CHARLOTTENathan walked up to me on near-silent feet, and I wiped my tears as he got closer.“Why are you crying, Charlotte?” his voice was soft as he sat on the bed.“Nothing. Sorry. Please give me a moment to gather myself,” I whispered as I tried to stop the tears from falling.He didn't say anything, just maintained his position on the bed.His proximity made me want to lean into his warmth.But I didn't. I sniffed and started to talk.“Nathan. It's true. Bella Windsor has my son,” I said.He was silent momentarily, and I could almost see the calculations moving in his head.“You mentioned that immediately you saw the footage, before passing out. I wasn't sure, so I hesitated to act but later did. Now that you're sure…well, I can't say it's surprising,” he said.“She just called me now. And she threatened to starve my son if I didn't donate my kidney to save Sophie,” my voice was quiet, ashamed of the outburst earlier with Bella.I watched Nathan's reaction to the news, noticing h
NATHANI pulled away from Charlotte, her cheeks flushed and tinged with pink. My actions surprised her, and I felt, rather than saw, her flinch.Breathing heavily, I gathered all my desire and compressed it into a ball, banishing it to the depths of my mind. I also willed my body to forget about it.I should not have teased Charlotte.I knew I should not have done what I just did, toying intimately with her like that.But was I teasing her?Day after day, I found it very hard to resist the desire that coursed through me every time my eyes settled on hers.I could not resist the draw, the aura that made me want to taste and have her.I knew I wanted Charlotte, and she must know it too. But this was not the place or the time.Her son might be in danger, and here I was, fantasizing about wanting her.Taking deep breaths to control my raging emotions, I felt my face slide back into its regular blank and expressionless state.The silence had stretched between us like a blanket, stifling ev
CHARLOTTEI knew my jaw was hanging open, but I could not compose myself.Nathan just defended me. He just took my side in front of that woman.I still had no idea who the fuck she was to him and their relationship, but the moment she stepped inside, I had been preparing for Nathan to dismiss me.Or to try to explain my presence in his house.I wasn't expecting him to choose me over her.“Charlotte,” he called my name slowly as he walked towards me. I was frozen on the spot. I couldn't move.He walked towards me warily, as though he was scared that I would run away.“You look…surprised,” he said, and I finally, finally snapped my jaw closed.“I…I guess I wasn't expecting you to…you know, defend me,” the words struggled to leave my throat, but I had to say it.It had gone against everything I had been expecting, against everything I had imagined in my head.Nathan frowned, eventually stopping before me.“What do you mean? Why are you surprised?” he asked.I shrugged.“I don't know. I m
CHARLOTTENathan cleaned me up gently, and while I might have enjoyed what we just had, I blushed furiously while he cleaned me up.He enjoyed my discomfort and drew out the aftercare, laughing at my apparent nervousness and awkwardness.When we were both clean and dressed, Nathan carried me back to bed and teased me into cuddling with him.I was starting to get comfortable when he started talking.“Five years ago, I had a one-night stand with a stranger. I believe it was a setup, and there, at Magical Nights hotel, I got drunk and slept with a woman who disappeared the next morning,” I stilled, my heart pounding at his very familiar words.“I searched for years, unable to get over the mysterious woman. The woman turned out to be Wendy. I was surprised when Dan told me, and her insistence, coupled with the fact that I had no way to confirm the claim, made me accept that she was indeed the one.”I stilled even f
NATHANWhile my mind had previously presented me with different scenarios and possibilities of how Charlotte would react to this part of me—this information, this secret no one knew about me—I certainly wasn't expecting this.She was sobbing, her breath coming in gasps as she cried.Charlotte would not look at me, and my heart sank a little bit in panic at how badly she was taking the news.On a scale of one to ten, this was a hundred.It probably qualified enough to count as a thousand.I knew Charlotte had feelings for me.It had been painfully evident to me for a while, even if she had no idea herself.I had watched her fall head over heels for me, and while it took a while for my feelings to grow, it was undoubtedly mutual.Honesty was something I appreciated, and telling Charlotte that I was holding nothing and hiding nothing from her seemed like the best thing to do to me.Now I wasn't so sure an
CHARLOTTESleep eluded me for days, and it was hard to stay in the same location as Nathan.My mind was filled with constant dread, and I lost weight as my appetite dissipated into thin air.I needed my son.My fear and horror grew as hours ticked by, and I didn't know what to do.I was pacing in the living room, gnawing on my fingernails, when my phone rang.It was Bella.My heart hammered in my chest as I picked up.“Get your ass to the hospital and donate your kidney if you don't want your son to die,” her voice was uncharacteristically serious; not giving me time to speak immediately, I picked up the call.“W…what do you mean?” my words climbed over one another to get out.She couldn't possibly mean that. Bella would not hurt my son.She was not evil up to the point of taking his life.Right?“You're not serious, are you?” I managed to steady my v
