Six

CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.

My heart dropped to my stomach as if I had just been caught doing something wrong, and I tore myself away quickly. 

Justin’s face was red with fury as he stormed toward us, but his anger dropped instantly as recognition flashed in his eyes along with something close to fear. 

I grimaced as he wrapped his arm around me, yanking me a step back into his side. 

“Uncle,” Justin said, almost hesitantly. 

“Justin, he was just giving me a ride home,” I said, looking at Derek with a forced, polite smile that he did not return. His dark green eyes were locked on my husband, and he looked furious.

“A ride home? Uncle, thank you, but she is MY wife. You didn’t need to do that.” Justin said, and my head snapped to the side to stare up at him in surprise. 

I had no way home, and he had a problem with a member of his family giving me a ride?

Unbelievable! 

Derek lifted one eyebrow, and the small movement made Justin tense further.

“She has the finest cars and her own driver… I take care of my wife!” Justin defended as he tightened his hold around my waist, making me wince. 

“Take care of your wife?” Derek repeated with disgust, and I discreetly shook my head at him, not wanting him to bring up Tara right now. I couldn’t afford to lose the upper hand in the divorce. “You left your wife stranded in the pouring rain. That’s how you take care of her?”

“But I am fine now!” I interrupted, moving to stand between the two men, placing my hands on Justin’s chest to guide him back toward the house. “I am fine, and I am home. Let’s just go inside before we all get sick from the cold.” 

The air seemed to thicken with the tension between the two men, and I pushed against Justin’s chest again to urge him inside, but he shrugged me off and stepped around me. 

“Go inside, Charlotte.” He demanded, and my eyes widened in disbelief. Did he really think he could just boss me around?

“No!” I snapped, my hands balling into fists at my sides.

“Please, go.” Derek insisted from behind me, and I whipped around to send him the same glare, only he didn’t bother to meet my eyes. 

His were locked on Justin. 

“Why? Should I go inside for a ruler?” I asked bitterly, but neither of them responded for several moments as I glanced back and forth between them. “Fine! Suit yourselves!” 

It took everything I had not to stomp as I stormed away from them in anger at their absurd behavior.

Yet, even as I wrapped a towel around my shoulders and went to heat water for tea, I couldn’t help but peek out front every few minutes at the two men arguing until Justin pointed toward the house. 

My heart slammed in my chest like a kid getting caught searching for presents before Christmas. I dropped to the floor, hoping I hadn’t been seen, before crawling back to the kitchen on my hands and knees to pretend I hadn’t been spying on them.

I jumped to my feet, pulling the towel tighter around me as the front door slammed open and Justin stormed in. His face was red with anger as he marched toward me, stopping only a foot away. 

“Stay away from him!” Justin ordered, anger laced in each word. “Stay away from all men, for that matter! Do you know how bad it makes me look for you to be alone with another man? Even my uncle! If the press had gotten a whiff of this…”

“Excuse me?!” I wanted to laugh at how absurd it was. He had gotten another woman pregnant, but he didn’t want me to simply be near another man?! “This isn’t the 1800’s, Justin! I’m not putting my reputation and honor at risk by being alone with a man!” 

“That’s not what I am saying! I just…” Justin paused, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath. I held mine as he opened them again, reaching forward to place his hand on my cheek. “I just want to know you’re safe. It would kill me if anything happened to you.” 

Good. Suffer. I thought as I turned my head to pull away from him, but my back was already against the counter.

“And you think your own uncle would hurt me?” I asked. 

“Maybe not him directly…”

The towel dropped from my shoulders as I squeezed between him and the counter to escape, but the sound of Justin’s voice cracking as he called out my name made me pause. He sounded pained, but I couldn’t understand why. 

I had the chance to do something, to betray our vows, and I had chosen not to. He couldn’t say the same. 

“Charlotte… is that his?” Justin asked, though I could see the irritation in his eyes.

Glancing down at myself, I nodded slowly before slipping it off and placing it over the back of the breakfast bar stool. “Yes, it was raining, so he let me use it to warm up. I’m home now, though, so I don’t need it anymore.” 

Justin looked pained as he glanced from the jacket to me before his face softened as I removed my hand from the jacket.

“You’re right. Forget about him. I’m glad you’re okay. Come here,” He whispered, pulling me into his arms. “You look freezing.” 

Every muscle in my body tensed as his hand began to rub up and down my back slowly. 

“What are you doing?” I asked hesitantly as he moved his hands to my sides, his right thumb swiping back and forth on my hipbone.  

His gaze grew more heated, burning with desire as he pulled me flush up against him. “Warming you up. Let me take care of you.”

I swallowed hard as a shot of pain hit my heart when he leaned down and kissed my cheek, his lips lingering a breath longer than they needed to. 

“Justin,” I breathed, ready to tell him to stop, but his next words surprised me. 

“No other man will ever make you as happy as I can. I can give you everything you want.” He said, running the tip of his nose across my cheek until it brushed the tip of my own. “A car, a house, a baby…” 

“A baby?” I repeated, stunned that he would really be considering having both of his women pregnant at the same time. 

“Why not?” He asked, and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from shouting a million reasons why not. “Your mom wants a grandchild, and I’ve always wanted one with you.” 

I stepped back, grabbing his wrists to force his hands off me when he refused to let go. 

“I’m on my period.” I spat, my voice as cold as my heart felt. 

Justin didn’t seem to notice, as his phone chimed, distracting him. He quickly turned, stepping away to open it.

“It’s work.” He mumbled distractedly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, my arms crossing over my chest as I watched him smile down at his screen. 

Leaning over, I placed my hand on Derek’s wet jacket once more to hold myself steady as a picture of a woman in lingerie popped up on the screen.

‘If only you were still here…’ The message read. 

My mouth went dry as he stared for a long moment before texting her back. 

‘I need you.’

Those three words made the bile rise in my throat, but I straightened quickly as he turned to face me, acting as if I hadn’t seen what it was. 

“There is an emergency at work. I have to go.” He said, leaning in to kiss me. I quickly ducked my head, and his lips connected with my forehead as my gaze landed on the bulge in his pants. I couldn’t believe that he could be touching me one moment and running to her the next.

Justin didn’t wait for a response. He raced out of the house before I could say anything. 

That night, I couldn’t fall asleep. It felt like I was punishing myself, wondering if he was going to come home.

I should have known better. 

Just as my eyes began to close, my phone vibrated with another message from Tara.  

An image opened first, and I raced to the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet before I could take another look. 

It was the top of Justin’s head with her hand in his hair, her thighs on either side of his face. 

‘He will always choose me.’