“And now… leave him, Charlie. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“Maybe he doesn’t, Julian, but I made a commitment. I made vows… I carried his child. I can’t just let go of that.”
Julian remains quiet, his lips only inches from mine, and I know that if I don’t do something drastic at this moment, my marriage will be officially over. I move my head sideways and gently rest it on his shoulder. We continue to dance, our bodies so close that I’m heavily ignoring his hard cock pressed up against me. Like seriously, fucking kill me now.
My mind wanders to a future with Julian. How easy it would be to have a rational man by my side without the tainted past and trauma which hovers over my marriage. It would be easy and nice.
But he is not Lex.
He isn’t the father of my child.
And he will never own my heart the same way.
My stare moves toward the bar, and I see Lex standing there watching me intently, but this time his stare is of pure rage, the shade of his eyes dark and vengeful. It’s the same stare he gave me the moment he saw my engagement ring the first time we ran into each other at the restaurant—wide eyes, his neck muscles straining against his skin. His arms are folded flat against his chest, intimidating me with his controlling stance.
“Julian, I need to go…”
“Gorgeous, please stay. I need this,” he pleas, his hands wrapped tight around my waist refusing to let me go.
I reach down, removing them. “I can’t… I love him, Julian.”
“Don’t… please, just stay.”
I pull away as he holds onto my hand before I reluctantly let go.
With every step I take, my heart buries itself deeper into my chest. In true Lex style, his words will be callous and hurtful, sealing the fate of our marriage. I have never felt so alone despite being surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues. This journey to free myself from a man who no longer loves me will be the start to endless suffering, but perhaps, endless suffering in solitude is better than it being in the flesh every time you wake up.
“You’re late.”
“Does it matter?” he growls, nostrils flaring as his eyes widen. “Old habits die hard.”
“They certainly do, don’t they, Lex?”
He takes a swig of his bourbon, then grabs my wrist, pulling me toward the exit. I drag my heels, begging him to stop as I’m on the verge of tripping, but he doesn’t listen. Instead, he leads me down the path of the garden until we find ourselves in the parking lot. I recognize his car immediately, parked in the dark corner.
“Let go of me!”
He refuses to listen as he just stands, his eyes flashing with molten rage.
“What, Lex? Now you’re jealous? Tell me, does it hurt? Does it hurt to know that someone else wants me? Does it hurt that for a moment it made me come alive, another man’s words made me feel alive? The same man you hate with every fiber of your being?”
“Charlotte…” he bellows.
“What? You gave up on us… our marriage is on the verge of over, and I don’t even know why!” I throw my hands in the air, frustrated he chooses to have this conversation tonight. “You won’t fucking talk to me… you don’t even want to see my face.”
He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket, and I recognize it immediately.
“Tell me what the fuck this is?” he yells.
“You can read,” I say calmly.
“You want a fucking divorce?”
I clutch my stomach, bowing my head, willing the pain piercing every inch of me just to stop. This isn’t the life we planned, and I refuse to settle for anything else.
“Lex, I can’t do this anymore. It’s killing me.”
His nostrils flare like a bull ready to attack. In a quick move, he pushes me onto the hood of the car, the metal touching my skin as the shock stills my breath.
With force, his lips crash onto mine, and I try with strength to push him away. He deserves to be pushed away, but I miss him so much. I don’t know what this means, but right in this moment, do I care? For a moment, he is mine again, and I’ll take it while I can.
Lex pulls away, and I sit up struggling to catch my breath.