Chapter 41
CHARLOTTE
It was a perfect Chicago morning, with the sun shining on glass buildings, a gentle breeze threading through the streets, and people laughing over mimosas like the world wasn’t actively trying to unravel my life.
I clutched my iced coffee like a talisman as Stella and I wove through the brunch crowd.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in months,” she said, swinging our linked hands together. “How’s marriage been? You don’t look traumatized, at least.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”
“It’s got to be more than just not bad,” she said, giving me a sideways glance. “I think…”
Here we go. “What?”
“I think you like him.” Her eyes sparkled. “Like, really, really like him.”
I stared straight ahead. “Of, course I like him. He’s my husband.”
“Uh-huh.” She bumped her shoulder into mine. “Try that again without sounding like someone reading tax law regulations out loud.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stella.”
“Charlotte.”
“Fine. I do like him,” I admitted. “A lot. Even more now than I did the last time we had this conversation, but I still don’t know how he feels about me.”
She barked out a laugh. “He married you.”
“In Vegas.”
“And?”
“And we were drunk.”
She shrugged. “People get drunk and marry the wrong person every day. That doesn’t explain the way he looks at you.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” My cheeks flared hot, but I still forced out the truth, my voice barely above a whisper. “He only looks at me like that because he wants me.”
“Sexually?” she teased, her eyebrows inching up.
“Obviously, but that’s all it is right now and wanting someone is easy. Especially if you’re living with them and spending almost all your free time together. It doesn’t mean he’s falling in love.”
“This again? Really?” Stella stuffed the last bite of her croissant into her mouth, dusting crumbs off her shirt.
“He literally threw you over his shoulder and dragged you off to Vegas to get married, then he took you home, paraded you around a ranch like you’re the crown jewel of Texas, and he’s fighting your father tooth and nail.
That has to mean that he’s at least a little bit emotionally invested. ”
I swallowed hard, trying to suppress the surge of hope rising from deep within. “The marriage wasn’t his idea, though. Neither was Vegas. I’m pretty sure Alex was responsible for both those things, and in the meantime, back at the literal ranch, I’m head over heels for the guy.”
“That guy is your husband. You’re allowed to be head over heels for him.
In fact, you should be.” She paused in front of the gleaming doors of a high-end department store where she practically had VIP parking.
“Give me five minutes. I need new sunglasses, but for the record, I still think you’re wrong.
It’s not one-sided, or physical, or a drunken mistake.
Give him a little more credit than that.
Your husband likes you, Lotte. I think it’s about time you accepted it. ”
As soon as the words were out, she pushed into the department store and I followed her, grateful for the AC and the moment to breathe when she disappeared to go to the accessories section. I lingered near the perfumes, pretending to be smelling samples I couldn’t focus on.
Instead, I was replaying every moment with Trent in my mind, the kisses, the warmth of waking up next to him, and the quiet way he traced his thumb along my jaw when he thought I was asleep.
I desperately didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but sometimes, I could swear that I felt something more than just lust or affection from him. Something deeper and a lot more real.
But before I could put a name to it, awareness prickled at the back of my neck. My stomach rolled and I turned, my entire being falling when I saw Gregory walking toward the doors from the menswear section.
He saw me instantly, and the expression that slid over his face made my insides twist. Those regal features I’d once thought were handsome went ice cold, his jaw ticking and his eyes narrowing the slightest bit.
I had half a mind to run, but before I could move, he closed the distance between us with confident, calculated strides.
“Charlotte,” he said warmly, but his face said he was feeling the complete opposite. “There you are.”
I took a step back when he opened his arms for what looked like it was about to be a hug. “Don’t.”
He reached out anyway, quick and invasive, and grabbed my hand, lifting it to inspect my fingers. My wedding set glinted in the overhead lighting and he scoffed.
“You should stop wearing these,” he said. “Why don’t you just take them off now and save us all the trouble?”
I yanked my hand back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Fine, but you shouldn’t wear them.” He smiled, all condescension and manipulation. “It’s misleading.”
“Misleading?” I repeated lamely. “How is it misleading?”
He folded his hands behind his back, his posture relaxed but his eyes glinting with cool detachment. “Your sham of a Vegas wedding isn’t going to hold up in court. You know that. I know that. Trent probably knows it too.”
I stiffened, but he leaned in slightly and lowered his voice. “You already agreed to marry me before you ran off with him.”
So surprised that I laughed, I gaped at him, my head shaking as I pulled back. “I never agreed to anything.”
“You did,” he said softly. “Perhaps you just don’t remember it properly, but don’t worry. These rings are only temporary. Evidence of an alcohol-fueled mistake. The courts will see it and when they do, you’ll come back to where you belong.”
“I don’t belong to you,” I said immediately, a shiver of dread rolling down my spine.
