Chapter 7

The dreamcatcher had been a gift from Max, the only keepsake Charlotte had left of him after his death.

For a moment, her mind went blank. Then fury took over. She lunged at Hazel and slapped her hard across the face.

Just then, Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur appeared. They'd arrived just in time to see Charlotte strike Hazel. All three rushed forward, putting themselves between the two women to protect Hazel.

Dylan glared at Charlotte as though he wanted to tear her apart. "Charlotte Lair!"

Zeke shoved her away. "Have you lost your mind?"

Arthur's expression turned icy. "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you lay a hand on Hazel? Guards! Lock her in the confinement room."

The bodyguards rushed in and dragged Charlotte off to the confinement room before she could even protest.

She had suffered from severe claustrophobia ever since Max died. The moment she heard where they were taking her, she began trembling uncontrollably.

"No, please…"

Despite everything the three men had put her through over the years, she'd never once begged them for mercy. Not until now.

Dylan froze, but when he saw Hazel's red, swollen cheek, the brief flicker of sympathy in his eyes disappeared.

"Take her away!" he ordered.

The door closed, shutting out the last sliver of light. Charlotte curled up in a corner of the pitch-black room, unable to stop shaking.

"Dylan! Let me out! Zeke! Arthur!"

But no matter how many times she called out, no one answered.

The darkness seemed to close in around her. She could barely breathe, and she began to fear she might die in there.

She spent the entire night crying for help, but no one came. Eventually, she ran out of strength and slowly slumped to the floor.

As Charlotte began to lose consciousness, she thought she saw the face she'd been longing to see.

"Max..."

The door opened, flooding the room with light so bright it hurt her eyes. She struggled to open her eyes and saw Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur standing in the doorway, their expressions grim.

"Whose name were you calling?"

Charlotte closed her eyes again, too weak to answer.

Dylan scoffed, then warned, "You think calling out another man's name is going to get our attention? Don't play games with us. Hazel is the one person you don't mess with, Charlotte.

"If you ever hurt her again, we won't stop at locking you up."

Charlotte glanced at the three men, then struggled to her feet and made her way out, using the wall for support.

The moment her phone picked up a signal, it buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, read the message, and slipped it away.

It was from the courthouse. Her divorce paperwork was nearly ready. In three days, she could pick up the final documents.

When Charlotte didn't respond, the three men warned her again.

"Don't even think about hurting Hazel again."

Charlotte gave a faint smile. "You won't have to worry about that anymore."

She'd be leaving soon anyway.

Zeke demanded, "What did you say?"

Charlotte shook her head and walked away without looking back.