Chapter 9

Shocked murmurs rippled through the room. Hazel clearly hadn't expected Charlotte to have a camera, and her expression changed instantly.

Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur stared at Hazel, uncertainty flickering in their eyes. The moment she noticed, she started crying even harder.

She bit her lip, looking utterly helpless. "I didn't do it. Who are you going to believe, her or me?"

The three men didn't hesitate. "We believe you!"

Then they turned on Charlotte again.

"Enough! We warned you to leave Hazel alone. Why can't you ever listen?"

Zeke's expression darkened. He strode over and ripped the necklace from Charlotte's neck, snapping the chain, then hurled it to the floor in disgust.

"Try whatever tricks you want. We're never going to believe you!"

Arthur raised a hand, and the bodyguards behind him rushed forward.

"She clearly hasn't learned her lesson. Make sure she does. Whip her!"

The guards forced Charlotte to her knees and held her down. She tried to explain, but the three men wouldn't let her get a word in.

Seeing the cold indifference on their faces, Charlotte finally gave up trying to explain.

Nothing she said would change their minds. When it came down to choosing between her and Hazel, they'd always choose Hazel.

Charlotte was whipped 30 times in front of more than 100 guests, forced to endure the pain and humiliation as they watched.

With each lash, she bit down harder on her lip to keep from screaming, until she drew blood.

By the time the last lash fell, she had nothing left. She collapsed to the floor, too weak even to cry out. Her dress was torn and almost completely soaked in blood.

A flicker of pity crossed Dylan's stern face. He was about to step forward and help Charlotte up when Hazel suddenly slumped against his shoulder.

"Dylan, Zeke, Arthur, my head hurts so much."

All three men immediately turned their attention to Hazel. Without another word, they scooped her up and rushed her to the hospital.

None of them even looked back at Charlotte, who was still lying on the floor.

Once the last guest had left, the place fell silent. No one gave Charlotte another thought. She spent the entire night lying in her own blood, surrounded by shattered pieces of artwork.

It wasn't until the next morning that she finally found the strength to get up and make her way to the hospital alone.

Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur didn't come home over the next two days, either. Not that the mansion had ever really been their home. It was nothing more than a gilded cage where they kept Charlotte.

They owned countless other mansions and villas, and now that Hazel was back, they had no reason to come here anymore.

Charlotte was glad they stayed away. It made things that much easier for her.

The three days were finally up. Her divorces were final, and all she had left to do was pick up the paperwork. Then she'd be free of all three men for good.

With the divorce decrees in hand, even the sky seemed bluer.

But when Charlotte returned to the mansion, she found Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur inside. All three looked as handsome and aloof as ever, though none of them seemed particularly happy.

Three cakes, each with a different design, sat on the table. The room had been decorated to create a warm, romantic atmosphere.

All three men got to their feet as soon as they saw her.

Dylan spoke first. "Where have you been? Don't you know it's our wedding anniversary?"

Zeke demanded, "Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?"

Arthur gave her a dismissive glance. "You're still upset about what happened? It was your fault to begin with! Hazel isn't even holding it against you, and you're still holding a grudge?"

Charlotte took a deep breath and replied coldly, "You had the evidence right in front of you, and you still refused to believe me. I'm telling you one last time. I didn't do it."

That only made the three men angrier.

"Who knows how you managed to fake that evidence? Hazel would never do something like that!"

Charlotte was too tired to argue anymore. "Believe whatever you want."

Dylan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, irritation evident in his voice. "What's with the attitude? Do you have any idea how much I had to put off just to spend our anniversary with you?"

Zeke stepped in and tried to pull Charlotte behind him. "She's mine. She's supposed to be with me today."

Arthur let out a humorless laugh. "It's Friday. That means she's supposed to be with me."

The three men were still arguing when their phones all rang at once. They immediately stopped, let go of Charlotte, and answered their calls.

"Don't worry. I'll be right there."

"Where is she?"

"Tell her to wait for me!"

The calls were from Hazel's friends. Charlotte didn't know what had happened, only that they needed the three men there right away.

And as always, all three chose Hazel.

"Wait here. We'll come back and celebrate our anniversary with you once we've taken care of things."

Charlotte wasn't surprised. She watched them hurry toward the door, then called out to them one last time.

"Dylan! Zeke! Arthur!"

All three men stopped and turned around.

"What is it?"

Charlotte looked at their handsome faces one last time and smiled.

"Nothing."

Surprise flickered in their eyes. They seemed about to say something, but in the end, they hurried off without another word.

Charlotte watched them leave, feeling nothing but relief.

"We each got what we wanted these past few years. We're even now. I don't hold anything against you, and you shouldn't hold anything against me, either. After today, we'll never see each other again."

She pulled the three divorce decrees from her purse and placed one in front of each cake. Then she set her necklace, with its hidden camera, on the table.

Finally, she picked up her phone and made a call.

"Hello, I'd like to have all records of my identity erased."

Once she was gone, Dylan, Zeke, and Arthur would probably realize she'd been deceiving them all along. They'd find out that they'd been nothing more than stand-ins themselves.

Charlotte didn't care how they'd react. All that mattered was making sure they could never find her again. That way, she'd never have to deal with them again.

By the time she hung up, she felt as though she'd finally taken care of everything that had been weighing on her mind.

She grabbed her suitcase and walked out without looking back.