CHARLOTTEAs soon as the door to the operating room opened for me to be wheeled in, my eyes met Sophia’s.She smirked.Her skin was glowing, and she looked nothing like the sick picture Bella painted for me.With the way Bella urged me to donate my kidney, I thought Sophia was on the brink of death, but alas—Her cheeks were rosy with life, her eyes alight with mischief.She even had slight makeup on.I knew my jaw was hanging open, but I didn’t close it.“What is this? Your mother said you were sick and that it was a life and death-situation?” I asked, panic grasping my chest as the realization settled on my bones.Sophie laughed at my expression, and the medical operators in the room looked at her expectantly as though they were awaiting her instructions.She waved her hands in dismissal.“Excuse us, please. I'd like to have a moment with Charlotte. I'll holler when I n
CHARLOTTENathan's appearance was so unexpected, and my heart flipped a little as he stood there.Sophia gasped, moving backward.She didn’t expect to see Nathan. I wasn't either, but the relief that flooded me stopped me from saying anything.He walked in and gently carried me outside the operating room.The doctors were nowhere to be found, and Sophia, it seemed, had gotten over her surprise.“You can't take her away. She has to do the operation,” she yelled as she ran after us.Nathan ignored her, his grip on me tightening.When we got to the waiting room where Bella was, her eyes widened when she saw the sight before her.“Charlotte already signed the consent form! She can't run away. Let her do the operation!” Sophia said to Nathan.Confused, Bella looked at me, Nathan, and her daughter.“Sophia? How come you're up and about? I thought…you said you were sick, and the doctors told me you needed the kidney immediately,” Bella's eyes were wide, her voice shaky as she tried to unders
CHARLOTTETHREE MONTHS LATERToday was my wedding day. As I walked down the hall towards my husband, my eyes watered, lips stretched into a smile.I took one step after another, and my mind flashed back to the day he officially proposed to me.*“Come on, get ready. I want to show you something,” Nathan said as he tugged me out of bed.I frowned.I had been feeling sluggish today and wasn't particularly interested in going out.Besides, I wanted to finish the romance novel I was reading, but Nathan didn't budge as he tugged me up.“I promise it will be worth your time. Please?” he pouted, and I laughed at his cute appearance.I gave in and got dressed.He waited patiently for me, and since it was almost dusk, I decided to wear a beautiful strapless gown he got for me the other day.Nathan whistled as he took in my appearance.“I don't know where we are going though. Is this alright?” I asked, and Nathan just nodded.“You're perfect. Come on, let's go.”Nathan was in a perfectly good m
NATHANI met Lucy the day after Charlie found her, and she explained everything she knew.Lucy explained how sad and heartbroken my mother was and how she tried to hide all of her broken feelings from me.She told me how my father and his wife, Melina, killed my mother to take over the company, which was rightfully hers.When my parents got married, my mother was just the rich daughter of rich parents. But after her parents' death, the company automatically passed to her.I guess that was when William started to abuse her.As her husband, he had rights to the company, but my mother held all the power.The company was to be mine when I came of age, but William and Melina killed my mother and took over, making me a CEO while still having the company in their grasp.I thanked Lucy profoundly for agreeing to talk to me.She permitted me, so I recorded all the information and took it to the police as evidence.William was arrested, along with his wife, Melina.My father was furious that I
NATHANThe sun rose before us, and I was still sleepy when the doorbell rang. I frowned as I glanced at the time.It was seven in the morning.Who could be at our doorstep this early?I groaned at the relentless ringing, and Charlotte's body became aware of mine.She opened her eyes and met my gaze, a smile on her lips. My heart skipped a beat as she smiled at me.She was so gorgeous, damn. Her smile, sleepy eyes, and messy hair made my head flutter, and I leaned in to kiss her.“Good morning,” I whispered. She nuzzled against me.“Good morning. I thought I heard the doorbell ringing,” she yawned as she sat up.As if on cue, the doorbell rang again.Charlotte wrapped a robe around her body, and we padded to the living room to see who it was.I asked her to step back while I opened the door.It was a delivery man.Several delivery men.The one closest to me glanced up at me before looking back at his clipboard.“Hello. Is this Ms. Charlotte's residence?” he asked, and Charlotte walked
