Chapter 4

William left in a hurry, leaving the driver and car for Charlotte.

She told the driver to go home and got into another cab, following William all the way to the hospital.

She wanted to see for herself what kind of woman could keep William’s heart for so many years.

Charlotte followed him to the elevator and watched as he stepped inside. When she came out of another elevator a few minutes later, he was already gone.

She couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at herself.

The once-proud daughter of the York family had become a jealous wife following her unfaithful husband.

Her mood couldn’t have been worse.

If it weren’t for Julia’s fragile health, she might have already lost control and confronted William in a way that would have ended everything.

The effort of holding herself together felt like being torn in two.

After taking a moment to calm down, Charlotte wiped away her tears, retouched her makeup, and went to Julia’s hospital room.

Seeing Charlotte show up so late, Julia looked worried. “Charlotte, tell me the truth. Did you have a fight with William?”

Charlotte pulled up a chair beside the bed and forced a small smile. “No, Mom. We’re fine.”

She had once told her parents with absolute certainty that marrying William would be her greatest happiness.

Now she didn’t know how to tell them the truth.

How could she say that their perfect son-in-law had cheated on her?

How could she say that she wanted a divorce?

Frank handed her some snacks a relative had brought earlier. “Charlotte, these past three years, William’s done a lot for this family. He’s taken care of us and helped us through tough times. If there’s a problem, talk it out. Don’t let your temper get the better of you.”

Julia looked at Charlotte with gentle concern. “You’re twenty-five now. It’s time to start settling down. William’s the only son in his family. You should think about having a baby soon. That’s what keeps a marriage strong.”

Charlotte stayed silent.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want a child. William was the one who refused.

She remembered a time when he had been away on a week-long business trip. Before he came home, she had hidden all the protection in the house, thinking that maybe he would finally want to try for a baby.

That night, he was unusually passionate, and they spent the night together with nothing between them.

She had fallen asleep believing he had finally accepted the idea of having a child with her.

The next morning, William handed her a box of emergency contraceptives and personally made sure she took one.

After that, she stopped trying. She never brought up children again.

Only now did she realize it wasn’t that William didn’t want kids. He just didn’t want them with her.

Later that evening, her younger brother, Caleb, stopped by the hospital after his night classes. When he saw Charlotte, he came over, grinning, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Charlotte, I just saw William.”

Charlotte’s smile froze.

Julia looked at her in surprise. “Charlotte, did William come here with you?”

Charlotte quickly covered it up. “He came to visit a friend. I just came along.”

She turned to Caleb. “Where did you see him?”

Caleb scratched his head. “We got into the same elevator. I think he pressed thirteen.”

After exchanging a few more words with her parents, Charlotte left for the thirteenth floor alone.

She didn’t dare ask around, so she quietly checked the rooms one by one along the hallway.

She wasn’t the one who had done anything wrong, yet the closer she walked, the more anxious she felt.

The entire floor was lined with VIP suites, quiet and almost empty.

Then, she stopped in front of one of the rooms.

Through the slightly open door, she saw William standing beside a hospital bed, holding a woman in his arms.

That woman in William’s arms could only be Annie Xander, the woman he had carried in his heart for so many years.

Charlotte had heard her name before, but this was the first time she had ever seen her.

Annie was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed with her back to the door. Her arms were wrapped tightly around William’s waist, her face buried in his chest, and her long hair spilled down his arm like silk.

Just from her back, Charlotte could tell Annie was beautiful.

Then Annie stood, looped her arms around William’s neck, and spoke in a soft, tearful voice. “William, will you stay with me tonight?”

So this was how close they had become.

William gently removed Annie’s hands from around his neck. That was when Charlotte noticed the bracelet on Annie’s wrist.

The diamonds caught the light and shimmered so brightly that it almost hurt to look at.

Slowly, Charlotte lifted her own left hand. The bracelet on her wrist was exactly the same.

When he had said, “It looks beautiful,” he hadn’t meant her hand. He had been admiring the bracelet, the very one he had already given to the woman he truly loved.

A low ringing filled her ears, drowning out every sound in the room.

Fighting the rage rising in her chest, she tore the bracelet off her wrist and threw it away.

She stumbled down the hallway, nearly tripping as she ran. When she reached a quiet corner, she broke down completely and cried until she could hardly breathe.

It felt as if she were dying.

She had no memory of how she made it home.

By the time her tears finally stopped, her mind was clear, but her body felt numb.

After a shower, she tried to turn on the hair dryer, but her fingers were trembling and stiff. She couldn’t even press the button.

She lay in bed in silence, her eyes red and swollen but dry. All the pain and resentment inside her had been buried so deep it turned into silence.

Even breaking down or crying had to be done in the right time and place.

So this was what it meant to be an adult.

Once Julia was discharged from the hospital, she would end everything.

The thought of divorcing William in a few days made her entire body tremble.

Late that night, when the world was quiet, every emotion she had pushed down came rushing back. The pain consumed her completely.

She curled up in bed, covered her face with her hands, and wept softly.

In the stillness of the room, she looked small and lost, like someone wandering through a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.

*

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, William had just finished settling Annie back into bed. He then stopped by the nurses’ station to get a thermometer. A few nurses were chatting nearby.

When William noticed the diamond bracelet in one of the nurses’ hands, his pupils constricted sharply.

He stepped forward and took the bracelet, checking the engraving inside.

The moment he confirmed that it was the one he had given Charlotte, his heart sank.

His voice turned cold as he demanded, “Why is this bracelet in your hands?”

William was always meticulous. Every gift he ever gave Charlotte had her initial, a small letter C, engraved somewhere on it. It was her mark, her signature.

This bracelet was hers.

She had been here.

The nurses froze under the intensity of his gaze. One of them quickly stepped forward to explain. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harris. A beautiful woman dropped it earlier. She said she didn’t want it anymore.”

Didn’t want it anymore?

William caught those words immediately.

A few minutes later, he returned to Annie’s room and handed her the thermometer. “I spoke to the nurses. Someone will come stay with you for a while.”

Annie turned weakly toward him. “William, didn’t you say you’d stay with me tonight?”

He gently helped her lie back down. “Something came up. I need to take care of it.”

Annie obediently let go of his hand, though her voice was soft with guilt. “William, it’s my fault. My son and I have been taking up all your time these past few days. Your wife must be upset. You should go home and make it up to her.”

William adjusted her pillow and gave her a calm look. “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”