“You do,” he murmured. “Or at least, you will once this is over.”
The certainty in his tone hit me like a bucket of ice had been dumped over my head.
It really sounded like he believed he’d already won.
For just a moment, I imagined Trent here with me, how he’d react and what he’d do, and the way that thought alone made me breathe again told me everything I needed to know about who I belonged to.
I lifted my chin, straightening my spine as I held his gaze. Before Trent, I never would have stood up for myself like this, but now, I found it impossible to just let this entitled little snake think that he’d be getting away with whatever lies he planned on spinning to the courts.
“I never agreed to anything,” I repeated, firmer this time. My pulse thudded in my ears, but the words came out clean and confident. “I only met you, what, three times, four before this very conversation? We never discussed marriage. Hell, we didn’t get much further than the weather.”
Gregory’s eyes didn’t even flicker. Without any hesitation whatsoever, he stepped into my space like he had a right to it. “Don’t make this difficult, Charlotte.”
I stiffened but didn’t move back. I was sure he’d like it too much if I tried. “Make what difficult? You have no claim on me.”
“That’s what you think.” His voice softened, patronizing as hell. “Just sign the paperwork and get it over with.”
I sniffed against the tide of disgust that tore through me. “Absolutely not.”
“Come on.” He smiled like a man coaxing a frightened pet out of the rain. “Sign, and we can all move forward. Including your cowboy.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, but Gregory leaned even closer, his whisper brushing my cheek. “You think I don’t know who he is? Who he was with? Savannah, the baby, the scandal. That’s an interesting history, don’t you think?”
My throat tightened as I pulled back to stare at him, horrified, but not because he knew. Because he thought he could use it against us and maybe because he actually would.
“What do you think his investors will say when they find out he’s been keeping all these dirty little secrets? Rural Texas might not judge him, but the real money?” He flicked his gaze over me like I was the punchline. “They won’t be so forgiving.”
Images crashed through my mind of Trent on the ranch, laughing and talking about his breeding program with this bright, proud spark in his eyes. He’d earned his success and he was expanding into multiple states now through all these new partnerships he and Alex were entering into.
Not all those people knew about his past. Not all of them would be kind about it. Gregory’s smile sharpened, letting me know that he’d seen the flicker of worry cross my face.
“That’s the problem with men like him,” he said lightly.
“They pretend to be steady but they’re always one bad headline away from crumbling, and with the unfortunate timing of your marriage, it wouldn’t take much to make him look like he’s completely unreliable.
A man who trapped you after cheating on his ex.
People will believe anything if it’s dressed up right. ”
My hands started trembling. He was right about one thing, though, lies really were easy. Especially in the hands of someone like Gregory who was polished, educated, connected, and desperate. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the stories he could cook up.
“Charlotte?”
The voice snapped through the tension and I looked up to see Stella coming toward us. She approached quickly, her new sunglasses forgotten in her hand. As she looked at me, I knew what she was seeing. I was pale, shaking, and too stunned to hide it.
“Is everything okay?” she asked briskly, stepping between Gregory and me before planting her fists on her hips and turning on him. “Who are you?”
Gregory smiled at her, warm and polite. “Everything will be just fine. Good day to you both.”
Without telling her his name or saying anything else, he walked away as if he hadn’t just shoved me to the edge of a cliff and told me to look down. I stared after him until Stella’s hand touched my arm.
“What the hell just happened, Lottie?”
I shook my head. “I, uh, I need to go.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No.” My voice came out thin and glassy. “I just need to get back.”
“Charlotte.”
“I’m okay,” I lied, forcing a tight smile. “Really. I just need to go.”
I hurried out of the store, my vision blurring at the edges. Every step I took felt like it was bringing me closer to doom. Out on the sidewalk, the sunshine hit me like a slap, too bright and cheerful for someone whose life had just been turned upside down with a single threat.
My chest was so tight as I walked back to Trent’s apartment that I could hardly breathe, the elevator ride stretching unbearably long. When I stepped inside, the quiet almost crushed me, but I silently thanked God that Trent wasn’t home yet.
I released a shaky breath and leaned back against the door after it’d clicked shut, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. Pressing my palms to my eyes, I tried to focus on breathing, but it didn’t happen fast or easily.
I’d known Gregory was manipulative. There was no other way he could’ve dragged my dad so deep into his scheme that my own father was now actively working against Trent and me, but I hadn’t realized he was dangerous.
Not until today. Until the very moment he’d made it clear that this wasn’t just about money, pride, or some twisted idea of legacy. Gregory Van Allen wanted to win and he didn’t care who he destroyed to get there.
I curled my knees to my chest, pressed my forehead against them, and willed my heartbeat to slow. Trent would be home soon and I had absolutely no idea how to tell him that the fight ahead of us was going to be even worse than either of us ever could’ve imagined.