, please trust me, you cannot handle the full truth," I said, hoping she would understand.
"You do not get to decide that!" she snapped. "Now, for the last time, where did you get that photo?" She waved it in front of my face.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak. "Your mother is not the person she says she is. That picture and..." I paused and took a step forward. Her hands were shaking as I gently took the licence and the photo from her, comparing both. The hair, eyes, and face matched exactly.
"I am listening," she whispered, her lips trembling while tears slid down her face.
"Come sit with me," I said softly, guiding her back to the couch. I felt a small wave of relief when she allowed me to touch her. I had expected her to push me away.
"When you told me your mother called your family lawyer and doctor after the shooting, something felt off. Who calls everyone except the police when their husband is shot and the shooter is still unknown?"
I gave her part of the truth. I was not going to tell her that we started investigating after learning someone had been following her.
"Someone with their own hidden plans, instead of saving her husband," she said, staring into the distance, her body shaking slightly.
"So... you think my mother killed my father?" she asked.
Before I could speak, she added, "I would not be shocked if she did. She has already shown me that all she cares about is money."
She was taking it in a way I had not expected. Still, she was right to question everything.
"That still does not answer my question, Luther. Where did you really get the photo?" Her tone was softer now, but firm.
"I told you. I had someone look into her past."
"You are still not answering!" she stood up and threw her hands in the air.
"Fine, I will tell you," I raised my voice. "From your mother's first husband."
She gave me a sharp look. "My mother’s first husband is my dad, and he is dead. In case you forgot."
"That is what she told you," I said slowly. "But your mother was married before she met your father. This man…" I pointed at the photo, first at Sanders, then at Matthew. "This is her first husband, Sanders. And this…" I pointed at the second man, "is Matthew. They ran off together after Sanders found out they were stealing money from his accounts."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