CHARLOTTEWe spent some time with my new family, and when it got late, we decided to leave.Selina was sad to see us go. She tried to get us to stay overnight, but we told her we would come and visit her soon.Besides, we needed to get home for Charles.The drive home was silent. Nathan was focused on the road, and I kept thinking about what happened.I recalled the day's events, from the hospital visit to the massive feast, and almost combusted from the emotions running through me.By the time we got home, I was still too shell-shocked to speak, and Nathan embraced me.“You've been quiet, my love. Are you alright?” his brows were furrowed with worry, and I rested my head on his chest before I answered.“I'm fine. I am. I just can't…it's so hard to believe,” I said softly.“What is?” he asked.I had a feeling he knew what I was talking about, but he needed me to say the words, to articulate them, so that I could better understand myself.“That I finally found my new family. And they'r
CHARLOTTENathan held me for a long time, and we stayed in the restroom.During this time, I reflected on the reason I’d come here in the first place.The dawning news of my new family—my new beginning, my new home.My chest constricted, and in seconds, tears filled my eyes.I had a mother now.The thought hit me suddenly, so unexpectedly, and the first sob left my lips.A mother.One who loved me.I remembered our encounters and how warm she made me feel, how she laughed with me, how she made me feel at peace.I remembered our connection and the ease with which she related to me.I remembered our shopping spree and how she convinced me to play dress-up. I remembered us laughing at our ridiculous dresses and how beautiful they were.Selina loved me right from the first day we met at the beach.The sob turned into full-fledged tears.Nathan patted me on the back, saying nothi
CHARLOTTEA few days later, Selina called me to inform me that the DNA test results were ready.Nathan drove my nervous self to the hospital.When we got there, we saw Selina outside. She was bouncing on the tips of her legs and immediately embraced me when she saw me.“Hi, Selina. Shall we go in now?” I asked, but the older woman shook her head negatively.“Oh, there's no need for that, my darling. I already got the results. Here, see for yourself,” she said, handing a document to me.My heart pounded, and my hands shook slightly as I opened the document.I gasped when I saw it, tears springing into my eyes.I was Selina's daughter.Selina was my biological mother.A sob escaped my throat as I read the confirmation over and over.After all these years of searching, all these years of misconceptions and lies.After all these years of suffering, of paying for a crime she didn't
CHARLOTTEWhen I returned home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Julian's comment about Nathan's company.Julian had hinted about Nathan losing everything he worked for.What did that mean?Was someone trying to overthrow him? I wanted to call him, but I didn't.He had already started work today, so if something were wrong, he would deal with it.Right?Nathan was competent. So I did not need to worry.I paced for a while, then decided to do something to distract myself from overthinking.It had been a while since I baked, so I went to the kitchen and arranged some ingredients.The worry in my body eased as I kneaded the dough, and I relaxed.I got into a rhythm, losing myself in the chore. My body moved fluidly, the motions as natural as breathing, and as I baked, I sang.I soon lost track of time.Nothing else mattered outside the bubble I was in except for my dough and my song.I
NATHANI was on my way to the office when my phone rang. It was a strange number, and I was reluctant to pick it up.But my instincts told me it must be someone important, so I picked up the call.The call was from the city’s prison, and I frowned when the warden told me an inmate wished to speak with me.Who could it possibly be?I waited as the warden handed the phone to whoever it was, and immediately, I heard the familiar tenor of Sophie's voice; I wanted to hang up.“Before you do anything, I want you to please listen to me,” her voice was weak, and I could feel the rattling pattern of her breath.She didn’t sound very healthy.“And why should I listen to you?” I snapped.“Because the doctor said I'm dying, and I don't want to die with this weight in my chest. I need to see you, please,” she begged, coughing as she spoke.I said nothing as I hung up and parked t
CHARLOTTEI woke up in Nathan’s arms, happy and contented.The past few days were like heaven.Nathan spent every moment with me, spoiling me rotten.We went shopping, ate fancy courses at exquisite restaurants, attended posh and elegant parties, ate street food, and did everything we could think of.I nuzzled into him, not wanting to lose the warmth, when suddenly my phone buzzed on the bedside table, and I groaned.I wasn't willing to stand up yet, but the buzzing was insistent, and I sighed as I sat up and reached for the phone.It was Selina.The older woman was excited when I picked up her call, and I felt guilty for not wanting to pick up earlier.“I hope I'm not disturbing you?” she asked.“No, no. Not at all, Selina. Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked.“Oh. The thing is, I was wondering if you'd like to go shopping with me. I'm bored, and I don't want to go on my own.” I had a feeling that Selina was pouting as she spoke, and the image that came to my head at the