Lahat ng Kabanata ng Regret of Her Ex-Husband: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

CHARLOTTE‘Something only you can give me, Charlotte. Something very unique.’Nathan’s words echoed in my head over and over again.“Oh my God,” I muttered softly as I stood in the spacious living room, the luxurious decorations becoming a harsh blur in my peripheral.My body shook, my heart pounded erratically against my chest, and my palms felt wet and clammy.‘You have to calm down, Charlotte. Just calm down.’ I could hear my inner voice speaking and trying to convince me to take a step back, to breathe.But it wasn’t easy.How could I be calm when Nathan refused the only solid offer I’d thought of? And now he wanted me to give him something only I could provide. Something unique.There was nothing else. No fucking thing.I couldn’t give him money even if I had it because it wasn’t unique. I couldn’t give him leaked information, too, as he had people doing that for him.So, what else could I give him?‘Your body. You could give him your body.’ The voice in my head chirped. ‘Maybe h

NATHANTo salvage what was left of my thoughts and put the days’ events behind me, l decided to take an icy shower before preparing for the night.After the long bath, I proceeded to my bed, hoping to fall asleep quickly, but instead, my mind went into overdrive with all the things that had happened today.One particular event stood out amongst the rest.It was my last encounter with Charlotte in that damned apartment.“Fuck!” I cursed frustratingly and rolled onto my side.I grabbed a pillow and held it tightly to my chest, breathing rapidly as my eyes burned.I closed them tight, trying to get rid of the images that still plagued my subconscious, but to no avail.“I think about you at the office. I think about you at home. When you’re near, I think about you still…” I trailed off into an incomprehensible murmur before releasing the pillow and burying my head in it. “…what the fuck are you doing to me, Charlotte? Just what?!”Why wouldn’t she leave my head? And she had to strip naked

CHARLOTTEA strangled cough echoed through the office, and I turned to my new boss, Nathan, whose face was buried in a document.Since I’d entered his office, he’d barely acknowledged me. He just spared a fleeting glance at me and talked to his assistant, who left soon after, and then he started coughing.Was he ill?Or did my presence make him uncomfortable somehow? That was ridiculous, so choosing my first thought, I took a few steps towards him and asked. “Na…Mr. Nathan, are you okay?”There was a pause as he stopped coughing, but he said nothing.I prodded. “Are…are you feeling sick? Should I call your assis—““No.” He cut me short, jerking his head up.He looked straight at me, and although we weren’t close enough, it felt like we were.I saw every feature on his face, especially his piercing eyes, and they burned a hole right through me. He—“I am perfectly fine, Charlotte.” As though in a daze, he blinked rapidly and waved his hands. “My throat was just a bit itchy, that’s all.

CHARLOTTE“Everyone, it’s okay. It’s okay. Let’s stop with the gossip.” The HR lady plastered a saccharine smile on her lips and waved her hands as she spoke, trying to calm the gossiping workers.She rounded her desk and walked towards me, grabbing my arm gently but firmly, making me flinch.“I will take care of her now, Dan.” She winked at Nathan’s assistant. “You may take your leave.”He nodded and left without another word.She turned back to me, pulling on my arm. “Now, sorry about that rude welcome.” She cleared her throat. “My name is Lily Collins. I’m the HR manager of Hamilton Group & co. Welcome to the company.”She dropped her hand from my arm and stretched it out for a handshake, which I reluctantly accepted.My palms were a tad sweaty, and my body shook from the force of Lily’s handshake, but I didn’t show any discomfort. I tried my hardest to keep my composure, and I didn’t want to give the still-gawking workers something to discuss.“My name is Charlotte Smith,” I said,

NATHAN“Have you heard the rumors flying around?” Dan said, catching my attention as I glanced up from the pile of documents cluttered on the conference table.I’d left my office earlier wanting a much bigger space for the work that piled up for me. In truth, I’d also left the office because I kept thinking of Charlotte and the incident between us earlier.“What?” I asked, shaking my thoughts away.My brows knitting together in concentration, I listened to the report from Dan. He went on and on about how the HR assistant regarded Charlotte as too incompetent for the job.“The HR doesn't seem to approve of Charlotte. It was said that Charlotte is unfit for this position given her academic background. A high school diploma and a criminal record at that is utterly outrageous,so she said." He continued, seating across the rounded table.“Plus, she caused quite the ruckus earlier when I introduced Charlotte to the manager, Lily.”My brows arched in curiosity as I asked, “what did she do?”